City Research Online

Abstract

Multiple bodies of literature in management and organization studies examine actions identified as resistance. Comparably diverse and extensive literatures attend to ethics. Yet, when instances of resistance are theorized, explicit reference to ethics is exceptional. To address and reduce this disconnect, the paper contributes to an evolving body of Levinasian scholarship that is distinguished by a radical ‘responsibility for the Other’. The relevance of Levinas’ thinking is demonstrated by reference to diverse examples of resistance that range from Daniel Ellsberg’s publication of the Pentagon Papers to the classic, fictional case of Antigone’s defiance of Creon in Sophocles’ play. These examples are employed to theorize how the dynamics of ethics in resistance comprise three key moments – contingency, commitment and universality – and three associated impediments – dogmatism, motivational deficit and egoism.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	© The Author(s) 2026. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/) which permits non-commercial use, reproduction and distribution of the work without further permission provided the original work is attributed as specified on the SAGE and Open Access pages (https://us.sagepub.com/en-us/nam/open-access-at-sage). Request permissions for this article.
Publisher Keywords:	affect, conflict, ethics, learning, resistance, Levinas
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BJ Ethics H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Departments:	Bayes Business School Bayes Business School > Faculty of Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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