Form and Performativity in Organizational History Time and Space in Organizations

Abstract

While research on the “uses of history” in organizations and organizing has grown rapidly, relatively little attention has been paid to the role of “form” in the representation or exchange of historical knowledge. We argue that attention to form is essential to understanding the performativity of history because it imbues it with normative claims. The paper explores the role of form in both the production and exchange of history. Historical form, we show, imbues the representation of time and space with value judgments related to the essence of things and the futures that ought to be. And, form governs the social production of historical knowing by governing the practices related to exchange of historical knowledge. We contribute to the literature by not only bringing attention to role of form but also by demonstrating how the choice of form in historical representation and exchange is crucial to the skill involved in use of history in organizations.