In this Bourdieusian analysis, we explore the intersection of gender and leadership within China's hierarchised higher-education sector. A key contribution is our conceptualisation of 'concentric multi-fields,' illustrating how actors navigate competing logics from the higher-education field and the overarching field of power, which, we argue, is where gendered doxic logics are primarily located. Through narrative analysis of two senior women leaders, distally positioned in the HE field, we argue first that leaders embody their hierarchised institution's habitus; second, participants' field positions are demonstrated in how they conceptualise and 'do' leadership; and third, gender interplays with the resulting forms of leadership to reveal the strategic and instinctive deployment of capitals from the HE field and also the field of power that concentrically encompasses it. The study advances understanding of power dynamics in higher education, calling for intersectional methodologies to critically examine leadership and social reproduction in non-Western contexts.
This study examined organizational trauma and coping mechanisms in two educational organizations in Israel's Upper Galilee during the Iron Sword War: an evacuated formal school and a non-evacuated non-formal educational setting. Using a qualitative case-study approach, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 14 leaders, including principals, teachers, counselors and parents. The findings revealed distinct responses to the crisis. In the formal school, evacuation and geographic dispersal disrupted educational and community continuity, contributing to blurred professional boundaries and weakened organizational identity. In contrast, the non-formal setting benefited from strong community cohesion, local continuity and organizational flexibility, which supported social and emotional stability despite staff burnout. In both settings, strong professional commitment and a heightened sense of mission were evident. The findings suggest that organizational trauma is context-dependent rather than event-dependent and shaped by structural and communal features. The study recommends cross-organizational learning, resilience-building mechanisms, and community-emotional training as part of emergency preparedness.
