Important topic. It is not one I have studied in depth so I cannot offer
references other than those already mentioned. I do have some experience of
the issue from several vantage points and offer that:
- it is critical to define the point on the continuum from insensitivity to
brutality that one wishes to focus on;
- bullying is not a top down construct any more than power is
- organizational sanctioning of nuanced bullying is rife regardless of the
field of endeavour
- if the topic is to be explored fully, then issues of race, ethnicity,
gender, sexual orientation, religion, classism, ageism and the full range of
us><them schema deserve attention. I caution that orientation and ageism
are too often ignored with the result that bullying in these areas
flourishes more openly than in relation to gender, for example, in many
environments in this part of the world.
I hope you will share more on the project as it evolves. Your student might
find Margaret Cannon's _The Hidden Empire: Racism in Canada_ interesting in
relation to the subtleties at play and the enabling nature of
organizational/societal context.
Regards,
____________________________________________________
John J. O'Brien, CRM, MLT
ISI Global - Coach & Principal Consultant
www.crosswinds.net/~isi
Interactive Strategies, Inc.
Aligning Vision, Process & Outcomes
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