Intersectionality and creative business education: Inclusive and diverse cultures in pedagogy

This book prioritizes the exploration of inclusivity within the industrial domain. The authors adeptly scrutinize manifold forms of discrimination within the educational sphere, encompassing considerations of socioeconomic status, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, and disability. Concerning the framework of creative business education, this book adapts intersectionality theory developed by Crenshaw (1989), which provides importance in describing the power dynamics that limit access to resources and opportunities for marginalized individuals. In rationale, intersectionality is a strong framework for examining the intricate relationship between several aspects of one’s identity, as also mentioned by (Pugach et al., (2018).

Nayak (2023) discusses how a leader in creative business education or higher education should encourage conditions to be more inclusive to maintain pedagogically competitive students. Chapter 1 by Appleford, discusses how she creates a case for social class, the ‘C’ word, in her class context. The difference between the middle class and working class is traditionally reinforced in the business of education and other creative contexts. Chapter 2 by Bideci, indicates that instead of focusing on knowing the background of prospective students in the admissions process, it would be better if the questions were redesigned. Nonetheless, it is imperative to be aware of the student's identity; to work towards avoiding (unintentional or systematic) discrimination against them. The roots of the concept of intersectionality, discussed in chapter 3, provide a more profound understanding of social class as a disadvantage in higher education and how it is perceived as a barrier to widening learner participation. The next chapter (4), articulates how higher education should be focused on providing a new approach in decolonizing the curriculum and creating an inclusive teaching environment, especially for students of colour. Chapter 5, by Fitzpatrick, discusses how higher education in the UK should be able to embrace interculturality to voice inclusive and diverse views.

In chapter 6, Hindwood and Holme mention that in the context of higher education in the UK, internationalization should be substantial due to the large number of international students from different countries, cultures, and perspectives. This enables the crucial and increasing need for exploring greater interculturality in the classroom to benefit the community of students. Chapter 7, by Imran Hameed et al., focuses on knowledge concealment in academia, particularly emphasizing key roles and conflicts. It covers the causes and motivations of students’ knowledge concealment, highlighting the significance of knowing each person's demographics. They recommend intersectionality and social role theory as two theoretical stances for further study of knowledge-hiding. Chapter 8 describes academic research and design-driven content that helped to enable the creation of a digital app for older persons with dementia. Creative business education significantly contributed to the development of these applications through pedagogical methodologies in concept creation, co-design, and user experience. Chapter 9, written by Dancey, argues that class, education, and the creative and cultural sectors all encompass complicated power dynamics and ambiguities, according to the 1980 Oxford Mobility Study as well as more contemporary studies on the creative industry. Through sponsorships and mentoring programs, universities like Queen Mary University of London have attracted working-class students, but Dancey urges other arts schools to adopt this strategy. Lastly, chapter 10, titled ‘Limits of Intersectionality as a Theoretical Framework’ explains that in the coordinated fight against capitalism's dehumanizing systems, intersectionality politics should emphasize daily realities.

Intersectionality and Creative Business Education: Inclusive and Diverse Cultures in Pedagogy successfully contributes ideas to the issue of intersectionality based on class, gender, religion, belief, sexual orientation, and disabilities in learning and teaching. It shares understanding of inclusivity and diversity in creative business education or higher education. At the same time, the reader is alerted to the critical issues raised in the context of higher education, which provide inspiration for change to practice in the reader's daily life and practice, even in their daily teaching-learning. Therefore, creative business and higher education leaders can build an inclusive environment with diversity and a sense of justice through activities, utilizing resources, and active involvement of staff and students. Further issues such as service inequity, discrimination based on skin colour, clothing, religion, and others are still often encountered. Concerning the issues outlined in this book, improving the service orientation and training of staff and management are critical to understanding and creating equality and inclusivity, especially in business school or management education based on humanity.

A key concern is knowledge-hiding, which is discussed in this book too. These include practices such as hoarding (keeping knowledge to oneself), sharing (or lack thereof), and different forms of knowledge-hiding, both horizontally (among peers) and vertically (between different hierarchical levels in the organization). In response to this, all staff, lecturers, and colleagues should encourage and support international students academically. If academic staff are willing to share their insight and knowledge, it will help the service quality related to academic property in higher education, even in creative business education. Mavin and Yusupova (2021) agree that competition is multifaceted and dynamic, heavily influenced by contextual factors, motivation, interpersonal and political dynamics, and other power structures, while also recognizing its gendered dimensions. Their findings dispel gender stereotypes about the behaviors of leaders and encourage participants to reflect on their own practices by bringing up equality, diversity, and inclusivity - challenging research conducted by positivists, and taking into account the environments in which leaders are expected to battle and be assessed.

To sum up, critical thinking related to intersectionality provokes leaders and researchers to generate understanding in the complex nature of various aspects of individual identity. Although to identify intersections within the field is challenging, it is imperative to give space where students can feel supported. Additionally, from curriculum design to classroom management, the authors of this book provide educators with the tools they need to re-invigorate their approach to teaching and learning, ensuring that all students feel valued and included. Its innovative approach, practical insights, and commitment to re-examining traditional assumptions make it a valuable resource for leaders, educators, researchers, and students seeking to create more inclusive and diverse learning environments.

Etik Rahma Wati
Leadership and Policy Innovation, Universitas Gadjah Mada
https://orcid.org/0009-0000-2473-4277
Baiq Siti Maryam
Master of Public Policy and Management, Monash University Indonesia
[email protected] Ika Aditya Pratiwi
Master of English Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
[email protected] Bukran Habibullah
Master of Education in Indonesian Language and Literature, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-9359-4543
M. Zaenal Abidin
Master of English Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
https://orcid.org/0009-0001-2193-6217
Inayatur Robbaniyah
Master of Early Childhood Education, Universitas Negeri Yogyakarta
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5259-909X
Rangga Alif Faresta
Master of Digital Learning, Monash University
[email protected],https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6535-2300

Acknowledgment

The authors disclosed receiving financial support from Lembaga Pengelola Dana Pendidikan (LPDP).

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).