From journal rankings to making sense of the world

Özbilgin, M. (2009) From journal ranking to making sense of the world, Academy of Management Learning & Education. 8, 1.

Journal ranking is yet another form of discriminatory practice in the higher education sector. I outline here why journal ranking should be considered a small but significant part of the hegemonic structures of inequality in the academic labor process. To further the debate that Adler and Harzing set out, I explain why the rankings should be considered part and parcel of a broader game of White masculine domination that excludes research that matters, research that helps us understand the world of work and contribute to meaningful improvements for individuals and organizations.

The role of crises in migration outcomes: rural Oaxacans and politics in Oaxaca City, Mexico

Population Review, volume 46 number 2 (2007): 22-31.

Strikes, violence and economic crisis characterized life in Oaxaca City, Oaxaca, Mexico from the spring through late fall of 2006.  Demonstrations began around the efforts of striking teachers and grew throughout the summer to include many groups critical of the state’s governor.  The confrontations led to blockades, violence and several acts of murder along with the cancellation of important events that had negative implications for the city’s tourism economy.  Nevertheless, little has been said about the rural response to these events.  In this paper I present preliminary results interviews in three rural villages to better understand the impacts of political and economic unrest on rural communities.

With Leila Rodriguez and Margaret Fox 2008 Gender and migration in the central valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico: perspectives from sending villages. International Migration, volume 46(1):79-102.

In this paper, we examine the gendered nature of international and internal migration that originates in the central valleys of Oaxaca, Mexico.  Our goals are to define migration patterns and outcomes for Oaxacan women from the central valleys region and note the differences migrating men and women.  We argue that concepts of what defines correct behavior are critical to the outcomes and explain the differences that exist in the practice of migrant men and women.

The value, costs, and meaning of transnational migration in rural Oaxaca, Mexico. Migration Letters, volume 6(1): 15-25.

Co authored with Bernardo Rios and Lise Byars

Rural Oaxacan migrants are defined as quintessential transnational
movers, people who access rich social networks as they move between
rural hometowns in southern Mexico and the urban centers
of southern California. The social and cultural ties that characterize
Oaxacan movers are critical to successful migrations, lead to jobs
and create a sense of belonging and shared identity. Nevertheless,
migration has socio-cultural, economic and psychological costs. To
move the discussion away from a framework that emphasizes the
positive transnational qualities of movement we focus on the costs
of migration for Oaxacans from the state’s central valleys and Sierra
regions.