Paper short abstract:

This paper investigates the extent to which diversity narratives enable the persistence of White supremacy in US and European institutions. It uses collaborative filmmaking both as a mode of investigation and a means of political possibility.

Paper long abstract:

This paper investigates the extent to which diversity narratives enable the persistence of White supremacy in US and European institutions. It uses collaborative filmmaking both as a mode of investigation and a means for imagining political possibility.

Background

This paper is based on a project I began at the University of Michigan (USA) in the winter of 2021 in which I asked students to make short (10 minute) films about the future of the University and their surrounding communities from the perspective of "diversity." What did "diversity" mean in practice? How should it be interrogated, and how was it affecting their experience of the university and/or their lives prior to entering it?

In whose interest was "diversity" being advocated? What might Black, Indigenous, and Students of Color gain from the term and institutional implementation of "diversity"? What might they lose? To what extent is "diversity" able to address issues of systemic racism or feelings of isolation?

What can collective filmmaking do to address these questions?