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

Olabisi Imonitie; Stephen Bolaji; Tinashe Dune; Sulay Jalloh; Isaac Akefe

doi:10.3390/soc15100290

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

Journal article

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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

Societies (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.15(10), 290

2025

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/soc15100290

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Abstract

African professionals

inter-migrant discrimination

multicultural workplaces

power dynamics

workplace inclusion

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.

Details

Title: Navigating Layered Exclusion: Workplace Dynamics and Inter-Migrant Discrimination Among African Professionals in Australia
Authors/Creators: Olabisi Imonitie - Murdoch University, School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Stephen Bolaji - Faculty of Health, Discipline of Psychology, Charles Darwin University, Darwin, Australia
Tinashe Dune - Charles Darwin University
Sulay Jalloh - Charles Darwin University
Isaac Akefe - Charles Darwin University
Publication Details: Societies (Basel, Switzerland), Vol.15(10), 290
Publisher: MDPI
Number of pages: 18
Identifiers: 991005829249507891
Murdoch Affiliation: School of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Language: English
Resource Type: Journal article

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