“THOSE OF US WHO STAY”: SENSEMAKING, EMBODIMENT, AND NAVIGATION OF THE INCLUSION–EXCLUSION PARADOX

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.