Intersectionality, diversity, community and inclusion: untangling the knots

ABSTRACT

An analysis was conducted of contemporary notions of inclusion and their provenance in developing thought about difference in education, with a particular focus on the role of community in promoting and enabling inclusion. Being informed by (i) an international group of advisers, and (ii) a national group of informants and commentators, a review was conducted of the theoretical and practical analysis of the issue. Conclusions were drawn about consequences deriving from intersectional thought about inclusion, which suggest that more attention should be paid, especially in a world of increasing diversity and ‘superdiversity’, to the kinds of groupings encouraged and facilitated by schools. A framing device is advanced for explicating kinds of community in schools, which draws on a range of theorists and particularly on the distinction between bonding and bridging made by Robert Putnam. An analysis of bridging proffers a range of means for brokering and cultivating groupings in schools and between schools and the communities in their localities.

KEYWORDS:

• Inclusion
• intersectionality
• diversity
• community
• bonding
• bridging

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 These included: a representative from a South Asian Arts Organisation, an elected councillor, two representatives from faith groups, a probation officer, two representatives from Birmingham youth groups, and three academics including the authors.

2 We are grateful to Professor Gyöngyvér Pataki, University of Debrecen; Professor Maria P. Figueiredo, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu; Professor Bagele Chilisa, University of Botswana; Professor Francesca Gobbo, Università degli Studi di Torino; Professor Joe Tobin, University of Georgia, and Professor Linda Ware, State University of New York at Geneseo for their contributions to this research project.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) under its Connected Communities programme, [grant number AH/J501030/1].

Notes on contributors

Gary Thomas

Gary Thomas is a professor in inclusion and diversity at the University of Birmingham, UK. https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/staff/profiles/education/thomas-gary.aspx

Natasha Macnab

Natasha Macnab, at the time of the empirical work conducted as part of this research, was a research fellow in the Department of Disability, Inclusion and Special Needs at the University of Birmingham.