- Carcassonne, M., Chauvel, S., Farges, G., Frouillou, L., Marquez, C., Szerdahelyi, L., & Tenret, E. (2023). “Grasp All, Lose All”? Ambiguities and Limitations of Diversity Policies in Higher Education in France and Spain. Cahiers de la recherche sur l’éducation et les savoirs, (22), 97‑126. https://journals.openedition.org/cres/6410
Based on documentary analysis conducted in France and Spain, along with sixteen interviews carried out in 2017 and 2018 at three French universities and two Spanish universities with contrasting profiles, this article explores diversity policies in higher education from a comparative perspective. The study first highlights the influence of U.S. and European institutions on these policies, as well as their connections to concepts borrowed from corporate diversity strategies.
The comparison of criteria used in various initiatives aimed at promoting diversity in universities in France and Spain reveals the multifaceted nature of diversity, with variations depending on the context and target groups: students or staff. In France, diversity policies tend to emphasize the international or territorially diverse—often indirectly migratory—nature of student populations. In contrast, in Spain, disability occupies a much more central role in measures promoting social inclusion.
When these policies focus on staff, they primarily address gender equality and disability inclusion in both countries. Finally, the article examines the political implications of maintaining ambiguity around the concept of diversity by analyzing how it is interpreted and implemented by those responsible for diversity policies in universities.