Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

Social identity provides explanation for the individual perception of self that is closely connected to the social group of affiliation (Ethier and Deaux, 1994; Hannum, 2007). A significant aspect of social identity rests on social categorizing based on characteristics such as race, gender, ethnicity, and other factors, to classify individuals in social groups. For individuals with physical characteristics that classify themselves in minority groups, the explanation that social identity alone provides can be insufficient. This paper shares findings from my doctoral research study that explores how skilled immigrant women in Canada who are racialized, negotiate their social identities as skilled immigrants. The study uses a Critical Race Theoretical (CRT) framework for analysis and a phenomenological methodology that explores the lived experiences of research participants (Bryman, 2008; Giwa, 2016; Kvale and Brinkmann, 2009). Findings indicate that social identity negotiation for racialized, skilled immigrant women in Canada are compounded by the intersections of race, racism, and gender. The use of a CRT framework for the analysis allows for the impact of identified intersectiontionalities to be brought to the forefront for discussion. Analysis provides important implications for a more accurate understanding of social identity negotiation for racialized, skilled immigrant women in social science literature.