Dissecting Discourses in Policy: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Problematizations in Academia

Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) related injustices have long drenched higher education institutions (HEIs), prompting ongoing efforts to address them. In Norway, such efforts include Gender Equality Plans (GEPs)/DEI action plans in all HEIs, stipulating how DEI should be incorporated and supported. This article examines the GEP/DEI Plans at UiT The Arctic University of Norway. Applying Carol Bacchi’s “what’s the problem represented to be” (WPR) approach to the UiT Equality Plans, we genealogically contextualize and dissect the policy discourse to explore its problem representations, underlying assumptions, and policy evolution. Recognizing that policy proposals are not mere governance tools but inhabit meaning beyond the explicitly stated, we regard policy as inseparable from the social, political, and cultural contexts in which it operates. We find that the policy primarily targets women, despite the change of name from GEP to DEI Plan, and frames the overall DEI problem as the underrepresentation of women in professorship/leadership roles. While the fairness approach to equality is prevalent, women in the academy are reinstated as units of resources that must be tapped, whose productivity must be audited and enhanced through affirmative action to utilize all resources. Aligning our findings with the three DEI policy operational frameworks outlined in the research literature, i.e., individual, structural, and cultural, we identify a deficiency in this literature: a lack of emphasis and clarity on the importance of academic content to support DEI. Consequently, we propose a new analytical dimension related to research, teaching, and study content.