Iverson's Discourses

Iverson's Discourses

These discourses contribute to shaping perceptions of diversity and constructing particular social identities for diverse individuals to assume. They can be used to evaluate conversations and policy documents.

Policy discourse analysis is “an approach to policy analysis that works to uncover policy silences and make visible the powerful discourses framing policy initiatives” (Allan, 2008, p. 1 in Iverson, 2008, p.183). The four discourses are:

1). Marketplace

2). Excellence

3). Managerialism

4).Democracy.

Marketplace

• Marketplace is characterized primarily by competition; indeed, “the ability to compete—for students, resources, faculty, and prestige—becomes a driving strategic force”

• Diversity (and by implication diverse individuals) is described as essential—“a key ingredient”—for achieving and maintaining a competitive edge.

• producing images of diverse individuals as objects possessing (economic) value that will contribute to the institution’s ability to maintain or gain a competitive edge and achieve prominence in the academic marketplace.

Excellence

• The discourse of excellence is characterized by a focus on quality and performance and on success and reputation

• Excellence is one marker of an institution’s ability to compete, and diversity is described in the reports as inextricably linked to excellence.

• A primary strategy by which diversity action plans purport to measure the success and quality of diversity initiatives and, equally, the universities’ status in the market is through performance indicators.

• Quality is a central value in the discourse of excellence

• Diverse student as commodity

Managerialism

• The discourse of managerialism values efficiency, productivity, and progress

• is characterized by an emphasis on effectiveness, accountability, monitoring costs and effects, and quality assurance, all of which enhance a university’s ability to compete in the marketplace

• The discourse of managerialism emphasizes hierarchical, top-down, command-and-control management used to get things done, like communicate vision, build community, and accomplish change

• Thus, poor management or a lack of leadership, at times characterized as an absence of coordinated diversity efforts, is a problem made visible by a discourse of managerialism.

• Quality assurance is a core value in the discourse of managerialism

• Diverse student as commodity

Democracy

• producing an image of the diverse individual as a change agent for equity

• diversity action plans assure “that student voices would be heard;” that campus constituencies and interest groups should have a voice in the process;” “that all facets of diversity are equally represented;” and that the university is committed to “the ideas of a pluralistic, multiracial, open and democratic society.”

• Thus, inequality is described by diversity action plans as a significant problem in the realization of democratic ideals.

• The diversity action plans propose facilitating “campus-wide dialogue [to promote] .

• open examination of difficult yet critical issues” and initiating “critical institutional dialogue which will forge the agenda for change”

• Scholars attest to the need for and benefits of cross-difference dialogue, and more specifically engaging dangerous discourses

• Diverse student as change agent

All of this information came from Iverson's article referenced below.

Susan V. Iverson (2008) Capitalizing on Change: The Discursive Framing ofDiversity in U.S. Land-Grant Universities, Equity & Excellence in Education, 41:2, 182-199, DOI:10.1080/10665680801972849