New Directions in Postheroic Entrepreneurship:Narratives of Gender and Ethnicity

This book critiques the mainstream, popular discourse on entrepreneurship, which traditionally
constructs a heroic male, white archetypical entrepreneur.
Caroline Essers contends that the interlocking of gender and ethnicity needs to be included in the theorizing of entrepreneurship
in order to acquire a more complete picture of what happens when people are involved in entrepreneurial activities. Traditional images of entrepreneurship not only do little justice to the experiences of certain groups of entrepreneurs, such as the female migrant businesswomen that were interviewed for this book, but they also limit the entrepreneurial identification of such entrepreneurs in a problematic way. The intersectional analysis of these businesswomen¿s experiences, identities, and coping strategies leads to a better specification of the notion of entrepreneurship.

"Female ethnic entrepreneurship is particularly interesting nowadays in order better to understand the normative pressures of hegemonic masculinity in business ethic (and business studies as well!). Essers' book is highly persuasive in showing Muslim businesswomen's coping strategies."

Professor Silvia Gherardi, University of Trento


"Research on both mainstream and immigrant entrepreneurship is mostly gender blind, whereas
gender research tends to ignore ethnicity or religion. Essers' ethnographic study goes beyond
such limitations and describes how the socially constructed categories of gender, ntrepreneurship, ethnicity, family and religion intersect and simultaneously circumscribe and enable the construction of an entrepreneurial identity. The study challenges received notions of entrepreneurship and is a timely and much needed contribution to entrepreneurship scholarship. "

Associate Professor Helene Ahl, Jönköping University


"Essers has written an accessible, interesting and enjoyable book which will be of value to anyone concerned with the relationship between ethnicity, gender and management."

Associate Professor Alison Pullen, University of Technology, Sydney