(De)Racializing Identity Work in the Context of Diversity Policies

Since the 2000s diversity policies have increasingly aimed at reducing ethnic inequalities in Germany. While several sociopolitical drivers for a deinstitutionalization of inequalities exist, the implementation of the policies strongly varies. The paper focuses on how racism influences the implementation of diversity policies and accompanying forms of identity work. Postcolonial and critical whiteness studies are merged with institutional work, a concept routed in organization theory, to theorize upon how (de)racializing identity work reproduces or disrupts racism as a societal institution.

The paper builds upon a case study conducted in the public administration of a German city that implemented a diversity policy called "Intercultural Opening". Thirteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with employees and line managers throughout the administration. First, the interviewees’ perceptions of Intercultural Opening were categorized. Second, the interviewees’ positions towards racism were categorized according to three dimensions: (de)thematization of racism, perception of culture and self-positioning. Third, forms of identity work were mirrored against the background of postcolonial and critical whiteness studies.

The findings show that the interviewees’ perceptions and implementation of Intercultural Opening strongly correlate with their position towards racism in Germany: a critical stance towards racism goes along with a broad perception. The concrete implementation and the accompanying forms of (de)racializing identity work seem to be strongly shaped by the interviewees’ perception of culture and their self-positioning. Ethnic minority employees constantly have to negotiate role ascriptions in their identity work. Some proudly claim for themselves the role of an ethnic minority representative, while others only strategically apply it. Dominant ethnics are mainly busy masking their white identity. In some cases the identity work of dominant ethnics and ethnic minorities coincides. The paper discusses the ambivalent effects of certain forms of identity work that emerge even when interviewees seek to deconstruct fixed identities in their practice of Intercultural Opening.