Based on the EU- funded project RESET (Redesigning Equality and Scientific Excellence Together) and written by members of seven European partner universities representing different disciplines, this book combines theory and practice to discuss and reflect on the concept of scientific excellence within higher education. It considers the pitfalls and the need to revisit an understanding of inclusivity by asking how scientific excellence and professional equality can be made compatible in practice.
Split into three key sections, the first part of the book is devoted to the question of scientific excellence in relation to existing gender inequalities within universities. It includes discussion on the objectivity of scientific excellence based on feminist literature devoted to the reproduction of inequalities in universities and data collected during the RESET project. The second part is dedicated to the actions taken to achieve more inclusive excellence and the third part finishes by focussing on training on gender and diversity issues and the resistance that such workshops generate.
The book offers a comprehensive guide to fostering an academic culture that aligns scientific excellence with equality, diversity and inclusion, providing researchers and decision-makers alike with practical tools for achieving inclusive excellence within European universities, while at the same time knowing how to deal with difficulties and resistance.
Introduction Part I: Issues of compatibility Chapter 1 - Pat O’Connor Is Scientific Excellence a gendered construction? Chapter 2 - Maxime Forest Towards inclusive excellence policies at European level? Chapter 3 - Marion Paoletti Scientific excellence and equality: The perspectives of university personnel in four European countries Chapter 4 - Ninon Junca RESET’s Commitment to Inclusive Scientific Excellence: Mobilising Governance and Including New Indicators Part II: Mobilisation and resistance Chapter 5 – Netta Iivari, Eva Durral Gazulla, Ruut Tikkanen Co-cultivating co-design for gender equality in the context of higher education institutions Chapter 6 – Marisa Matias, Sara Isabel Magalhães, Jorge Peixoto Freitas, Alexandra Lopes, Conceição Nogueira, Maria Isabel Dias A new generation of GEPs: How academic organisations address equality, intersectionality, and diversity Chapter 7 - Maria Michali, Areti Ampatzoglou, Eleni Karachaliou, Kalliopi Malerou, Stelios Karamanidis, Lamprini Argyropoulou, Dimitra Hadjipavlou-Litina, Athina Vakali The challenges of diversity and equality data in academic and research organisations Chapter 8 - Viktoria Niebel Gender-inclusive communication in academic organisations: a lever for change Part III: Bringing about cultural change Chapter 9 - Agata Rudnicka, Aleksandra Różalska From training to organisational change: The role of stakeholder engagement in education on gender equality and diversity in higher education institutions Chapter 10 - Mateusz Hauk, Paulina Szymańska The Role and Actions of a Trainer in Conducting Training and Workshops on Diversity and Gender Equality at Universities Chapter 11 - Mervi Heikkinen Mainstreaming Intersectional Gender Impact Assessment in Higher Education Institutions’ Knowledge Production - Transforming Research and Education from Within Chapter 12 - Tuija Lämsä The Constellation of CoPs as Gender Change Agents: The Meaning of Communities of Practitioners Now and in the Future
Marion Paoletti is Professor of Political Science at the University of Bordeaux, France and Scientific Director of the RESET project. Marisa Matias is Professor of Psychology at the University of Porto, Portugal and Scientific Coordinator of RESET at the University of Porto. Aleksandra Różalska is Assistant Professor and Head of the Women Studies Centre, University of Łódź, Poland.
