Making Diversity Count: an inclusive approach to counting the people of Europe: a discussion with Özge Bilgili

Participation in the life of society is fundamental to European democratic ideals, as is representation of the interests of groups and individuals. In order to know whether members of society are adequately represented, however, we must be able to take stock of the population. People who belong to marginalised groups and those with complex needs are often not counted by datasets and algorithms meant to monitor diversity and inclusion, as the categories used fail to capture their distinct characteristics, let alone how demographic markers interact and impact upon the positions people occupy in society. Methods of measurement must therefore adapt in order for everyone to be counted. Creative methods can bring a sharp focus to inequalities, such as Nicola Rollock’s work documenting every black female professor in the UK through photography. The Power of One project is working to improve representation of unheard and unseen individuals in work place and healthcare contexts. One of its findings is that, when taking an intersectional approach, there is no such thing as an average employee. The Power of One’s focus on people as individuals involves the participation of everyone in an organisation. This seminar will centre on Dr. Özge Bilgili’s collaborative work with the interdisciplinary Power of One team on these themes and explore what such an approach might have to offer education research.