Journal of Business Ethics - Closed Call for Papers - The Business of (Im)migration: Bodies Across Borders

Guest Editors

Marco Distinto, The Open University

Vijayta Doshi, Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur

Arturo E. Osorio, Rutgers University

Paulina Segarra, Universidad Anáhuac México

Martyna Śliwa, Essex Business School
 

(Im)migration is the movement of bodies from one’s place of residence to another while crossing across places and spaces such as (political) borders of their village/city/state/nation of origin (Doshi, 2021; Segarra & Prasad, 2020). The relocation happens for a range of reasons, from ambition, education, freedom, lifestyle, marriage, and work, to other cultural, economic, political and/or social reasons. Migration refers to cyclic or temporary movements of bodies with the possibility of returning to their original place while immigration indicates the desire for a permanent relocation. In practice, the distinction between migration and immigration is not clear-cut, due to the unpredictability and dynamism of the movement itself and the underlying intentions and plans of the individuals. We use the term “(im)migrate” to highlight the fluidity of this movement of bodies.

The “business” of (im)migration can be understood in various ways, such as capitalist practices relating to pre-(im)migration, represented by (im)migration agents, as well as post-(im)migration, exemplified by (im)migrants’ integration agencies, the labor market for migrant workers, and hosting organizations in various social sectors (Anderson, 2010; Johansson & Śliwa, 2014). In this special issue, we seek to open a dialogue exploring constructive ways for (im)migrants to be conceptualized and treated. Business ethics, particularly as it is closely connected with the human rights of (im)migrants, is at the core of this effort. By focusing on the movement of bodies across borders, this special issue aims for deeper scholarly discussions on the ethics of migration (Rajendra, 2017; Shanahan, 2021), immigration at the workplace (Carens, 2013), and the within/without of organizations. We are also interested in contributions exploring the transformative power of (im)migration beyond views of ‘migrants as mere victims’, thus emphasizing the productive manifestations of their agency (Agustín, 2003). As Nail (2018, p.18) states, “the migrants’ being out-of-place and out-of-time, is not only the conditions for their marginalization but the conditions under which their movement can create a new place and a new time.”

Through the focus of ethics and business, this special issue seeks to open several conversations. First, it aims to pay attention to micro perspectives on business, ethics, and (im)migration. These may include the cultural, economic, social, material, psychological, political, and emotional challenges faced by (im)migrants, as well as their agency to negotiate, resist, or reinforce the challenges of (im)migration (Doshi, 2021; Segarra & Prasad, 2020). Second, it seeks to explore the meso level of business, ethics and (im)migration. Here, the focus is on inter- and intra-national reception systems; migration intermediaries (Underhill et al., 2018), civil society organizations supporting refugees and asylum seekers, or hybrid organizations halfway between public institutions and voluntary associations (Valtonen, 2016). Third, this special issue seeks to explore the macro perspective of business, ethics, and (im)migration. Among many topics that could be addressed are matters such as the geopolitics of migration policies and (re)settlement programs (Distinto, 2020). These policies are affected by discourses of urbanization, inter(natio)nalization, (anti)globalization, post/neocolonialism, nationalism, and capitalism (Fotaki & Prasad, 2015; Tsoukas, 2020). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought new challenges regarding immigration policies in terms of immigrants entering and departing, pending (im)migrations, (un)employment, and lack of healthcare and support among (im)migrants (ILO, 2020, World Bank, 2020). Fourth, this special issue is open to a range of theoretical approaches within business ethics: e.g., feminist and intersectional perspectives, embodiment, post-structuralist and post-humanist theories, and neo/post/decolonial perspectives from the Global South (Collins, 2018; Thomson & Jones, 2017). We are also interested in both conceptual and empirical work using a wide range of qualitative and/or quantitative methods. 

Submission instructions

Submission to this Special Issue must be made through Editorial Manager (this opens in a new tab) by 1 December 2022, and authors must indicate that their submission is for this Special Issue of the Journal of Business Ethics. The online submission system will start accepting submissions 60 days before the call for papers submission deadline. We strongly encourage authors to refer to the JBE’s submission guidelines (this opens in a new tab) for detailed instructions. Any questions regarding this Special Issue, please address to Paulina Segarra at paulina.segarra@gmail.com (this opens in a new tab)

References

Agustín, L. M. (2003). Forget victimization: Granting agency to migrants. Development, 46(3), 30-36.

Anderson, B. (2010). Migration, immigration controls and the fashioning of precarious workers. Work, Employment and Society, 24(2), 300-317.

Carens. J. H. (2013). The ethics of immigration. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Collins, F. L. (2018). Desire as a theory for migration studies- Temporality, assemblage and becoming in the narratives of migrants. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 44(6), 964-980.

Distinto, M. (2020). 'Pastoral power and the integration of migrants': An exploratory study of discourses and practices of integration within Italian refugee reception centres. PhD thesis. The Open University.

Doshi, V. (2021). Symbolic violence in embodying customer service work across the urban/rural divide. Gender, Work & Organization, 28, 39-53.

Fotaki, M., & Prasad, A. (2015). Questioning neoliberal capitalism and economic inequality in business schools. Academy of Management Learning & Education, 14(4), 556-575.

ILO. (2020). “Social protection for migrant workers: A necessary response to the COVID-19 crisis.” Available at https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/---ed_protect/---soc_sec/documents/publication/wcms_748979.pdf

Johansson, M., & Śliwa, M. (2014). Gender, foreignness and academia: An intersectional analysis of the experiences of foreign women academics in UK business schools. Gender, Work & Organization, 21(1), 18-36.

Nail, T. (2018). The political centrality of the migrant. In Karakoulaki, M., Southgate, L. & Steiner, J. (Eds.). Critical perspectives on migration in the twenty-first century, 15-28. Bristol: E-international Relations Publishing.

Rajendra, T. M. (2017). Migrants and citizens: Justice and responsibility in the ethics of immigration. Michigan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

Segarra, P., & Prasad, A. (2020). Colonization, migration, and right-wing extremism: The constitution of embodied life of a dispossessed undocumented immigrant woman. Organization, 27(1), 174-187.

Shanahan, S. (2021). The ethics of migration: Aspiring to just mercy in immigration policy. In Dyer, A.R., Kohrt, B.A. & Candilis, P.J. (Eds.). Global mental health ethics. Cham: Springer

Thomson, K., & Jones, J. (2017). Precarious professionals: (in)Secure identities and moral agency in neocolonial context. Journal of Business Ethics, 146(4), 747-770.

Tsoukas, H. (2020). Leadership, the American Academy of Management, and President Trump's travel ban: A case study in moral imagination. Journal of Business Ethics, 163(1), 1-10.

Underhill, E., Groutsis, D., van den Broek, D., & Rimmer, M. (2018). Migration intermediaries and codes of conduct: Temporary migrant workers in Australian horticulture. Journal of Business Ethics, 153(3), 675-689.

Valtonen, K. (2016). Social work and migration: Immigrant and refugee settlement and integration. London: Routledge.

World Bank. (2020). Potential Responses to the COVID-19 Outbreak in Support of Migrant Workers. Living Paper Version 10, 19 June. Available at http://documents1.worldbank.org/curated/en/428451587390154689/pdf/Potential-Responses-to-the-COVID-19-Outbreak-in-Support-of-Migrant-Workers-June-19-2020.pdf