Elena Cedrola, Macerata University

Cinzia Colapinto, Venice School of Management

Lauren Gurrieri, RMIT University

Stefania Masè, IPAG Business School

Alisa Minina Jeunemaître, Emlyon Business School

Shumaila Yousafzai, Nazarbayev University

While some countries have advanced gender equality, many now experience significant backlash undermining this progress. Recent developments include government policy shifts limiting gender recognition, major corporations scaling back diversity initiatives, and the rise of online movements promoting traditional gender roles alongside broader polarization around diversity and inclusion policies.

This special issue examines how gender issues are negotiated and contested across organizations, markets, and society. It brings together fragmented research on intersections of gender with leadership, labor, media, and consumer experiences, exploring how corporate engagement with gender equity generates support and backlash while raising questions about authenticity and performativity.

Appel publié par Gender Work and Organization. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Critical reflections on gender equity and its contemporary resistance in organizational settings and media ecosystems
• How leaders and organizations engage with gender issues (and associated backlash) through activism, partnerships, internal policies, and public critique
• Intersectional perspectives on gender, race, class, and sexuality and the dynamics of progress and regression
• How gender biases are (re)addressed and (re)produced in the realms of innovation, tech, and entrepreneurship
• Analyzing gender inequality and its stagnation in workforce participation, compensation, and promotion opportunities
• Gender fluidity and non-binary representations in the corporate world and organizational practices, and the implications of their political reception
• Examining ethical and sustainable practices through a gender lens to address inclusivity in environmental and social initiatives
• Exploring non-western perspectives and representations of diversity, equity and inclusion and backlash
• How gender identities (feminine, masculine, non-binary, and trans) are constructed, challenged, or reinforced across media, advertising, and popular culture
• How stereotypical gender roles are being reimagined, revived, or resisted in contemporary branding, media, and organizational discourse
• What social, cultural, or emotional forces shape the renewed appeal of stereotypical femininities and masculinities in contemporary consumer and organizational life
• What narratives, rituals, or aesthetic strategies are used to communicate shifting gender dynamics, and how are they received across different cultural and generational contexts

Timeline

• October 31, 2026: Submission Deadline

Gender, Work & Organization seeks proposals for special issues to be published in 2026 and beyond. The journal is particularly interested in work that addresses urgent and underexplored questions at the intersection of gender, work, and organization, especially proposals that engage critically with feminist theory and bring diverse perspectives into conversation. Proposals from organizers of the GWO 2025 Conference are especially welcome, as are suggestions from emerging scholarly collaborations presenting innovative and boundary-pushing research aligned with the journal's mission.

The journal is seeking special issues that demonstrate strong editorial collaboration and clear strategies for ensuring inclusivity throughout the publication process, including in authorship, peer review, and the mentoring of early-career scholars. Proposals should include the issue title and theme, a clear rationale for the contribution to the field, a diverse editorial team with relevant experience, a realistic timeline, and a plan for outreach and promotion.

Appel publié par Gender Work and Organization. Voir l'appel sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• Gender, work, and organization
• Feminist theory, method, and praxis
• Intersectional and post/decolonial perspectives
• Underexplored questions in gender and organizational studies
• Diverse geographies and voices in organizational research
• Inclusivity in authorship, peer review, and mentoring of early career scholars

Timeline

• December 31, 2025: Deadline for Special Issue proposals (with proposed manuscript deadline in 2026)
• June 30, 2026: Deadline for Special Issue proposals (with proposed manuscript deadline in 2027)

Sarah Richard, Audencia Business School

Lucie Noury, Audencia Business School

Pauline de Becdelièvre, Université Paris Saclay

Céline Louche, Waikato Management School—University of Waikato

Stéphan Pezé, Université Toulouse Capitole

The production and dissemination of knowledge, particularly on inequalities, climate change, and biodiversity, are increasingly under attack. These attacks are reflected in some political and administrative decisions adopted across several national contexts, such as the measures taken by President Donald Trump since his return to power. Beyond the US, academic freedom is being directly or indirectly undermined in many countries. For example, in France, controversies surrounding 'Islamo-leftism' within universities, reignited by the Minister of Higher Education, have been accompanied by concrete attacks on several scientific institutions.

Appel publié par M@n@gement. Lire l'appel complet sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• What are the different forms of backlash affecting organizations? Are there 'invisible' forms of backlash?
• How and to what extent does backlash contribute to the deinstitutionalization of established norms (e.g. ESG, DEI, climate)?
• What forms of institutional work produce or hinder backlash?
• What roles do different modes of governance and different forms of organization play in weakening or, conversely, protecting social progress? Are democratic organizations, in particular, more or less prone to backlash?
• How do organizations respond, resist, protect themselves, and participate in backlash?
• What are the risks, uncertainties, and tensions generated by backlash? How can they be managed?
• What forms of collective response are organized to face backlash (e.g. meta-organizations, networks, lobbying)?
• How do individuals participate in or resist backlash (e.g. through employee activism)?
• What is the impact of backlash on individuals (identity, career paths, values, social representations, experience)?
• How does backlash transform or disrupt individuals' relationships with work and the company?
• What forms of individual and collective resistance to backlash can be observed? What are the conditions and effects of this resistance?
• What is the role of researchers and what stance should they adopt in response to this phenomenon?
• What methodological and epistemological approaches are best suited to studying backlash, its mechanisms, and its consequences? What methodological innovations are needed to better understand its contemporary forms?
• How can organizational theory contribute to understanding the phenomenon of backlash?
• What are the multi-level interactions between societal, organizational, and individual backlash?
• How can backlash contribute to the emergence of other backlashes?

Timeline

• October 19, 2026: Deadline for paper proposals to workshop (maximum 3,000 words, including references)
• November 19, 2026: Online paper development workshop organized by the guest editorial team across different time zones
• February 1, 2027: Opening of submission period for full papers
• June 1, 2027: Deadline for full paper submission
• December 1, 2028: Publication date

This Special Issue aims to advance understanding of how AI is reshaping work and employment for underrepresented groups, and to stimulate research on how HRM can foster more inclusive, equitable, and human-centered AI-enabled workplaces. It seeks to bring together multidisciplinary scholarship examining both the opportunities and risks of AI for women, migrants, refugees, older workers, people with disabilities, and Indigenous employees. These aims will be met by inviting conceptual, empirical, and review-based contributions that examine bias, accessibility, trust, human–AI collaboration, inclusive design, and responsible governance in AI-HRM systems. In doing so, the Special Issue will generate new theoretical insights, practical implications, and future research directions that position HRM scholarship to respond more effectively to the challenges and possibilities of AI-driven organizational change, while helping organizations foster more equitable, inclusive, and human-centered human–AI interactions.

Appel publié par Personnel Review. Lire l'appel complet sur le site de l'éditeur. Fiche de l'appel sur kerostig.

Potential topics

• AI in Talent Acquisition and Selection: How do AI-based recruitment and selection systems create, reproduce, or mitigate biases against candidates from underrepresented groups (e.g., people with disabilities, older workers, migrants), and what mechanisms can ensure equitable outcomes in AI-assisted hiring?
• Accessibility and Inclusion in Employment: In what ways can AI technologies be designed to enhance workplace accessibility, enable equitable participation, and expand employment opportunities for employees with disabilities or other marginalized groups?
• Human–AI Collaboration and Bias Mitigation: How can human oversight, input from minority employees, and inclusive design processes help AI systems learn more equitably—reducing bias and performing more human-like or human-better tasks in HR contexts?
• Talent Development, Reskilling, and Learning in the Age of AI: How can HRM leverage AI-enabled learning, development, and reskilling systems to support diverse employees and prepare both workers and organizations for ethical AI use? How can organizations use talent development strategies to train both humans and AI systems toward ethical and inclusive performance?
• Ethical, Legal, and Governance Challenges in AI-HRM: What are the ethical and legal implications of using AI in managing diversity and disability inclusion, and how can organizations establish responsible AI governance frameworks aligned with human rights and DEI principles?

Timeline

• January 9, 2026: Opening date for manuscripts submissions
• January 3, 2027: Closing date for manuscripts submission