The Definition of Diversity: Two Views. A More Specific Definition

Peterson, Lorna

doi:10.1080/01930826.1999.12113172

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

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“…Particularly with the inclusion of a range of segments of the population in statements related to diversity, it has been suggested that “the word diversity might be viewed as an all‐encompassing term and as representation of a less direct way of communicating ideas that are uncomfortable to discuss” (Winston, 2005, p. 176), with Lorna Peterson (1999), p. 20) noting the concern among “[c]ritics of the diversity movement … that the concept of diversity includes so many groups that the terminology is rendered meaningless”. Similarly, Edna Andrews (1996) addressed the potential relationship between political correctness in speech and the nature of taboo topics in “Cultural sensitivity and political correctness: the linguistic problem of naming.”…”

Section: Diversity As a Euphemismmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Diversity: the research and the lack of progress

Winston

2008

New Library World

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PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to address the profession's focus on diversity, including the original research, and analyze the research beyond the profession to understand better the bases for the limited progress in fulfilling diversity goals. The paper focuses on the fact that diversity has been equated with race and the potential implications of that relationship.Design/methodology/approachAn overview and analysis of diversity research, including factors associated with the success of diversity programs, is presented, focusing on research regarding the relationship between diversity and race. The article also considers how perceptions of race and racism have been manifested across sectors and in various countries. Based upon the fact that diversity and race have been equated, the discussion focuses on the extent to which this relationship is connected to the limited progress associated with diversity goals.FindingsResearch related to race, diversity, and affirmative action indicate both the complexity of the concepts among scientists, social scientists, and members of the general public, as well as the biases reflected in the viewpoints, often manifested in public policy. The research among communication scholars also indicates a predisposition to avoiding communication about difficult topics, such as race and racism, reflective in the use of more benign terminology, such as diversity.Practical implicationsWhile diversity research continues to be necessary in the profession, going beyond that which documents the levels of under‐representation, there is also the need for further consideration of the applicability of research beyond the LIS profession. In this regard, the understanding of research related to diversity, race, and affirmative action, and the relationship among the three provides the basis for further research in LIS and a more informed approach in addressing diversity issues in the profession.Originality/valueThe primary focus of the discussion of the paper is that of the nature of diversity, race and racism, as defined in the context of the USA. However, research related to race, racial classifications and hierarchies, and diversity in other parts of North America, Australia, Europe, and Africa are considered to a limited extent as well.

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Section: Diversity As a Euphemismmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Equity issues have become clouded by a “me too” claim to victim status, thereby diminishing the possibility of achieving equity. Diversity defaults to little progress and substantial rhetoric that many join in on without sacrifice or regulation that the promise of equity will be fulfilled (Peterson, 1999, p. 21).…”

Section: Diversity As a Euphemismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diversity: the research and the lack of progress

Winston

2008

New Library World

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“…It is worth noting that the pervasive underspecification addressed herein is par for the course in diversity rhetoric within and beyond LIS (see, e.g. Honma, 2005; Hudson, 2017; Hussey, 2010; Pawley, 2006; Peterson, 1999). As Hussey (2010, p. 5) notes, “[much] of the LIS literature uses the broad, abstract idea of diversity” as something like mere social difference.…”

Section: The Scope Of Argumentation and Responses To Some Early Objectionsmentioning

confidence: 95%

The trouble with diverse books, part I: on the limits of conceptual analysis for political negotiation in Library & Information Science

Lawrence

2020

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PurposeThe term diverse books is increasingly popular yet persistently nebulous. The purpose of this paper – Part I of II – is to illuminate both that the concept is in need of a unified account and that conceptual analysis, though at first seemingly quite promising, fails as a method for identifying one.Design/methodology/approachThis paper utilizes traditional (or intuitive) conceptual analysis to specify the respective clusters of necessary and sufficient conditions that constitute four broad candidate accounts of diverse books.FindingsThough diverse books is a concept in need of a definition, conceptual analysis is not an appropriate method for adjudicating between the definitions we have on offer. This is because the concept is fundamentally political, serving as a resource for re-shaping collective social arrangements and ways of life. The conceptual problem outlined here requires for its resolution a method that will move us from a descriptive project to an explicitly normative one, wherein we consider what we properly work to achieve with and through the concept in question.Originality/valueThis paper initiates a systematic analytical project aimed at defining diverse books. In illustrating a moment of methodological failure, it paves the way for a critical alternative – namely, Part II's proposal of an analytical intervention in which political concepts are defined partially in terms of their benefits vis-á-vis informational justice.

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“…At times the term is simply empty and unfulfilling and has not earned its credibility. Peterson (1999) points to the "trivialization of discrimination, in curricula that present difference as a non-political, ahistorical concept, does not serve to educate for work in a multicultural environment" (p. 23). Welburn (1999), in his comprehensive essay on the debate surrounding the multicultural curriculum and the impact on academic libraries, cites Stanley Fish's notion of boutique multiculturalism "characterized by its superficial or cosmetic relationship to the objects of its affection" (p. 158).Colleagues and librarians point to "window dressing," "diversity officer as token," and a professional value that "is too broad to have significance."…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ethnic Diversity in Library and Information Science

2001

New Library World

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AN ASSESSMENT OF THE STATUS OF LIBRARY SERVICE to minority populations of the United States first requires an understanding of the long struggle to include people of color among the ranks of those providing library service. This issue of Library Trends presents an overview of the efforts of African-Americans, Asian/Pacific Islander-Americans, Chinese Americans, Latinos, and Native Americans to develop services, identify important issues, foster leadership, and establish inclusive definitions of identity. Without these narratives, there would be insufficient philosophical, intellectual, or emotional bases on which to develop future programs and collections.'In 1988, the American Library Association (ALA), Office for Library Personnel Resources (OLPR) under the leadership of its director, Margaret Myers, issued Librariansfor the New Millennium (Moen & Heim, 1988). In that volume, the need for emphasis on the recruitment of minorities to the library and information science professions was a central theme. Efforts to secure ALA funding for the recruitment of minorities, including OLPR hearings held in 1987, are summarized and a 1988 invitational preconference on recruitment described. As background for the preconference, OLPR supported an analysis of students enrolled in U.S. programs of library and information science: the Library and Information Science Student Attitudes, Demographics and Aspirations Survey (LISSADA Survey) (Moen & Heim, 1988). The LISSADA Survey reported that enrolled students in 1988 were 90 percent white. Thus began a decade of studies, initiatives, and a profession-wide commitment to emphasize recruitment among people of color Uosey, 1999; McCook 8c Lippincott,

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The Definition of Diversity: Two Views. A More Specific Definition

Cited by 13 publications

References 0 publications

Diversity: the research and the lack of progress

Diversity: the research and the lack of progress

The trouble with diverse books, part I: on the limits of conceptual analysis for political negotiation in Library & Information Science

Ethnic Diversity in Library and Information Science

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