22 Oct

19:30

De Balie

Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, Amsterdam

A discussion exploring why diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are under attack from both the political left and right, and how these principles became so politicized.

How Diversity And Inclusion Came Under Attack

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With David B. Oppenheimer, Samira Rafaela and Ivana Isailović

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are under fire from both sides of the political spectre: efforts are dismissed as ‘woke’ on the right and as a corporate checklist substituting real change on the left. How have these principles of diversity become so politicized?

The death of Cambridge professor Jason Arday marks a tragic low point in the culture war surrounding diversity and inclusion policies. In the United States, the Trump administration is rolling back such policies, while in the Netherlands, major corporations are pulling out of events such as Amsterdam’s Canal Parade. Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) policies are under fire from both sides: efforts are dismissed as ‘woke’ on the right and as a corporate checklist substituting real change on the left.

The diversity principle holds that societies, institutions and democracies are strengthened when people with different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives engage with one another. But how to get there, when this very notion has become so politicized?

Tonight we look at the role that universities have played in the ideas and policies on diversity, equity and inclusion. Professor David B. Oppenheimer wrote the book The Diversity Principle, which chronicles how diversity became a foundational value of higher education over the last two hundred years, with its origins in Germany, Britain, and the resistance to South African apartheid, and its most controversial applications in North America. He will enter into conversation with Dr. Ivana Isailović, who examines how neoliberalism is incorporating emancipatory thoughts and movements.

About the speakers

David B. Oppenheimer is a Clinical Professor of Law at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law, and Co-Director of the Berkeley Center on Comparative Equality and Anti-Discrimination Law. He is the author of The Diversity Principle: The Story of a Transformative Idea.

Ivana Isailović currently teaches law at the University of Amsterdam. Her work examines the relationships between law, power and economic lives, drawing on political economy, critical theory and feminist theories. Her forthcoming book with French publisher Actes Sud explores the relationship between feminism and neoliberal governance, including the limits of diversity and inclusion strategies that can leave deep inequalities untouched. She has taught and worked at McGill University, MIT, NYU School of Law, and Harvard University.

Samira Rafaela is a former Member of the European Parliament, international speaker and advisor advocating for better women’s health. She also conducted research into the gender pay gap as a visiting researcher at Cornell University in the US.

Tammie Schoots is a journalist.