On Being Included

Sara Ahmed argues that a commitment to diversity is frequently substituted for a commitment to actual change. Institutions will produce programs promoting diversity, or sponsor committees to study it, rather than actually engaging in affirmative action hiring or anti-racist, anti-discrimination actions. Ahmed traces the work that diversity does, examining how the term is used and the way it serves to make questions about racism seem impertinent. Ahmed's study is based in universities and her research is primarily in the UK and Australia, but the argument is equally valid in North America and for a wider range of institutions.