Turning Points in the Lives of Chinese and Indian Women Leaders Working toward Social Justice

Abstract

Institutional change has a human face. This paper explores how a select group of women in China and India experienced economic and political turmoil and why they chose to become change agents. Through in-depth interviews with 40 women from NGOs, government agencies and private business, four broad moments in the evolution of a change agent are identified and discussed: (1) awareness of a double-bind; (2) reframing the tension induced by that double-bind; (3) becoming an agent of change; and (4) building a vibrant network. To highlight these key features, four women's narratives are discussed in greater depth from recognizing injustice to taking a non-traditional stand. The paper concludes with a call for further comparative work on the role of personal narratives in shaping a movement for change.

The creative development process: Biographical insights on innovation in Anglophone music

“…Thirdly, the study extends the literature on personality (Yao & Li 2021;Zhang, Xu & Sun 2020), individual differences and turning points to consider intrinsic aspects of highly personal developmental turning points in creativity development. The study, therefore, builds on a growing literature on life turning points that includes, for example, studies on the effects of turning points associated with criminal behaviour (Boman & Mowen 2018), interpersonal problems in groups (Gitterman & Wayne 2003), leadership and social justice (Hertz 2016), and drug use (Messer, Patten & Candela 2016), to name a few. Similarly, research on turning points also extends to work life topics, such as leadership and corporate social responsibility (Hemingway & Starkey 2018), gendered institutional change (Hertz 2016), personality, well-being and adversity (Jayawickreme, Brocato & Blackie 2017).…”

“…The study, therefore, builds on a growing literature on life turning points that includes, for example, studies on the effects of turning points associated with criminal behaviour (Boman & Mowen 2018), interpersonal problems in groups (Gitterman & Wayne 2003), leadership and social justice (Hertz 2016), and drug use (Messer, Patten & Candela 2016), to name a few. Similarly, research on turning points also extends to work life topics, such as leadership and corporate social responsibility (Hemingway & Starkey 2018), gendered institutional change (Hertz 2016), personality, well-being and adversity (Jayawickreme, Brocato & Blackie 2017). In extending this literature, the study provides a basis for further work to test predictions of a model of creative development.…”