“Those of Us Who Stay”: Sensemaking, Embodiment, and Navigation of the Inclusion–Exclusion Paradox
研究大学中种族化和性别化的成员如何经历包容-排斥悖论，提出“悖论具身化”概念，揭示黑人女性承受直接身体代价而白人女性通过共情见证，并发现“中和”与“滋养”两种应对方式。
We examine the inclusion–exclusion paradox in universities navigating societal inequality. Through a grounded theory study of a social justice-oriented university, we theorize how racialized and gendered organizational actors experience an inclusion–exclusion paradox at the individual level as “homecoming–marginalization.” Adopting a power-sensitive perspective, we identify exclusionary mechanisms: blockages in resource flows, penalty of Blackness, and embodied tolls. We introduce “paradox embodiment” to capture how contradictory forces are experienced through the body—with Black and Brown (BB) women bearing direct physical consequences, while White women experience this through empathetic witnessing. Women navigate this paradox through “neutralizing” (supplementary) and “nurturing” (rhizomatic) responses, demonstrating agency. We contribute to paradox theory by advancing debates on emotion and embodiment in paradox, demonstrating that systemic power structures are constitutive of paradox by simultaneously enabling and constraining experiences, and identifying “neutralizing” and “nurturing” responses as new processes of paradox navigation. We offer suggestions for how business schools can navigate inclusion–exclusion tensions toward more equitable management education.