Böcker i Diversity and Inclusion Research-serien

The world is not an equal place. There are high- and low-income countries and high- and low-income households. For each group, there are differential educational opportunities, leading to differential educational outcomes and differential labor market opportunities. This pattern often reproduces the privileges and inequalities of groups in a society. This book explores this differentiation in education from a social justice lens. Comparing the United States and South Africa, this book analyzes each country¿s developmental thinking on education, from human capital and human rights approaches, in both primary and higher education. The enclosed contributions draw from different disciplines including legal studies, sociology, psychology, computer science and public policy.

"e;The book on offer here is fascinating. I do not think it is proper to classify it as 'philosophy' or 'sociology' or 'comparative education'. It is a work sui generis. Its cultural and historical range is extraordinary. Its illustrations are themselves arresting. Its literature is well outside disciplinary conventions and ranges across a number of languages. Mirabile dictu!"e; Professor Robert CowenHow have modern societies arrived at assuming:nbsp;       Culture is non-essential!nbsp;       Higher education is to train economically but not socio-politically active & engaged citizens!nbsp;       Economic wealth is the most important and prominent form of individual and national assets!nbsp;       Precariousness and socio-economic gaps are due to individuals' skills and capacities but not the failure of legal, political, and social systems!nbsp;       Freedom and equality are about "e;choices in having"e; but not necessarily about "e;ways of being and becoming"e;!Torabian argues these assumptions have not been constructed overnight and that COVID-19 has simply revealed their long-term fabrication and impact since the 1970s. This book is a fascinating voyage from the Middle Ages to today. It travels across different socio-cultural and political contexts drawing on arts, literary works, music, philosophical thoughts, economic and social concepts. It explores value systems and perceptions of wealth, poverty, and inequality and depicts the mutual impact and shifting role of (higher) education and culture and societies- particularly when related to social revolutions, political participation, and collective quests for equality and justice across time and spaces.Examining instrumentalisation of culture and education by the powerful elite, Torabian delineates mechanisms through which values are fabricated and imposed on the masses. Drawing on some catching examples, she explains the authoritarian elite do so through visible rewards and punishments, while in capitalist societies power remains invisible and indirect. In both contexts, though, she skilfully demonstrates, the powerful groups transform the role and meaning of culture and higher education to facilitate normalisation and internalisation of their fabricated value system among the masses.Consequently, Torabian celebrates the recently accelerated quest for socio-ecological justice and sustainability across societies as a fortunate cosmopolitan shift. This, she believes, announces a rupture with the dominant capitalist ideology that has reigned the world since the 1970s through celebrity culture, media, propaganda, and by reducing higher education to an economic activity. The pursuit of a socio-ecological contract based on fairness, justice, and participation, Torabian argues, requires a renewed value system in which the socio-political role of culture and higher education can be revitalised. To this end, she introduces an innovative framework, i.e., the Big Wealth Pie (the topic of the author's upcoming book in this series) and proposes using transgressive education, resistance pedagogy, and teaching ignorance. She reckons such a social contract can be a global reality if "e;being"e; replaces the capitalist ideology of "e;having"e;; a process that can be started and reified by questioning what is or is not essential in socio-ecologically just societies. The book is thought-provoking and timely in questioning values and social institutions that have normalised precariousness, inequality, and poverty within a consumerist logic.

This book seeks to explain the nature of discrimination and exclusion and why these are so prevalent in our societies. The continued failure to overcome these obstacles prevent organisations from taking advantage of the significant benefits and returns that come from being inclusive in the face of diversity. It explores the key drivers of non-inclusive behavior and how they can be countered before providing guidance on how organisations can successfully pursue inclusive culture change. With a mix of applied academic theory, practical examples and real-world experiences, the book examines the topic of D&I from four perspectives: (I) Why diversity and inclusion matters. (II) The forces of exclusion and isolation. (III)The imperative conditions of change. (IV)The organisation of the culture transformation process.In doing so, the book meets the diverse needs of those involved in corporate governance, board members, executives, and even consultants who want to understand the intricacies of cultural diversity and inclusion and why so many programmes fail. For academics in organisational behavior, equity, diversity, and inclusion, trained in the social sciences and anthropology, the book offers a guide to the practical application of theory and the implementation of policies that cannot rely on the assumption of stability and consistency. This book is an invitation to anyone who wants to take on the challenge of making a difference and organisational change a reality.Dr. Doyin Atewologun, psychologist, scientist, practitioner and leading expert in the field of promoting inclusion and excellence in organizations, provided valuable consultancy to the author during the creation of this book.