Abstract
Intersectionality is a complex perspective but an important assessment for understanding the intricate ways in which layered social identities such as gender, race, class, and ability interact to shape experiences of oppression and privilege. Intersectional approaches to business strategy enable organisations to recognise and address the unique challenges faced by individuals at the crossroads of multiple marginalised identities, therefore can facilitate equitable work conditions, progression pathways and innovation processes. This is particularly important in extractive industries as understanding the unique circumstances of individuals who experience intersecting forms of discrimination can lead to meaningful and socially responsible actions, governance structure and innovations. However, the current literature indicates the lack of attention to intersectionality research in extractive industries, while research on extractive industries has also avoided serious intersectional analysis. To this end, we have developed a framework for understanding intersectionality in extractive industries, called extractive intersectionality. Using problematisation methodology, we read the literature through an assumption-problematisation lens rather than gap-spotting approach to present this conceptual piece. We propose the concept of extractive intersectionality, which looks at how extraction operates at multiple levels—territorial, corporeal, and epistemic—and how these forms of extraction are themselves shaped by intersectional identities. Crucially, our framework resists the managerial capture that has historically diluted intersectionality in MOS. Extractive intersectionality is not a diversity toolkit. It is an analytical refusal, refusing to treat extraction as industry background noise and refusing to treat intersectionality as biographical data. We expand on the concept of extraction by applying critical perspectives, including decolonial framework, feminist politics, and necropolitics, while also exploring diversity in industries dominated by masculinity. By doing so, we aim to redefine what true inclusion looks like, illustrating how marginalised individuals are often excluded from opportunities for growth and well-being within extractive sectors.