This is a dubious event

While London Metropolitan University's student ship is cultural diverse,
its staff are not.

This is a 'sink' university. In other words, the marketability of most of
its qualifications is very poor. This means that its culturally diverse
studentship waste their time and money gaining low quality qualifications
to support a markedly monocultural staff.

Under the circumstances, this event is a bad joke.

At 14:40 28/02/2006, Josephine Berry Slater wrote:
>What is Cultural Diversity?
>Tuesday 21st March 2006, 6.30pm, London Metropolitan University
>41 Commercial Road, 1st Floor Lecture Theatre
>(Nearest tube: Aldgate East) The event is free but booking is advised
>
>In recent years, much has been made of ‘cultural diversity’ in Britain.
>At both local and national
>levels of government, ‘cultural diversity’ has become a defining element
>of social inclusion and
>the means by which Britain declares itself to be a ‘tolerant’
>multicultural society. Yet what precisely
>do we mean when we talk about ‘cultural diversity’? Is it the
>proliferation of so-called ‘equal
>opportunities’ policies? Is it the greater visibility of Black and Asian
>people in television
>programmes and commercials? Or is ‘cultural diversity’ chicken tikka
>massala being described as
>symbolising modern day British culture? Might the act of separating and
>defining British people
>according to notions of ‘cultural difference’ be particularly
>problematic? Could it be that the
>seemingly obligatory institutional embrace of ‘cultural diversity’
>hinders and ultimately prevents
>a greater understanding of the dilemmas and problems facing Black and
>Asian people in Britain
>today? Do the celebratory notions of ‘ethnic’ difference and diversity
>that have become an integral
>part of our ‘inclusive’ society need some critical examination? Why are
>certain people regarded
>as being more ‘ethnic’ than others?
>
>What is Cultural Diversity? will attempt to explore these questions and
>take a critical look at what
>we mean by the term ‘cultural diversity’ and its relation to the broader
>cultural and political terrain.
>The speakers will also critically discuss the ways in which ‘cultural
>diversity’ manifests itself within
>the visual arts and other sectors. In recent years, ‘cultural diversity’
>has arguably become one of the
>major issues concerning arts funding within the public sector. Whilst
>such concerns have a legacy
>dating back to the 1970s, the current proliferation of policies and
>initiatives related to ‘cultural
>diversity’ ­ typified by the Arts Council’s ‘flagship’ projects, such as
>‘decibel’ ­ appear ever more
>reflective of New Labour’s agenda of social inclusion. To this end,
>significant sums of money are
>allocated and spent in the name of ‘cultural diversity’. However, might
>accepted definitions of
>‘cultural diversity’ be acting as a constrainer rather than a
>facilitator of artistic and societal
>development? What sort of effects, positive, negative or otherwise, are
>such Arts Council initiatives
>having on the programming and employment policies of publicly funded
>galleries and arts
>organisations? Is there a place for the arguments and positions of those
>who are uncomfortable
>with defining themselves along the lines of apparent or perceived
>cultural difference?
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>Professor Sarat Maharaj was born in South Africa and educated
>in one of the segregated universities of the Apartheid era. He
>became Professor of History and Theory of Art, Goldsmiths
>College, University of London in 1997 where he is now
>Research Professor. He is currently Professor of Visual Art
>and Knowledge Systems, Lund University, Sweden. He was
>a co-curator on the Documenta XI team (Kassel, 2002) and
>is also on the board of inIVA.
>
>Tamara Sivanandan is a Principal Lecturer in the Sociology
>and Criminology Group, School of Health and Social Sciences
>at Middlesex University. Her research and teaching interests
>are in ‘race’ and representation, Black British and Third World
>politics and culture, and education in Britain. She has written
>on postcolonial literatures and on issues of race in education.
>
>Richard Hylton is the curator of Unit 2 Gallery, London
>Metropolitan University. Over the past fifteen years, he has
>curated a wide range of national and international exhibitions
>including Landscape Trauma in the age of Scopophilia and
>Imagined Communities. His forthcoming independent project,
>The Nature of the Beast: cultural diversity and the visual arts
>sector. A study of policies, initiatives, and attitudes, is soon to
>be published by the Institute of Interdisciplinary Arts (ICIA)
>at the University of Bath.
>
>Eddie Chambers’ work encompasses the roles of artist, curator,
>archivist, writer and lecturer. Based in Bristol, he is currently
>Research Fellow in Curating at London Metropolitan
>University and Writer in Residence at Spike Island, Bristol.
>He is also a Visiting Professor at Emory University, Atlanta,
>Georgia. His current exhibition is Curator’s Eye II, Identity
>& History: Personal and Social Narratives in Art in Jamaica,
>at the National Gallery of Jamaica, Kingston from 11
>December 2005 to 18 March 2006
>
>For additional information or to book please call Unit 2
>Gallery on 0207 320 1970 or go to www.unit2.co.uk
>What is Cultural Diversity? is organised by Eddie Chambers
>and Richard Hylton.
>
>Supported by the Research Capability Fund and
>London Metropolitan University.
>
>
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