Abstract:
This quote from feminist management academic Yvonne Benschop epitomises a central critique of how the term `diversity¿ operates within organisations. In relation to this special issue, it raises a number of important questions: for example, if diversity does not necessarily appeal to our sense of social injustice, what then is its appeal? To what are we appealing, when we appeal to diversity? In this special issue, we aim to offer a wide range of perspectives on how the term `diversity¿ is being used within schools, colleges and universities to define their social and educational missions, as well as their employment practices. The `turn¿ to diversity has led to the term `diversity¿ being used on its own or with the term `equality¿, such that people increasingly talk about doing `E & D¿ work. The politics of this turn has been much debated within critical race and post-colonial studies, feminist studies, as well as critical management studies (Ang & Stratton, 1994; Bhabha, 1994; Kandola & Fullerton, 1994; Deem & Ozga, 1997; Prasad & Mills, 1997; Kirton & Greene, 2000; Lorbiecki, 2001; Gunew, 2004; Konrad et al, 2006; Lorbiecki & Jack, 2000).
