Knowledge From the Margins – The Epistemological Promise of Microhistorical Theorizing in Organization Studies

Abstract

This paper proposes a feminist microhistorical approach to theorizing, which can complement the existing critiques remedying the epistemological bias of mainstream theories and conventional management history. Feminist microhistory prompts us to examine particular moments, people, things, or institutions in the past. It is a critical stance toward knowledge production. It aids us in finding and listening to marginal voices of the past, and thus helps in rewriting and re-conceptualizing organizational history or theories. Further, through feminist microhistory, this paper advocates situated theorizing that does not aim at causal explanations or universal knowledge claims but rather understanding the sporadic and multifaceted nature of social life and organizing in specific settings.