What is diversity? What does it mean to the individual? What does it mean for the collective? How is it constructed? How diversity is viewed and understood is, in itself, diverse. Every November, the Institute celebrates diversity, taking a deeper look into its different facets.
This year, our awareness month on diversity is part of a larger, year-long campaign dedicated to respect. To celebrate the diversity of our community here at the Institute, we gathered five words key to achieving respect, with your help. What do they mean to the community? Find out in this short video.
More info on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Initiative.
La diversité est l’égale possibilité offerte à tous et toutes d’exister et de vivre librement avec ses spécificités au sein d’un monde "pluriversel". C’est reconnaître la multiplicité du « ego sum » en favorisant une réelle inclusion des singularités au sein de nos morphologies sociales. C’est valoriser l'apport de tous et toutes par-delà les logiques de hiérarchie, grâce à un décentrement qui permet d’apprécier la contribution intrinsèque de chacun et chacune.
Dêlidji Eric Degila, Professeur de pratique de Relations Internationales
I view diversity as a pedagogical tool with which to address overlapping and interrelated systems of geographical, racial, gendered, classed, sexual, and ability-centred discrimination as well as affirmative processes of academic and public engagement, collaboration, and transformation around education and equity. I see diversity as an interactive process of un-learning and re-learning centring on the generative power of difference and bridging the gap between institutional commitments, theoretical interventions, and immediate life concerns.
Umut Yildirim, Assistant Professor, Anthropology and Sociology
Diversity is similarity. Yes, it’s an oxymoron. Diversity is a singular act of seeing the self in ‘others,’ a simple act of recognising the self in the face of an ‘other.’ Diversity is dissolution: letting one become many and many braided into one. Diversity is a point of saturation, a dense singularity revealing infinite possibilities. To embrace diversity is to embrace oneself as one possible manifestation of a diverse Universe.
Aditya Bharadwaj, Professor, Anthropology and Sociology
Chair, Department of Anthropology and Sociology
Co-Director, Gender Centre
Affirmer la diversité, c’est reconnaître dans une égale dignité nos communautés et leurs formes variées de présence au monde. Affirmer la diversité, c’est militer pour que ces différentes formes de présence au monde puissent s’exprimer et s’épanouir. Enfin et peut-être surtout, affirmer la diversité, c’est démontrer sa valeur – qui ne se révèle finalement que lorsque la diversité devient rencontre et hybridité.
Marie-Laure Salles, Directrice
Growing up as a white, straight, cis-gender European man, I once viewed diversity through the common lens of being an opportunity to learn and become more open-minded—in short, something to be celebrated without question. Only in recent years have generous and patient friends opened my eyes to the fact that, while diversity might look like a growth opportunity for me, for many of the people I thought of as personifying this “diversity”, it can actually be a painful experience. I now understand that, if not paired with serious efforts towards equity and inclusion, diversity only benefits a privileged few. Celebrating diversity in itself is not enough and can actually overshadow the challenges faced by many. For people like me in a place like the Institute, embracing diversity means upholding a duty to proactively contribute to making our community more equitable and inclusive for all—something which requires difficult conversations, serious introspection, self-education, a great deal of listening, changing our mindsets and behaviors, and speaking up when we recognize harm. It is the only way to make a mission of diversity sincere and meaningful.
Cyprien Fluzin, PhD candidate in International Law
Diversity is the intrinsic expression of beauty. Think, for instance, of a swarm of parrots, a rainbow or butterflies. But beauty is also expressed in human diversity, in the multifaceted articulation of customs, languages, art, and foods. Today, however, as in the past, diversity has many enemies. Puritans, identitarians, nationalists and illiberals of all sorts long for a monochromatic world made up of certitudes and like-minded, homogenous groups. They are scared by alterity, difference and, ultimately, themselves. Humanity, however, may only express its full potential through the interplay of diverse worldviews, opinions and ways of thinking. To defend diversity, therefore, is to defend our shared human nature, what binds us all together, since this is the only way we can be meaningfully different. To put it in the words of Edward Said “Humanism is the only – I would go so far as saying the final – resistance we have against the inhuman practices and injustices that disfigure human history.
Dominic Eggel, Senior Research Advisor
Diversity is at the heart of our existence. It is the essence of our world as it provides the basis for our uniqueness. We all belong to this diversity so fundamental to our life experience. If you were not different, how could I be I? If you were all like me – what a boring place that would be for all of us. Thank you Diversity!
Concepta Canale, Head of Student Services
Diversity colours my days and life by the many things I can see, admire, taste, smell, hear, touch, understand and learn. It allows us to reflect on our amazing differences and how we can reinforce and nurture these resources. Diversity is also respecting the other's culture, gender, look, religion, language, beliefs, opinion, habits and dreams. Diversity is my family and it teaches us so much!
Eliane Minassian, Head Student Wellbeing & Support Service
9 novembre de 9h à 12h
La journée Futur en tous genre s'intéresse à l'avenir et aux larges perspectives professionnelles qui s'offrent aujourd'hui aux filles et aux garçons.
Dans ce cadre, l'Institut a le plaisir de proposer aux enfants de ses collaborateurs/trices un programme avec des rencontres avec des interlocuteurs privilégiés de la bibliothèque, du service des étudiant-es, du service informatique, du Centre Genre et un assistant d'enseignement.
Le temps d'une matinée, les élèves en 9e Harmos (12- 13 ans) sont invité-es à découvrir de nouveaux horizons, à réfléchir au choix d'une carrière professionnelle et aux perspectives de vie sans a priori ou idée préconçue.
Cette journée aura lieu le jeudi 9 novembre 2022 à l'Institut, à la bibliothèque et au fab lab au 4ème étage du pétale 2.
Déroulement
