Chapter 10: The Problem with Parity in Participation: Representation is Both Culture and Practice¹

This chapter evaluates the usefulness of Nancy Fraser’s (1997) integrated theory of justice, “perspectival dualism,” for addressing inequality in higher education. Terry Lovell (2007) synthesizes a dialogic debate between theories by Fraser (1997), Axel Honneth (1986), Pierre Bourdieu (1984), and Pierre Bourdieu et al. (1999) regarding the complex nature of inequality in politics, institutions, and everyday life. Their debate frames many of the challenges with analyses, critical interrogation, and transformative intervention in academia. The chapter posits that Fraser’s concept, “parity in participation” is a useful theoretical and methodological start when considered in application to the entire organization (Greenwood & Levin, 2007; Smith, 2005) as opposed to delimited to faculty merit and student statuses.