English
Negotiating diversity's discontents
Document Type
Book Chapter
Abstract
Political battles have been waged between advocates and detractors of diversity and inclusion in higher education since the beginning of the diversity movement in the early 1990s. In this chapter, Betsy Huang traces the discursive forms of backlash against diversity initiatives in recent decades, such as “zero-sum diversity,” the “diversity ceiling,” “white fragility,” and “disprivilege.” She argues that the persistent pushback has eroded the potency of the word diversity as a term of aspiration and as an instrument of positive social change. She offers critical analyses of the fallacies that undergird the backlash and suggests proactive strategies to restore the meaning and the ethical imperative of diversity and inclusion.
Publication Title
Diversity and Inclusion in Higher Education and Societal Contexts: International and Interdisciplinary Approaches
Publication Date
2018
First Page
301
Last Page
323
ISBN
9783319701752
DOI
10.1007/978-3-319-70175-2_15
Keywords
diversity, DEI, diversity initiatives, higher education, diversity backlash
Repository Citation
Huang, Betsy, "Negotiating diversity's discontents" (2018). English. 17.
https://commons.clarku.edu/facenglish/17
