History
Our History ...
Our History ...
Founded in 2000, the International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations has a history of bringing together scholarly, government and practice-based participants with an interest in the issues of diversity and community. The conference examines the concept of diversity as a positive aspect of a global world and globalized society. Diversity is in many ways reflective of our present world order, but there are ways of taking this further without necessary engendering its alternatives: racism, conflict, discrimination and inequity. Diversity as a mode of social existence can be projected in ways that deepen the range of human experience. The conference seeks to explore the full range of what diversity means and explore modes of diversity in real-life situations of living together in community, supporting a move away from simple affirmations that 'diversity is good' to a much more nuanced account of the effects and uses of diversity on differently situated communities in the context of our current epoch of globalization. In addition to linguistic, cultural, ethnic and ‘racial’ diversity, the conference pursues its well-established interest in other aspects of diversity, including the intersecting dynamics of gender, sexual orientation, (dis) ability, locale and socio-economic background.
The International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations is built upon four key features: Internationalism, Interdisciplinarity, Inclusiveness, and Interaction. Conference delegates include leaders in the field as well as emerging scholars, who travel to the conference from all corners of the globe and represent a broad range of disciplines and perspectives. A variety of presentation options and session types offer delegates multiple opportunities to engage, to discuss key issues in the field, and to build relationships with scholars from other cultures and disciplines.
The Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network enables members to publish through two media. First, network members can enter a world of journal publication unlike the traditional academic publishing forums—a result of the responsive, non-hierarchical, and constructive nature of the peer review process. The Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Journal Collection provides a framework for double-blind peer review, enabling authors to publish into an academic journal of the highest standard. The second publication medium is through the Diversity in Organizations, Communities, & Nations Book imprint, publishing cutting edge books in print and electronic formats. Publication proposals and manuscript submissions are welcome.
The Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations Research Network offers several opportunities for ongoing communication among its members. Any member may upload video presentations based on scholarly work to the network YouTube channel. Quarterly email newsletters contain updates on conference and publishing activities as well as broader news of interest. Join the conversations on Facebook and Twitter. Or explore our new social media platform, Scholar.
The International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations has a rich history of featuring leading and emerging voices from the field, including:
Professor, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
(2000)
Former Premier of Victoria, Australia
(2001)
Professor, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA
(2003)
Professor, Duke University, Durham, USA
(2003)
Professor, University of California, Berkeley, USA
(2005)
Professor, University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
(2005)
Professor, Rice University, Houston, USA
(2006)
CEO, Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), South Africa
(2011)
Chief Diversity Officer and Special Assistant to the President, Harvard University, Cambridge, USA
(2017)