Conference presentation
Leveraging diversity to inspire change: Learning from, not about, other cultures and cultural others
34th Annual CAUTHE Conference - Diverse Voices: Creating change in tourism, hospitality and events (University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 06/02/2024–09/02/2024)
06/02/2024
Abstract
This keynote presentation interrogates the concept of diversity as an agent of change. It posits that there are two 'types' of diversity: Apolitical diversity, which acknowledges the differences between people in a space without considering power and agency discrepancies; and Political diversity, which situates diversity within socio-political hierarchies and seeks to understand and ameliorate unequal distributions of power, through associated concepts such as equity and inclusion. Considering the anti-diversity rhetoric coming out of the USA, the presentation encourages educators towards cultural, political, and individual self-reflection as a necessary precursor to engaging with diversity pedagogy by 1. defining the self in diversity, and 2. de-centring the self in diversity. The first premise is that the act of articulating one's own socio-cultural positioning within a diverse population challenges an implicit dichotomy in diversity discourse, where 'diversity' is positioned as a deviation from (or a threat to) an unmarked societal norm. The second premise refers to seeking and designing culturally unfamiliar – and unmediated – experiences where understanding different worldviews and life experiences are fundamental to success. Through a process of modelling critical self-reflection, analysing data from recent EDI research, and presenting a pedagogical example in a first-year Indigenous knowledges subject, the presentation travels from theory to praxis. It argues that issues of power and inequality must be acknowledged in the process of leveraging diversity as a catalyst and fertile knowledgebase for positive social, environmental, and political change.
Details
- Title
- Leveraging diversity to inspire change: Learning from, not about, other cultures and cultural others
- Authors/Creators
- Rebecca Bennett (she/her) (Speaker) - Murdoch University, Vice Chancellery
- Conference
- 34th Annual CAUTHE Conference - Diverse Voices: Creating change in tourism, hospitality and events (University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 06/02/2024–09/02/2024)
- Identifiers
- 991005898262907891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Vice Chancellery
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Conference presentation
- Note
- Keynote
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Source: SDGs in the Output
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