The Role of Narratives, Identity, and Collective Action in Entrepreneurship

California State University San Marcos Corporation, San Marcos CA

Investigators

Abstract

The emergence of markets, organizations and collectives centered around socially and economically disadvantaged (SED) identities represents a growing trend in addressing systemic inequalities and fostering empowerment in the United States. These efforts can take many different forms- via mobile platforms, physical markets, educational spaces, and social events; but it is important to understand how collectives of socially and economically disadvantaged individuals are coming together to create opportunities and supports that help them overcome the negative impacts of social discrimination, so we can promote and support social mobility for all people. While there have been some studies that examine how SED individuals engage in entrepreneurship to overcome discrimination, we have less understanding about how marginalized communities are working together in collectives to change the entrepreneurial ecosystem and create opportunities for SED entrepreneurs at a larger scale. Understanding how collectives of individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations are engaging in collective action and leveraging collective identities is critical to creating more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and building pathways towards social mobility for SED entrepreneurs. This project will also produce opportunities for professional growth for faculty and students at minority-serving institutions as well as benefit local communities of entrepreneurs. While initial research has opened up important questions about the psychological, socio-economic, as well as political roles entrepreneurship might play within marginalized communities, it has overwhelmingly focused on individual ventures. Interestingly, while economic theory predicts that growing economic challenges give rise to increasing competition, many marginalized communities have found cooperation to be an effective strategy for developing opportunities for social mobility. Our study seeks to understand how collectives of individuals and entrepreneurs as well as organizations engage in collective action and leverage collective identities to create inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems and build pathways towards social mobility for SED entrepreneurs. To do so, this project proposes to develop an interdisciplinary research collaboration between two minority serving institutions to determine how collectives are coming together to develop innovative entrepreneurial opportunities for SED individuals and how these efforts are impacting the entrepreneurial ecosystem. This project aims to generate theoretical understandings of the relationship between marginality and entrepreneurship, as well as social movements and collective action. This project will generate a host of broader impacts by creating opportunities for collaborations within and between minority-serving institutions, providing opportunities for minority students to receive training and experience, as well as lifting up examples of the exceptional creativity and agency of collectives who are organizing to overcome social exclusion and forge new pathways for SED entrepreneurs. Examples of community solidarity and collective organization need to be explored so that we can bolster critical supports to these innovative initiatives that facilitate resilience and the ability to overcome structural barriers. In order to shed new light on the ways that collectives of marginalized communities are forming to grow solidarity and create opportunities for entrepreneurs, we will employ a comprehensive set of community-informed and participatory qualitative methods, including ethnographic observations, focus groups, and interviews. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.