Stefania Paolini (PhD, Professor): Stefania is Professor of Social and Intercultural Psychology at Durham University, with expertise in social cohesion and inclusion. Stefania´s research explores `when´ and `why´ getting to know individuals from disadvantaged groups affects the way these groups are seen and treated. Stefania has published on topics of intergroup contact, friendship, emotions, and motivations for contact in peaceful and post conflict societies. She is passionate about equity, diversity and inclusion in academia, science, and all levels of society, and has received awards for her EDI work on intergroup dialogue and minority empowerment.
Trevor K. James (PhD, Associate Professor): Trevor is an Associate Professor in the Psychology Department at Durham University where he lectures on EDI and prejudice. He has served on the EDI Board for the British Psychological Society and led the mentoring strand for Project Northeast (a £2.1m Office for Students funded project that improves access and participation for racially minoritized students across Northeast universities in the UK). He has an educational podcast on EDI called, `Equality on the Mind´.
Understanding Equity, Diversity and Inclusion: Using Psychology to Address the Hard Questions provides an easy-to-read guide that explores how we can use evidence-based knowledge about equity to overcome inequalities and work towards a more just society.
In a world teeming with diversity and complexity, this book is an invaluable toolkit for everyone – from professionals seeking to reshape their organizations, to those of us who simply want to understand how equity, diversity and inclusion (`EDI´ or `DEI´) impacts our lives. Drawing on cutting-edge and consolidated research, real-world stories, and personal experiences, the book delves into the heart of pressing issues that define our society today. With captivating narratives, it traverses the spectrum of gender, race, ethnicity, sexuality, age, ability, and beyond, revealing the complex interaction between society and individual identities that impacts our lives. From the boardroom to the living room, it shows how stigma affects us all by interacting with the structures throughout society.
Whether you're a CEO driving organizational change or a curious parent seeking to sculpt a fairer world for your children, this book for you!
Preface. Acknowledgement. PART I: Introduction to Equity, Stigma and Prejudice. 1. Where Does Stigma and Prejudice Come From, and How Does it Affect Us? PART II: The Many Faces of Stigma and Prejudice Across the Life Span. 2. Is There Really a Male and a Female Brain? 3. What Does Equity Mean for Neurodivergent People? 4. Disability and Equity: What Can We Learn from People with Visual Impairments? 5. Why Does Weight Stigma Matter, and How Should We Tackle It? 6. How Can We Age Well and Support Older Adults? PART III: Supporting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion In Context. 7. How do cities divide us, and how can they bring us together? 8. Educational Achievement is Linked to Economic Disparity. What to Do About It? 9. What is Unconscious Bias and How Does it Relate to Diversity Training in Organisations? 10. What is Allyship, and How Can It Support Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in the Workplace? 11. What Has History, Culture and Social Context to Do with Mental Health? PART IV: Concluding Remarks and Where to Go Next. 12. Concluding Remarks and Ideas Forward.
This book provides an easy-to-read guide that explores how we can use evidence-based knowledge about equity to overcome inequalities and work towards a more just society. Drawing on consolidated research, real-world stories, and personal experiences, it delves into the heart of pressing issues that define our society today.
`This volume offers a welcome addition to existing texts on equity, diversity and inclusion. Its impressive scope covers experiences relating to gender, neurodiversity, physical disability, weight, and age. The analysis convincingly shows how voluntary and involuntary individual responses interact with systemic mechanisms to reproduce and maintain stigma and prejudice. Chapters detailing implications for urban planning, educational opportunities, work organizations and mental health issues in society offer deep understanding and clear guidance for scientists, practitioners and policy makers.´
Professor Naomi Ellemers, Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology, Utrecht University, The Netherlands, Specialist in Diversity, Inclusion and Ethics.
`Books like this are essential because they translate psychological science about stigma, prejudice, and discrimination into clear, evidence-based, and actionable insights that policymakers and leaders can apply in everyday decision-making. Grounded in psychological research and lived experience, the book explains how minds, organisations, and environments interact to produce inequality and offers practical guidance to turn theory into policies and programs that reduce harm and increase participation. Making these concepts and psychological ideas accessible is critical: without this knowledge, policy will continue to miss root causes, repeat harms, and fail the very people it is meant to protect.´
Professor Jolanda Jetten, Australian Research Council Laureate Fellow, Professor of Social Psychology, University of Queensland, Australia.
`Unlike many books on equity, diversity, and inclusion, this volume goes beyond a review of relevant psychological literature to look at prejudice, stigma, and discrimination as lived experience. The goal is to reach a non-expert, intelligent lay readership to increase awareness of the many faces of inequity in a way that may motivate change in attitudes and social institutions. Following a broad overview of psychological concepts related to prejudice and stigmatization, the individual chapters serve to widen our understanding of what inclusiveness really means and to raise awareness of how unconscious biases and institutional structures combine to affect the lives and mental health of those with stigmatized characteristics. Importantly, the chapters also provide insights about what we can do to provide support and reduce disadvantage through individual and institutional change.´
Marilynn B. Brewer, Professor Emeritus in Psychology, Ohio State University, Member of the US Academy of Science.
