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Call for papers: Diversity in the creative industries (EDI 2010)

  • 1.  Call for papers: Diversity in the creative industries (EDI 2010)

    Posted 03-02-2010 10:06
    Dear Colleagues,

    Apologies for any cross posting. Please see details below for a call for papers for a stream at Equality and Diversity International 2010 http://www.edi-conference.org/index.php, Vienna, 14th to 16th July 2010. Our stream covers all aspects of diversity in the creative industries and we welcome papers from both established and new researchers.

    Kind regards,

    Kate Sang


    Diversity in the Creative Industries
    Stream Organisers:

    Dr Valerie Caven, Nottingham Business School, Nottingham Trent University,
    Nottingham, NG1 4BU. + 44 115 848 4233, Email: valerie.caven@ntu.ac.uk

    Dr Kate Sang, Research Fellow, DECERe, Norwich Business School, University of East
    Anglia, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ. +441603 597240. Email: k.sang@uea.ac.uk

    Stream outline:

    The creative industries have in recent years become a huge source of interest for
    researchers due to their rapid growth in size and their contribution to the economy. It
    would not be unreasonable to expect that, by the very nature of their activities; they
    would embrace diversity and be varied environments in which to work. However, this
    does not appear to be the case. Within many of the sectors contained under the umbrella
    of creative industries, employment is dominated by white males. Women and BME
    employees are seriously under-represented throughout and a further indication of the lack
    of diversity is ageism, particularly experienced by women in the performing arts and
    associated industries.

    Employment is characterized as precarious with stressful working conditions, long hours
    and pay inequalities. In short, the creative industries replicate the bureaucratic and
    managerialist work practices seen in more traditional industries/professions. In addition,
    entry to the sector is characterized by periods of unpaid work which may exclude those
    from economically deprived backgrounds. The policy aims of Equal Opportunities, antidiscrimination
    legislation and inclusion policies seem largely to have passed the industry
    by. This stream aims to investigate why/if this is the case; what does the future hold in
    terms of providing interesting and challenging work in a creatively stimulating
    environment? Papers are invited which critically examine employment in the creative
    industries; they can be either theoretically or empirically informed from a wide range of
    disciplines, such as business, sociology, arts, or humanities but should explore the multifaceted
    dimensions of power relationships and inequalities which exist.

    Possible themes include:
    The failure of policy efforts to promote inclusion; Entrepreneurship and underrepresented
    workers; Diversity and inclusion in a global context; Challenges to existing
    management practices; the 'Glass Ceiling' effect and the diverse workforce; Diversity
    and creativity, Intersections of gender, ethnicity, disability, sexuality and class.

    Keywords: Creativity, Diversity, Inclusion, Power,

    Publication plans: Special issue of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion; edited collection
    of papers if of sufficient quality.

    Dr Kate Sang
    Research Fellow, DECERe
    Norwich Business School
    University of East Anglia
    Norwich
    Norfolk
    NR4 7TJ
    01603 597240