“The King was pregnant”: Organizational studies and speculative fiction with Ursula K. Le Guin

Janet G. Sayers and Lydia A. Martin

Gender, Work and Organization, 2021, vol. 28, issue 2, 626-640

Abstract: Continuing the work of feminist organizational studies scholars who have urged researchers to find ways of presenting knowledge and writing “differently,” we discuss the contributions of Ursula Le Guin whose fiction and nonfiction have had a profound influence on feminist theory development. We provide an overview of Le Guin's progenitors, her oeuvre, and provide an explanation and assessment of her influence on feminist thought including the concept of “bag‐lady storytelling,” speculative thought experiments, and her process of renewal through subversion. We demonstrate her potential for feminist theorizing through analysis of two of her works: the novel “The left hand of darkness,” and her short story “Sur.” We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our article for organizational studies, and reinforce how her writings are a treasure‐trove for writing differently to both subvert and offer more diverse alternatives, and we ask for more work using feminist speculative fiction.

Date: 2021
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