How identities and discrimination catalyze global entrepreneurship

Ramarajan, Lakshmi; LeRoux-Rutledge, Emily

Abstract

In this book chapter, Lakshmi Ramarajan, Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School, and Emily LeRoux-Rutledge, PhD candidate at LSE, illustrate that when people resist discrimination by embracing their marginalized identities, it can spur them to become successful global entrepreneurs. Looking in depth at the case studies of three African entrepreneurs operating in global contexts, the authors identify three common aspects of their experience which spurred them to success as entrepreneurs: global transitions as jolts, prior status as a buffer, and combined identities as unique resources. The case studies suggest that when people choose to engage in entrepreneurial activities that resonate with marginalized identities in the face of discrimination, global entrepreneurship can become a form of resistance, and marginalized identities a source of strength, giving the entrepreneurs more power and passion to succeed in their ventures.

• Publication Date: 2016
• Deposit Date: Feb 19, 2021
• Publicly Available Date: Feb 24, 2021
• Pages: 37-42
• Book Title: Positive Organizing in a Global Society: Understanding and Engaging Differences for Capacity Building and Inclusion
• Chapter Number: 4
• ISBN: 9781848725751
• Public URL: https://uwe-repository.worktribe.com/output/7100081
• Publisher URL: https://www.routledge.com/Positive-Organizing-in-a-Global-Society-Understanding-and-Engaging-Differences/Roberts-Wooten-Davidson/p/book/9781848725768