Eighteenth International Conference on Diversity in Organizations, Communities & Nations

Abstract

History, as popularly noted, has its roots in the familiar and the shared attributes of the majority represented. The pull of nationalism and its impact on the global economy, societies, and communities proved to be pivotal periods during the early – mid 20th century. The modern global world, armed with digital technology and an increasingly diverse student population, has seen many of its progressive measures of inclusive education policies – such as booming international student numbers, openly challenged and many times deflated – as noted through events such as the UK’s Brexit, Poland’s Independence Day march, the killing of Tanzanian University of Johannesburg PhD student, Baraka Leonard Nafari, and the rise of hate crimes on U.S. campuses following the election of Donald Trump. The discussion will illustrate the socio-political world, currently combatting popular far-right candidates and extreme policies, and its relation to evolving nationalism. By analyzing the increase of large scale bias-related incidents, the session will detail the ways nationalism has altered the climate of higher education and equip participants with proactive strategies and methods of engagement to collaborate with community and campus leaders in the pursuit of freedom of education and safety of development in the learning process. The session will provide strategies of continuing campus dialogue on adaptable resources for traditionally underrepresented learners and the need to ensure sustainable inclusive programming for all campus inhabitants during the politically turbulent period.