Welcome to the weblog of the International Journal of Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations and the International Conference on Diversity in Organisations, Communities and Nations! This is a page to discuss issues related to mediating cultural difference and diversity. If you have an interest in these topics, feel free to add a comment.
**Identity and Polarization: Implications for our ability to live well together**
3-4 October 2008
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
The symposium addresses the following questions: “How do we identify ourselves? Why is identity of ethical importance? And what does this all mean for public policy and good governance?”
For further information please see the website of the conference at http://www.chumirethicsfoundation.ca/main/page.php?page_id=160.
**Critical Race Studies in Education 2009 Conference**
May 14-16, 2009
Chicago, USA
“This conference is designed to bring together scholars, activists, educators, students and community members who use critical race theory as a tool to frame, examine, document, understand and transform racial inequalities in education and in the broader society. The conference organizers invite papers that document scholarship, teaching, activist work at the local level, and community organizing efforts aimed at transforming racist practices, policies and systems in schools and in the broader society.”
For further information please see the website of the conference at http://education.uic.edu/events/criticalrace/index.cfm .
**International Conference on Gender and Diversity in Organizations**
Paris, January 15, 2009
“The “Gender and Diversity in Organizations" conference is an initiative from the AGRH “diversity and equality” special interest group, to be held at ESCP-EAP European Management School, Paris, France, on January 15th, 2009.”
For further information please see the website of the conference at http://www.escp-eap.eu/campus/paris/colloquia-escp-eap-paris-campus/colloque-genre-et-diversite-2009-a-escp-eap-paris/gender-and-diversity-2009-general-information/.
7th European Feminist Research Conference
June 4-7 2009 Utrecht, The Netherlands
The 7th European Feminist Research Conference "Gendered Cultures" focuses on Europe and European perspectives, combining the Humanities with (inter)disciplinary research from other scientific traditions. It actively seeks cutting-edge scholarship by working with papers organized around intersecting themes. Cutting-edge comes to mean "inclusive" rather than "new" research on gender, women, and feminism at the crossroads of different practices of imagination, knowledge and politics. Both young and established researchers are invited to present papers that accept this challenge for the future. European Women's Studies Associations are explicitly invited to have their annual meetings at the 7th European Feminist Research Conference. Contact the organization for more information at 7thfeminist@let.uu.nl.
For further information, please visit http://www.genderstudies.nl/efrc/index.php?pageid=169
The 6th International Conference on Gender Studies (SAMA 6)
Cititel, Georgetown, Penang 29-30 November 2008
The conference will address the following questions: How do we stay connected and yet celebrate our differences? How do we find a sense of balance between the push and pull factors that affect us? How do we negotiate diversity? How do we manage interconnectivity? What strategies are employed to manage diversity and interconnectivity? For further information see: http://www.geocities.com/sama_ukm/.
Jock's reflections on the 8th International Conference on Diversity in Communities, Organisations and Nations
The 8th International Conference on Diversity in Communities, Organisations and Nations was held in Montréal, Canada, June 17-20 2008 at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales Montréal (HEC Montréal). The conference attracted 250 delegates from 25 countries: Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Grenada, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Latvia, Malaysia, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, South Africa, Sweden, UAE, UK and the USA (including the Virgin Islands).
The conference was a great success. Plenary speakers included key Canadian politicians - Jacques Robert (Assistant Deputy Minister, Integration, Regionalisation and Intercultural Relations, Québec Ministry of Immigration and Cultural Communities) and Lucille Roch (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Community and Social Services. Government of Ontario) – and academics (Dr Robert Latham, Director, Centre for International and Security Studies, York University, Canada; Dr Susan Bridges, Faculty of Dentistry, University of Hong Kong; Dr Cristina Poyatos Matas, Griffith University, Australia).
Many papers were delivered on the main conference themes: Identity and Belonging; The Politics of Diversity; Globalisation and Organisations; Race and Racism, Disability and Health; Learning, Education and Training; Immigration and Refugees; Media, Communications; Arts and Literature; First Nations and Indigenous Peoples; Gender and Sexuality. The papers covered both academic and policy issues, with a key strength of the conference the interchange between academics from a broad range of disciplines and policymakers in charge of diversity issues in public and private sector organisations. Talking Circles enabled broader discussions of the conference themes and of future directions. Garden sessions provided the opportunity for delegates to have informal discussions with plenary speakers.
The conference was held in a great spirit of conviviality, conversation and dialogue. The conference arrangements went off without a hitch, with the conference running to time across the four days. The conference dinner allowed delegates to experience the wonderful cooking of student chefs and student hospitality trainees and to taste Quebec wines.
I would like to congratulate the excellent Common Ground Conference organizing team at the conference (Helen Agans, Amy France, Garett Gietzen and Tarnjeet Kang) and the other Common Ground team who provided the pre-conference organisation (Bill Cope, Tamsyn Gilbert, Andy Jeakins, Phillip Kalantzis-Cope, Anouk Liautaud and Homer (Tony) Stavely). I would like to thank Sébastien Arcand of HEC Montréal, for his invaluable assistance in providing us with perfect facilities and a warm welcome to Montréal. The next International Diversity Conference will be held in Riga, Latvia, 15-18 June 2009.
Jock Collins, University of Technology, Sydney, Australia.