The Politics of Inclusion and Exclusion among Professions and Professionals

In this chapter, the authors review communication scholarship focused on professions, professionals, and professionalization. The development and protection of those barriers may not sit well with all professions, especially those focused on serving the public good or committed to egalitarianism. The principal identity work of the professional may be making it clear that they are the professionals and that others are not—who may access the powers of membership and who may not. Individuals construct professional selves that originate in the early socialization phases of professional training and are further developed as they are immersed in the rules, language, skills, and work of the profession. The management of difference at these boundaries of inclusion and exclusion has implications for the professionals themselves; their managers and leaders; professional societies and trade associations; apprentices, residents, trainees, and students joining the profession; allied occupations and voluntary groups; the organizations in which they work; and the clients who rely on professional services and expertise.