Histories of Inequality

This module reflects on equality, diversity, inclusion, and social justice within a variety of historical and contemporary world view perspectives and aims to provide a solid historical and intersectional grounding for the learner to critique the history and origins of supremacy. It aims to enable the learner to articulate clearly the historical origins and contemporary manifestations of inequality and social exclusion. This will enable them to develop an effective critique of the supremacist claims of past imperialist projects of knowledge production and epistemic domination as precursors of the contemporary globalized Western hegemony.

Being both the first colony and a Home Country within the British Empire, and an active participant in the global ‘civilising mission’ of the Catholic Church, Irish history encompasses both the construction of whiteness and the struggle of the subaltern, positioning ‘Irishness’ as both perpetrator and victim. These contested narratives will be used to explore how the global context interlinks with, and impacts on, the local context. 

A critical review of master narratives of white thought and practices compared to subjugated epistemologies will be co-created through an in-depth historical exploration of the metaphor of the ideal normative human body.  Historical understandings of the normative body in the formation of performative, socially constructed identities, and attempts to decolonize and decisnormatize this history will be used to explore issues such as gender, race, and disability both in their historical context and contemporary theorizing. This will facilitate a cross-cultural and temporal engagement with the topics and allow learners to engage with an understanding of diversity beyond the purely human.

1. Analyse the historical claims of imperialist projects of knowledge production and epistemic domination in the development of the contemporary globalized Western hegemony in order to identify critical issues for EDI.

2. Demonstrate critical thinking and the capacity to make informed decisions and improve EDI practice through critical analysis and reflection on the historical origins of their own and other’s identity formation, prejudices, and contexts.

3. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge and understanding of the concepts which underpin the theory and practice of equality, diversity, and inclusion in order to achieve evidence-based EDI outcomes.

4. Develop an effective critique of the various ideologies of supremacy, showing the urgent need for decolonization and decisnormatization.

5. Demonstrate creative and imaginative competencies in achieving EDI transformations through the design and co-creation of activities to survey and assess the impact of the ideologies of the past on current social inequalities,