Organized Dissonance: Feminist Bureaucracy as Hybrid Form

Abstract

Feminist bureaucracy, a response to a historical tension between feminist theorists and practitioners, merges opposed models of power. Through qualitative analysis of power in practice, I examine the novelty and viability of feminist bureaucracy as a distinct hybrid form I term “organized dissonance.” This form of organization upsets the conventional view that rationality requires resolution, suggesting the potential of strategic incongruity. It also underscores the significance of structure-practice and partner-environment relationships.