Creating a Better World Through Social-Symbolic Work

Creating a better world is a challenging prospect that implicates multiple actors and the multiple types of work they perform to effect change. The purpose of this panel symposium is to foster a conversation on the work that must be done to create a better world together. Previous research has addressed many forms of “work,” including identity work, institutional work, emotion work, strategy work, and more. In a recent development, the Social-Symbolic Work perspective has been proposed as a theoretical framework for integrating the above streams of research to better understand how actors reflexively and intentionally work to produce, shape, and maintain the constituent elements of social life. Through interactive discussion and audience Q&A, our session will address the potential of the Social-Symbolic Work perspective to tackle questions that require an integrative approach, with a focus on the question of creating a better world together. To this end, the session includes experts in self work, organization work, and institutional work who have made advancements in bridging traditional divides in their areas of research. Broadly, this symposium is intended to catalyze future research that spans theoretical divides and levels of analysis.