"Opening that Trail in Their Mind": Communicative Practice of Trailblazing

Abstract

Trailblazing can be understood as a process of negotiating communicatively constructed realities from the vantage of the social margins or an under-represented identity. An understanding of this process from the perspective of those situated in the margins encourages a line of questioning that delves into the communicative struggle about the self in relation to mental schema, past events and expectations for the future. How individuals communicate about themselves and express their identity is rooted in what individuals perceive as possible in light of social norms, expectations and standards. Pierre Bourdieu presents several key concepts, which create an outline of practice that guide our thought processes, how we behave and communicate about identity. A review of these concepts presents a foundation from which we can begin to make sense of the components that shape the trailblazing experience.

Trailblazing research expands our understanding of what it means to be an agent of change. Specific nuances between trailblazers and pioneers are presented and discussed as typologies of agents of change. This project focuses on the specific communicative practices of female baseball players and organizers from across the United States as they negotiate expectations of conformity and aspirations for change.Using the theoretical lens and concepts of Bourdieu provides a unique opportunity for understanding the construction of an identity that is trying to make way through an organization embedded in a field that is dominated by a particular group.