Guest editorial: Indigenous priorities for equality, diversity and inclusion

• Date: 10 September 2024
• Pages: 889-894
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/EDI-08-2024-429
• Published date: 10 September 2024
• Author: Diane Ruwhiu,Nimbus Awhina Staniland,Tyron Love,Lynnaire Sheridan

Guest editorial: Indigenous

priorities for equality, diversity

and inclusion

In the realm of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) theory and practice, a critical but often

overlooked perspective emerges from Indigenous communities (Pio, 2021). Traditional EDI

frameworks focus on intersections of identity, society and organization. Indigenous priorities

delve deeper, reflecting the rich tapestry of our worldviews and ways of being. These, in turn,

are deeply woven into our identities and how we interact with the world around us

(O’Sullivan, 2022;Ruwhiu et al., 2021). This special issue centers Indigenous voices from

diverse regions including New Zealand, Australia, the Pacific, Vietnam and Zimbabwe. By

sharing their lived experience and challenges they face, these scholars offer invaluable

insights that can strengthen the field of EDI. These include considerations of our unique

knowledge systems and ways of being, self-determination and justice and the unique

challenges these raise for Indigenous communities.

EDI frameworks have played a vital role in promoting fairer and more inclusive societies

(K€

ollen et al., 2018). However, traditional EDI approaches, rooted in Western thought, often

neglect the unique contexts and challenges faced by Indigenous communities (Nkomo, 2021;

Pio, 2021). This creates a gap in understanding, where valuable insights on knowledge,

identity and community are absent from EDI discussions. The challenge lies in decolonizing

EDI scholarship. We must move beyond the narrow, Western assumptions imposed on

Indigenous populations during colonialism and perpetuated through assimilation practices

(Kidman, 2020;Nkomo, 2021). This requires dismantling these assumptions and creating

space for inclusive EDI that recognizes and honors Indigenous voices (Lovern, 2017;Pio,

2021;O’Sullivan, 2022;Verbos and Humphries, 2012).

Colonization’s catastrophic consequences for Indigenous Peoples worldwide include loss

of land and access to resources, suppressed culture and identity, collapsed social and

economic systems, a higher burden of poor health and disease, lower life expectancy and

racial violence (Cornell and Jorgensen, 2019;Lovern, 2017). Indigenous Peoples are typically

rendered invisible within political economies of knowledge “forged in the interplay of power

relations between coloniality and free-market capitalism” (Kidman, 2020, p. 247). Colonizers

and governments actively suppressed Indigenous movements and knowledge systems.

Replacing traditional ways of life with imposed ideologies was deliberate and systematic

(Banerjee, 2008; Cornell and Jorgensen, 2017; Pio, 2021). For example, our experiences as

Indigenous Peoples intersect with identities related to gender, class, culture, physical,

mental, emotional and spiritual capacities and sexuality. However, the imposition of colonial

gender binaries created patriarchal structures, policies and practices that have had

devastating consequences for Indigenous communities, particularly for Indigenous women

and those who identify as queer and gender diverse (Sullivan and Day, 2021).

Despite laws and policies designed to promote EDI, Indigenous Peoples still face

significant obstacles. Individual biases and systemic barriers prevent them from fully

participating and succeeding in society (Julien et al., 2017;Ruwhiu et al., 2021). Within that

context, organizations have been, and continue to be, forces of domination and suppression

for Indigenous Peoples, as well as for many other minority peoples (Pio, 2021;Verbos and

Humphries, 2012). More specifically, despite increasing Indigenous engagement in a range of

professions, occupations and fields, coupled with expectations on employers to engage in

diversity initiatives, many Indigenous Peoples still navigate Eurocentric, masculine, hostile

Equality,

Diversity and

Inclusion: An

International

Journal

889

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion:

An International Journal

Vol. 43 No. 6, 2024

pp. 889-894

© Emerald Publishing Limited

2040-7149

DOI 10.1108/EDI-08-2024-429