Abstract
This paper aims at proposing that class, and in particular, cultural capital is a dimension to be considered in the understanding of highly-skilled migrants’ (HSM) inclusion at work. Inspired by Bourdieu, we see class work as positioning in the negotiation of various capitals and we approach inclusion as a situated power struggle. Based on an in-depth qualitative case study, we present an exemplary organization committed to the promotion of diversity and actively working on increasing the ethnic diversity of its workforce. In this organization, however, we find that employees participate in acts of positioning. HSM engage in practices of demarcation to distinguish themselves from those with a similar ethnic origin, often associated with low social status. Ethnic majority employees engage in practices of reduction and non-recognition of the cultural capital of the HSM. We argue that these acts of positioning between the groups of employees reveals that inclusion can be understood as a field in which employees struggle for their class capital. This paper contributes to assert the place of cultural capital and broadly the acknowledgement of social class belonging in the understanding of HSM’s experience of inclusion at work.