ABSTRACT
Underlying the ideal of diversity is a fantasy, one that may be considered the emotional driver of the university’s implementation of diversity-oriented policies and initiatives. These policies and initiatives are typically understood to be an important, if not central, part of the university’s mission and are featured prominently in its “vision” of itself in the future. As a Dean at the University of Denver puts it: Diversity is an “imperative” and the university “community” must be “empowered” by its strategic plan “to build a foundation of diversity, equity and inclusive excellence towards becoming a national leader in culture, practices and structures that encourage inclusivity” (McIntosh, 2016). Given the description of diversity as an “imperative” and its close association with emotive terms such as “mission,” “vision,” and “community,” we think it reasonable to treat diversity as a fantasy: a depiction of an imagined world shaped by deeply embedded desires and fears.
