Opting-In to Diversity: “Being in a Group of People Who Are Different

OPTING-IN TO DIVERSITY: “BEING IN A GROUP OF PEOPLE WHO ARE DIFFERENT IS PART OF NOT BEING AN A**HOLE” A thesis submitted To Kent State University in partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Art By Michael P. Kreiter April, 2017 © Copyright All rights reserved Thesis written by Michael P. Kreiter B.S., Boise State University, 2014 B.A., Boise State University, 2014 M.A., Kent State University, 2017 Approved by Dr. Christopher P. Dum , Advisor Dr. Richard Serpe , Chair, Department of Sociology Dr. James L. Blank , Dean, College of Arts and Sciences TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................iii LIST OF TABLES ......................................................................................................................... vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ............................................................................................................ vii CHAPTERS I. INTRODUCTION ...............................................................................................................1 II. LITERATURE REVIEW ....................................................................................................3 Diversity Ideology as Part of Colorblind Racism ................................................... 3 Early Childhood Education ..................................................................................... 4 Critical Diversity ..................................................................................................... 7 Research Importance ............................................................................................... 8 III. SETTING .............................................................................................................................9 IV. METHODS ........................................................................................................................11 V. RESULTS ..........................................................................................................................17 The Participants .................................................................................................... 17 Avery......................................................................................................................18 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................18 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................19 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................20 Dylan ......................................................................................................................20 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................20 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................21 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................21 Peg..........................................................................................................................23 iii Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................23 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................25 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................25 Jolene .....................................................................................................................26 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................26 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................28 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................28 Susan ......................................................................................................................29 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................29 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................29 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................30 Melissa ...................................................................................................................31 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................31 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................31 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................32 Holly ......................................................................................................................33 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................33 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................34 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................35 Amelia ....................................................................................................................35 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................35 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................36 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................37 iv Sarena .....................................................................................................................37 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................37 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................38 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................39 Stella ......................................................................................................................40 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................40 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................40 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................41 Tamicka..................................................................................................................42 Meaning of Diversity .................................................................................42 Importance of Diversity .............................................................................43 Acting on Diversity ....................................................................................44 VI. DISCUSSION .....................................................................................................................45 The Meaning of Diversity ......................................................................................45 Importance of Diversity .........................................................................................46 Acting on Diversity ................................................................................................48 Limitations, Strengths, and Future Research .........................................................49 VII. CONCLUSION ..................................................................................................................52 REFERENCES ..............................................................................................................................54 v LIST OF TABLES Table 1. List of Participants ............................................................................................................18 vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my Adviser, Dr. Christopher Dum, and the members of my committee, Dr. Carla Goar and Dr. Clare Stacey, for their support, patience, and invaluable feedback. I would like to thank my wife, Stacy Kreiter, for everything, including revision and copy-edit suggestions. I would also like to thank the many peers and colleagues who read various iterations of this paper, from proposal to completed draft, and provided helpful feedback: Nasra Abubakar, Jacob Church, Jackie Coffey, Jim Meeker, and Bri Turgeon. Michael Kreiter vii INTRODUCTION “Diversity” can mean almost anything to anyone. Diversity is an ideological construction rooted in pluralist multiculturalism that celebrates the differences between people. But at the same time, that ideology often disregards the structural inequalities that continue to marginalize groups. Therefore “diversity” as an ideology is as much a tool of oppression for those who only want to appear justice oriented as it is a means of equality. Diversity talk is a type of racial discourse (Berrey 2015), and racial discourses are the ideological expression of a racialized social structure (Bonilla-Silva 1997). Studying such discourse sheds light on how racialized social structures operate. At the macro level, we see the proliferation of diversity and multicultural rhetoric at the same time that there is continuing, and in some cases the increasing, racial inequality in the US and abroad (Winant

Load more