Navigating Layered Exclusion: Workplace Dynamics and Inter-Migrant Discrimination Among African Professionals in Australia

Olabisi Imonitie, Stephen Bolaji (), Tinashe Dune, Sulay Jalloh and Isaac Akefe
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Olabisi Imonitie: School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth 6150, Australia
Stephen Bolaji: Institute of Education, Arts and Community, Federation University, Ballarat 3353, Australia
Tinashe Dune: Faculty of Health, Discipline of Psychology, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0909, Australia
Sulay Jalloh: Faculty of Arts and Society, Discipline of Education, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0909, Australia
Isaac Akefe: Faculty of Health, Discipline of Medicine, Charles Darwin University, Darwin 0909, Australia

Societies, 2025, vol. 15, issue 10, 1-18

Abstract: This paper investigates layered workplace exclusions experienced by African professionals in Australian workplaces. Through semi-structured interviews with 44 participants and a qualitative phenomenological design, the study reveals experiences of subtle exclusion, workplace gatekeeping, and power struggles that African professionals face from various sources—dominant cultural groups, other migrant communities, and within their own professional networks. An integrated theoretical framework combining Intersectionality Theory, Social Dominance Theory, and Bourdieu’s concepts of cultural capital and habitus examines how overlapping identities and power hierarchies shape workplace relationships and professional belonging. The findings show that diversity and inclusion efforts often neglect the layered nature of exclusion that African professionals navigate, limiting their effectiveness. This study contributes to migration and workplace diversity scholarship by highlighting the need for inclusion strategies that address the complex realities of workplace exclusion in multicultural professional environments rather than relying on simple majority–minority binaries.

Keywords: African professionals; inter-migrant discrimination; power dynamics; multicultural workplaces; workplace inclusion (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: A13 A14 P P0 P1 P2 P3 P4 P5 Z1 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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