How are inclusion and exclusion produced in everyday academic environments? While equity initiatives in higher education often focus on policy or individual attitudes, less attention is paid to how these dynamics emerge through the interaction of language, institutional practices, and specific learning environments.
This workshop introduces a research-informed framework that conceptualizes inclusion as the outcome of the interplay between discursive practices, interactional dynamics, and institutional spaces. The approach draws on relational theories of space (Lefebvre, 1991; Massey, 2005), performativity (Butler, 1990), and critical discourse approaches to inequality in education (Fairclough, 2013). It is further informed by research on LGBTQ+ students’ experiences in educational settings, which highlights how exclusion is distributed across everyday environments and embedded in routine interactions (e.g., Kosciw et al., 2020).
Rather than offering predefined solutions, the workshop is designed as a collaborative diagnostic and design space. Participants will work with concrete scenarios to identify discursive patterns (e.g., normalization, mitigation, epistemic positioning), map “risk zones” across different academic contexts, and examine how these are linked to spatial and interactional conditions. Building on this analysis, the group will co-develop initial ideas for interventions at three levels: micro- (language use), meso -(interaction design), and macro- (institutional practices).
The workshop is particularly relevant for those involved in teacher education, curriculum development, and equity work. It aims to support participants in moving from abstract commitments to inclusion toward analytically grounded, context-sensitive practices that foster not only “safe” but also “brave” spaces, where critical dialogue and diverse identities can be meaningfully engaged (Arao & Clemens, 2013).
References
Arao, B. & Clemens, K. (2013). From safe spaces to brave spaces: A new way to frame dialogue around diversity and social justice. In Landreman, Lisa M. (ed). The Art of Effective Facilitation Reflections from Social Justice Educators. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003447580.
Butler, J. (1990[2007]). Gender Trouble: Feminism and the Subversion of Identity. Routledge.
Fairclough, N. (2013). Critical Discourse Analysis: The Critical Study of Language. Routledge. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315834368.
Kosciw, Joseph G.; Clark, Caitlin M.; Truong, Nhan L. & Zongrone, Adrian D. (2020). The 2019 National School Climate Survey: The Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer Youth in Our Nation's Schools. New York: GLSEN. URL: https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED608534.pdf.
Lefebvre, H. (2014). The People, Place and Space Reader. Routledge.
