Embodiments of EDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion): Analyzing the Discursive Positioning of Students in University EDI Policies

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 3:35 pm Four Seasons Ballroom 4
  In Roundtable Session: Equity in Action: Policies and Practices for Inclusive Higher Education (Table 6)

Abstract

This study utilizes feminist (Lazar, 2007) and intersectional (Esposito, 2023) Critical Discourse Analysis to examine the discursive positioning of equity-deserving students in university EDI policies. Data consisted of Strategic Plans and EDI Action Plans from five research-intensive universities in Canada. van Leeuwen’s (2008) social actor framework was used to analyze how equity-deserving students’ identities and EDI were discursively positioned in relation to universities. The findings reveal that equity-deserving students’ identities are backgrounded, while their diversity is positioned as inherent to the universities. Meanwhile, universities are positioned as active agents with a presupposed history of working towards or embodying EDI. Ultimately, the findings suggest that universities’ EDI policies negate any tangible action required to create more equitable and inclusive spaces.

Authors

• Alexandra Ross, University of British Columbia

• Rosa Dene David, University of British Columbia