Abstract
Values of social justice, equitable inclusion and critical pedagogies were at the core of Roskilde University (RUC) at its establishment as a reform university. Fifty years later, they continue to be central to the scholarship of many faculty members at RUC. Yet there seems to be a growing disjuncture between such research on the one hand, and the conditions of possibilities for an implementation of these values, especially that of equitable student inclusion, in the educational programming on the other. Drawing especially on my experiences as a coordinator of the English-language Bachelors in social sciences at RUC, in this talk I first reflect on the complex interplay of challenges that have been over the past decade negatively impacting the conditions for RUC's critical pedagogical traditions to enable such an inclusion. I highlight here in particular the impacts of state-led instrumentalization of higher education on current student cohorts and university governance alike, while analyzing how they interact with the simultaneous opening up of university to a student body that is, amongst other things, more diverse in its academic preparedness for university studies. Drawing on some of the key points from critical scholarship on migrant and intercultural integration, in the second part of my talk I outline three concrete approaches for how critical universities can even in such outlined conditions deliver anew on their original promise of being major societal actors of equitable rather than just differential inclusion.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication date | 2023 |
| Publication status | Published - 2023 |
| Event | 6th Critical Edge Alliance Conference : Values in and for universities: The notion of diversity, equity & inclusion - Al Akhawayn University, Ifrane, Morocco Duration: 5 Jul 2023 → 7 Jul 2023 Conference number: 6 https://www.criticaledgealliance.com/copy-of-conference-2023 |
Conference
| Conference | 6th Critical Edge Alliance Conference |
|---|---|
| Number | 6 |
| Location | Al Akhawayn University |
| Country/Territory | Morocco |
| City | Ifrane |
| Period | 05/07/2023 → 07/07/2023 |
| Other | Universities are strong actors to trigger and catalyze change through their role to understand the world and spreading knowledge. Their dual role to educate people and conduct innovative research are powerful tools for positive and critical political, societal, and cultural change. Through this work, universities not only feed decision-makers with evidence-based data and facts but also provide them with concepts based on specific world views, while preparing future generations of citizen-leaders. Thus, universities’ underlying (and sometimes under-examined and often contested) values are crucial because they reinforce and impact current and future debates and decisions with wide-ranging consequences.<br/> <br/><br/>The CEA Annual Conference 2023 emerges from a value statement that universities are institutions where equity, sustainability, and social justice must be upheld. These aspects relate directly to many universities’ efforts to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion, and such values can be simultaneously a subject of research, teaching, or policy, with each university focusing on different aspects, depending on their history and culture.<br/> <br/><br/>The CEA Annual Conference 2023 will discuss the role and the implementation of values in and for universities through the critical lens of diversity, equity, and inclusion, and invites proposals broadly but not exclusively in the following areas:<br/> <br/><br/> Human rights and social justice through the fight against any discrimination on the basis of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, ability, and other critical aspects of identity<br/><br/> Environmental justice through the fight against climate change and for sustainable development<br/><br/> Peace for and international solidarity with oppressed populations, refugees, asylum seekers, and other marginalized groups.<br/> |
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