Description
Professional associations have long served as important spaces for knowledge exchange, collaboration, and advocacy within their fields. However, their potential as catalysts for advancing equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is increasingly recognised, yet often underutilised. This roundtable brings together members and committee members of the University Association for European Studies (UACES), the Irish Association for Contemporary European Studies (IACES), BISA and EISA to explore the role of professional associations in embedding EDI principles into the core of knowledge production, reflecting on how they can act as powerful forums for developing and promoting transformative pedagogies and practices.
Participants will engage with the following question: How do professional associations leverage their structures and networks to challenge systemic inequities in research, teaching, and in higher education policymaking? We will explore the broader themes of knowledge production inside and outside the classroom. The discussion will cover strategies for supporting underrepresented voices, creating platforms for interdisciplinary dialogue, and encouraging membership focused initiatives that align values of inclusion.
Ultimately, this roundtable seeks to reflect an acknowledgement of the evolving responsibilities of professional associations within a changing and often contentious global higher education landscape. Through this collective discussion, we may find pathways to generate best practices.
