Doing Equity and Diversity for Success in Higher Education: Redressing Structural Inequalities in the Academy

"There has never been a more critical time for this collection of incredible academics and thought leaders to come together to voice their experiences and ideas on equity and diversity. The range and variety of perspectives expressed are refreshing and insightful and reflect the complexities of race and racism in the higher education sector. This book should not just be read, it should be used as a tool for action. If it is utilised in this way, it could have a huge impact on the sector and change the way that we work within institutions."
—Paulette Williams, University College London, UK
​This book provides a forensic and collective examination of pre-existing understandings of structural inequalities in Higher Education Institutions. Going beyond the current understandings of causal factors that promote inequality, the editors and contributors illuminate the dynamic interplay between historical events and discourse and more sophisticate and racialized acts of violence. In doing so, the book crystallises myriad contemporary manifestations of structural racism in higher education. Amidst an upsurge in racialized violence, civil unrest, and barriers to attainment, progression and success for students and staff of colour, doing equity and diversity for success in higher education has become both politically urgent and morally imperative. This book calls for a redistribution of power across intersectional and racial lines as a means of decentering whiteness and redressing structural inequalities in the academy. It is essential reading for scholars of sociology and education, as well as those interested in equality and social justice.

Dave S. P. Thomas is Doctoral Researcher and Diversity Practitioner at University of Kent, UK. He is also an Occupational Therapist and Public Health Specialist, Consultant to AdvanceHE in diversity and inclusion and a member of the United Kingdom Health and Care Professions Council EDI Forum.

Jason Arday is an Associate Professor in Sociology at Durham University, UK, a Visiting Research Fellow at The Ohio State University, USA and an Adjunct Professor at Nelson Mandela University, South Africa. He is a Trustee of the Runnymede Trust and the British Sociological Association.