22nd November 2018
The Bond Company, Birmingham , United Kingdom
Abstracts and programme available here
Conference report available here.
Speakers’ presentations available below.
This was the first of what we hope will be a series of seminars aiming to address the continuing marginalisation or absence of diverse groups from voluntary sector research and debates.
In 2013, Birmingham’s Third Sector Research Centre discussed the absence of Black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) voices i
n voluntary sector research and in prominent debates concerning the sector at regional and national levels (Ware, 2013). However, even when such discussions take place, Witter (2017) observes how few individuals from minority ethnic groups have been present to explore issues which are about them. As Etienne’s (2016) research demonstrates, minority ethnic voices are seriously underrepresented among academic researchers and in policy making circles, yet play a hugely significant role among community groups and in activism. Phillimore and McCabe (2015) also note that BAME organisations often exist largely below the radar and the dominant discourse of the UK’s voluntary sector.
As UK society becomes increasingly diverse and more globally connected, this creates new and distinctive challenges in how the voluntary sector – its research, policies and practices – respond to different needs and better represent the wider population. Yet, despite recognition of the lack of research in this field which addresses difference and diversity, there has been little recent challenge to the status quo and a dominant discourse which neglects significant voices. This needs to change.
Despite freezing weather and the street disruptions from the HS2 construction, most of our 30 or so delegates made it to our canalside room provided by the Bond, Birmingham, for a very stimulating day of presentations and discussions.
Asif A
fridi, Birmingham Race Action Partnership
Race equality and the voluntary sector: learning from the inquiry into the future of civil society
Palmela Witter, independent researcher, London
Black youth and loss of trust: how can black women community activists create a platform for change?
Liz Bailey, TSRC, University of Birmingham
Abi Woodward, CRESR, Sheffield Hallam University
Mike Aiken with colleagues from the Pledge Against Charging campaign, Sussex
Lucy Mayblin, University of Sheffield
Asylum and Refugee Support in the UK: Civil Society Filling the Gaps?
Proposed seminar/discussion series
This is the first of what we hope will be a series of seminars and/or discussions, in which some absences in the debate around issues concerning difference and diversity can be explored with the aim of challenging the current orthodoxy of research in the voluntary sector field.
We welcome proposals to host future seminars or roundtable discussions which will facilitate further debate on different aspects of diversity and inequalities and might focus, for example, on gender, on sexual identities, on disabilities, on emotional labour or other related issues. We recognise the intersectional nature of these debates as well as the diverse aspects.
Working with participants we hope to draw together some of the threads from all the seminars and discussions in a paper or papers following the seminars.
To discuss the possibility of hosting or co-hosting an event in this proposed series, please contact Linda Milbourne l.milbourne@bbk.ac.uk
