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

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