Defining occupational activism in an era of corporate social responsibility: a critical review

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 2: Exploring Occupations

Abstract

Research on insider/occupational activism has grown significantly in recent years. While the seminal works were introduced in the late 1990s, during the 2010s this area of research was bolstered by the resurgence of progressive social movements and the concomitant institutionalization of corporate social responsibility, which opened up opportunities to uphold progressive values and causes within the workplace, notably in large business organizations. This paper offers a critical review of the concepts of insider and occupational activism. It highlights the analytical advantages of these approaches but also the risks arising from overly extensive and uncontrolled use of these concepts to explore contemporary work activities and occupational roles related to social change in organizations, particularly large companies.

Author

• Laure Bereni, CNRS (French National Center for Scientific Research)