Prologue - Doing scholarship differently: Doing scholarship that matters - An interview with Amanda Sinclair

Abstract

In drawing up the call for papers, we were conscious that Professor Amanda Sinclair's work was a wonderful example of the theme of this special issue - profitable margins: gender and diversity informing management and organizational studies. As a feminist and critical scholar, Amanda's writings over the past two decades have informed both academic scholarship and practice. In particular, her work on leadership has been embraced by those seeking to 'do leadership differently' (Sinclair 1994; 1998; 2004; 2005a; 2005b; 2007). Our delight when she agreed to be interviewed by the three of us was palpable across the net. Our time with Amanda in her office at the University of Melbourne in May 2008, sharing her experiences and observations was memorable, not only for the frankness with which she reflected on her own scholarship, but also for the laughter we shared. Our aims in interviewing Amanda were to explore: • The evolution of her work from its genesis in the women in management domain to her critical engagement with leadership • How she negotiated the terrain from academic to business writing; and • Her experiences in linking critical scholarship, feminism and eastern philosophies. In our conversation that day, we mined a rich source. From her early work on women and leadership through to her more recent engagement with Buddhism and eastern philosophy, including her commitment to yoga teaching, she shared the difficulties and pleasures experienced in seeking to connect the multiple dimensions of her scholarship. As we left her office, it is not an exaggeration to say we felt nourished and inspired through the sharing of these stories. As we continued to reflect on her insights, seeking to present them in a form true to the manner in which they were shared, we were reminded of why we wanted to include her work in this special issue.