Handbook of Gender, Work, and Organization

Editorial Introduction to Handbook of Gender, Work, and Organization

I. Background

As with many projects, this book had a serendipitous genesis in the sense that it was first proposed by the commissioning editor of a publisher who eventually was not the one with whom we agreed a contract. It started when the editor who wished to produce a Handbook of Gender and Organization approached Emma as a potential editor. Emma suggested approaching David since he had founded and edited the journal Gender, Work and Organization (GWO). In developing the proposal, it was agreed that alternative publishers should be reviewed and Blackwell became the obvious choice because of its ties to the journal. Shortly afterwards it was decided that an American co-editor should be part of the project. Upon being invited, Patricia agreed to be involved. Inevitably the project grew and developed along the way but we were pleased with the response to an initial call for chapters, with many notable scholars from across the globe accepting our invitation. Their participation has resulted, we trust, in a Handbook that makes a material contribution to the field of Gender, Work, and Organization.

Apart from the publicity potential, one reason for linking the Handbook to the journal relates to the reason for establishing the journal in the first place, although once again serendipity played a part. As with the Handbook, the publisher (Blackwell) approached Marilyn Davidson, David Knights, and Jill Rubery – at the ...