"None so queer as folk": Gendered expectations and transgressive bodies in leadership
(2013) In Leadership 9(3). p.416-435- Abstract
- This paper investigates the relationship between the body and leadership through a case study of a transgender leader. The study shows that the leader's body, presumed gender, and gendered appearance are salient markers that employees use to make sense of leaders and leadership, and that this gendered nature of leadership shows the deep roots of gender dichotomies and the heterosexual matrix that permeate our understanding of leadership. These two findings lead us to emphasize the need to queer leadership. All leaders experience gendered restrictions, to some extent, via the social norms and expectations of the way leadership should be performed. The construction of leadership through a transgender body reminds us to stay open to the... (More)
- This paper investigates the relationship between the body and leadership through a case study of a transgender leader. The study shows that the leader's body, presumed gender, and gendered appearance are salient markers that employees use to make sense of leaders and leadership, and that this gendered nature of leadership shows the deep roots of gender dichotomies and the heterosexual matrix that permeate our understanding of leadership. These two findings lead us to emphasize the need to queer leadership. All leaders experience gendered restrictions, to some extent, via the social norms and expectations of the way leadership should be performed. The construction of leadership through a transgender body reminds us to stay open to the exploration of performativity, particularly the relationships between bodies, gender, sexuality, and leadership and how any body can benefit from queering leadership. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
https://lup.lub.lu.se/record/4330101
- author
- Muhr, Sara L. and Sullivan, Katie LU
- organization
- publishing date
- 2013
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- published
- subject
- keywords
- Gendered leadership, femininity, masculinity, heterosexual matrix, transgenderism, queering leadership
- in
- Leadership
- volume
- 9
- issue
- 3
- pages
- 416 - 435
- publisher
- SAGE Publications
- external identifiers
-
- wos:000329521800007
- scopus:84880685822
- ISSN
- 1742-7169
- DOI
- 10.1177/1742715013485857
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- id
- 2150877f-98b0-44c6-aac4-2798a9ce780d (old id 4330101)
- date added to LUP
- 2016-04-01 13:49:07
- date last changed
- 2022-03-21 20:37:03
@article{2150877f-98b0-44c6-aac4-2798a9ce780d,
abstract = {{This paper investigates the relationship between the body and leadership through a case study of a transgender leader. The study shows that the leader's body, presumed gender, and gendered appearance are salient markers that employees use to make sense of leaders and leadership, and that this gendered nature of leadership shows the deep roots of gender dichotomies and the heterosexual matrix that permeate our understanding of leadership. These two findings lead us to emphasize the need to queer leadership. All leaders experience gendered restrictions, to some extent, via the social norms and expectations of the way leadership should be performed. The construction of leadership through a transgender body reminds us to stay open to the exploration of performativity, particularly the relationships between bodies, gender, sexuality, and leadership and how any body can benefit from queering leadership.}},
author = {{Muhr, Sara L. and Sullivan, Katie}},
issn = {{1742-7169}},
keywords = {{Gendered leadership; femininity; masculinity; heterosexual matrix; transgenderism; queering leadership}},
language = {{eng}},
number = {{3}},
pages = {{416--435}},
publisher = {{SAGE Publications}},
series = {{Leadership}},
title = {{"None so queer as folk": Gendered expectations and transgressive bodies in leadership}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1742715013485857}},
doi = {{10.1177/1742715013485857}},
volume = {{9}},
year = {{2013}},
}