Intersectionality: Engaging the Epistemology of Leadership Theory Carolyn J
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Antioch University AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses Dissertations & Theses 2019 Intersectionality: Engaging the Epistemology of Leadership Theory Carolyn J. Morales Antioch University - PhD Program in Leadership and Change Follow this and additional works at: https://aura.antioch.edu/etds Part of the Epistemology Commons, Gender and Sexuality Commons, Higher Education Commons, and the Leadership Studies Commons Recommended Citation Morales, Carolyn J., "Intersectionality: Engaging the Epistemology of Leadership Theory" (2019). Dissertations & Theses. 517. https://aura.antioch.edu/etds/517 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Student & Alumni Scholarship, including Dissertations & Theses at AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. It has been accepted for inclusion in Dissertations & Theses by an authorized administrator of AURA - Antioch University Repository and Archive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Intersectionality: Engaging the Epistemology of Leadership Theory Carolyn J. Morales ORCID Scholar ID# 0000-0002-3923-7457 A Dissertation Submitted to the PhD in Leadership and Change Program of Antioch University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy June 2019 This dissertation is approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of PhD in Leadership and Change, Graduate School of Leadership and Change, Antioch University. Dissertation Committee • Lize Booysen, DBL, Chair • Philomena Essed, PhD, Committee Member • Gaile Pohlhaus, PhD, Committee Member Copyright 2019 Carolyn J. Morales All rights reserved Acknowledgments This accomplishment is due, in part, to the wisdom and support of my father, Luis Morales, and my mother, Lupe Morales. I am humbled by their sacrifices as an immigrant to this country and as migrant workers who instilled within me a love of learning. I have also been blessed by the guidance of a life-long mentor who has had a profound impact of my life, the Honorable Judith K. Guthrie. To Luis, Lupe, and Judith: I am fortunate to have been guided by your wisdom and been the recipient of your love. Thank you. i Abstract This dissertation investigates the potential of linking intersectionality and leadership theories utilizing a theoretical bricolage research strategy. In order to explore a theoretical merger between these two disparate disciples warrants a preliminary understanding of how the production of knowledge has constructed a long-standing epistemic bias against marginalized perspectives. This analysis will seek to illustrate how androcentrism pervades the corpus of intellectual thought and the resulting impact which extends beyond the traditional canon of epistemology to the field of leadership. Intrinsic to this analysis will be an exploration of social identity and how it interacts with larger social environmental factors such as power, privilege, and the nominal integration of intersectionality within leadership studies. This level of analysis will be used to construct a conceptual framework connecting the constructs of complexity, interdisciplinarity, epistemology, and oppression. Beyond exploring this theoretical merger, this examination will consider how an intersectional understanding of identity development can expand the epistemology of leadership theory. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/ and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/ Keywords: Intersectionality, Epistemology, Feminist Epistemology, Leadership, Bricolage, Theoretical Bricolage, Intersectional Leadership. ii Table of Contents Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... i Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. vi List of Figures ............................................................................................................................... vii Chapter I: Introduction, Background, and Contextualization ......................................................... 1 Background ......................................................................................................................... 4 Research Approach ........................................................................................................... 10 Statement of the Problem .................................................................................................. 13 Purpose and Process of the Study ..................................................................................... 14 Research Questions ........................................................................................................... 15 Significance of the Study .................................................................................................. 16 Definition of Terms........................................................................................................... 17 Assumptions, Limitations, and Delimitations ................................................................... 18 Dissertation Outline .......................................................................................................... 19 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 21 Chapter II. Research Design ......................................................................................................... 23 Epistemic Positioning and Paradigmatic Stance ............................................................... 23 Research Method Overview .............................................................................................. 29 Bricolage Research ........................................................................................................... 30 Methodological Processes and Arguments ....................................................................... 31 Theoretical Bricolage ........................................................................................................ 32 Elements of Theoretical Bricolage.................................................................................... 33 iii Theoretical Analysis ......................................................................................................... 35 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 43 Chapter III. Epistemology Theory, Research, and Practice .......................................................... 45 Epistemology: Where are the Women? ............................................................................ 45 Framing Feminist Epistemology ....................................................................................... 50 Development of a New Theoretical Model ........................................................... 50 Epistemological Expansions ................................................................................. 53 Summary ........................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter IV. Intersectionality and Leadership Theories, Research, and Practices ........................ 68 Intersectionality................................................................................................................. 68 Leadership ......................................................................................................................... 77 Conclusions ....................................................................................................................... 94 Chapter V. Theoretical Bricolage ................................................................................................. 95 Architecture of Theory ...................................................................................................... 96 Epistemological Gaps in Leadership ................................................................................ 99 Leadership Research Paradigms ..................................................................................... 114 Positivistic Leadership Theories ......................................................................... 115 Post-positivist Leadership Theories .................................................................... 120 Post-structural Leadership Theory ...................................................................... 133 Epistemological Status Quo Within Leadership Discourse ............................ 143 Summary ......................................................................................................................... 148 Chapter VI. Intersectional Leadership ........................................................................................ 150 The Building of Bricolage .............................................................................................. 150 iv The Nexus of Intersectionality and Leadership .............................................................. 155 Intersectional Leadership