Organization and Stigma Management

Abstract

Scholarly work has discussed the ways in which stigmatized groups may resist their stigma, along with various resources at their disposal that facilitate such resistance. However, it has not explicitly considered how organization can serve as one such resource. Bringing into dialogue scholarly work on stigma, organizations, and social movements, this article examines the role of organization as a key resource for managing and resisting stigma. In doing so, it draws from a comparative analysis of two groups of dumpster divers in New York City. It finds that whereas informal social organization allowed one group to develop shared views regarding the practice, formal collective organization enabled another group to confront the stigma itself. The findings therefore highlight the role of organization in both mitigating shared stigma and challenging its basis—thereby providing insights into the social conditions of stigma management and the collective resources at the disposal of stigmatized groups.