“The Shadows Are Many . . .” Vampirism in International School Leadership: Problems and Potential in Cultural, Political, and Psycho-Social Borderlands

Abstract

Bram Stoker talks about the beguiling nature of the vampire; the manipulation, the desire, and the threat. This article looks to outline some of the factors in international schools that impact the organization, especially leadership, and that drain energy. It utilizes the folkloric and literary metaphor of the vampire to illustrate, understand, and discuss how individuals, systems, and structures can take away the life force of the organization. In particular, the international school with its vulnerabilities and issues of identity is prone to boundary attacks both from within and from the outside. The article uses research particularly in organizational management, international schools, school leadership, and folklore. The discussion offers a way of understanding vampirism as a metaphor to describe the forces both internal and external to a school that drain energy and positivity. These forces originate from a myriad of diverse factors such as individuals, groups, structures, and a school’s own unique history and location. In developing a theory of vampirism and applying it to an international school, I explore why such schools are especially vulnerable, what can be done to negate such energy draining, and the areas of school life where it can occur—the shadows where vampirism thrives.

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Notes on contributors

Richard Caffyn

Richard Caffyn is currently Principal at the International School Telemark, Norway. He has worked previously as a principal, head of department and teacher in various international schools in Azerbaijan, Romania, Italy and Austria. He was also the Head of Research Support and Development for the IB at the University of Bath. His doctoral research investigated the micropolitics and social dynamics of international school leadership and management, a topic which he regularly writes about and presents at conferences. His post-doctoral interests have focused on boundary management, organizational energy and expatriate subcultures in schools.