Footfalls and heart-prints for Indigenous inclusion

Abstract

Geographies of inclusion have largely been ignored in Management & Organization Studies (MOS), which tend to be encased within global white Western power over knowledge production. In this paper, I contribute to how non-Western contexts can serve as a counterpoint, yet avoid sharp dichotomies, concerning hegemonic Western discourse in geographies of inclusion. Through ethnography, I seek to provide some answers to the question: How does inclusion happen and how can it be theorised in non-Western contexts. Two central ideas of the paper are: 1. MOS can and should learn from non-Western contexts. Indigenous inclusion, specifically linked to Adivasis in India, illustrates how geographical contexts matter for theorising inclusion which can be enriched by examining non-Western contexts; and 2. Liberation theology through discernment and contemplative action, can provide insights and probe the possibilities of the nature of inclusion. I make no claim to a sole interpretation, rather I offer a guiding framework, grounded in an empirical contribution, for a nuanced understanding of Indigenous inclusion. My poignant hope is to invite other adaptations and traditions to further enrich and unveil understandings of geographies of inclusion for MOS.