A critique of race-neutrality discourse among internship benefits: a critical discourse analysis

Purpose While research consistently highlights the benefits of internships for business students, this scholarly discussion is typically framed in race-neutral and meritocratic language that minimizes the importance that race plays during internship experiences. Given the problematic nature of meritocracy from a social justice perspective (Lawrence, 2015; Liu, 2011), this study aims to transpose the existing meritocratic scholarly narrative of internships to one that is more racially just. Design/methodology/approach To answer the research question, how is the myth of meritocracy shaping the scholarly narrative surrounding internship benefits? We systematically reviewed the literature using the search terms (interns OR internship programs) AND business AND benefits across the academic databases Business Source Complete, ERIC, Education Source and APA PsycINFO. This search produced 151 articles, 10 of which met the inclusion criteria. Utilizing Love’s (2004) myth of meritocracy framework, critical discourse analysis (Fairclough, 2013) was employed to analyze the data. Findings Our findings suggest that (1) scholars tend to frame internships as economically, sociologically and racially neutral, (2) internships are a tool for socializing interns into whiteness, (3) the literature is plagued by color-evasiveness, (4) equal opportunity for all students to pursue internships is implied and (5) internships are depicted as meritoriously awarded. Originality/value This research is among the first to explicitly outline and challenge the majoritarian story of internships as meritocratic experiences across the internship literature. Moreover, this work adds an important voice to the chorus of practitioners and scholars advocating for a more racially equitable internship landscape.