Call for abstracts: 14th Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference (MDICAC) 2025
We are delighted to invite abstract submissions for the 14th Making Diversity Interventions Count Annual Conference 2025 (MDICAC).
The conference will take place on Wednesday 21 May 2025 from 09:00 to 17:00 BST at the University of Bradford, Richmond Road, BD7 1DP, West Yorkshire, United Kingdom.
Key dates for submission of abstracts
- Call for abstracts opens: Thursday 19 December 2024
- Abstract submission closes: Monday 31 March 2025
- MDICAC Conference: Wednesday 21 May 2025
Conference Themes
All abstracts should fall under the broad theme “Making Diversity Interventions Count”.
You will be required to select a related theme when you are submitting online.
The assessment of your abstract will not be affected by the thematic area(s) you select.
Please try to align your abstract to one or more of the thematic areas.
Thematic areas
After enjoying a massive boom in the wake of COVID-19 and the Black Lives Matter movement, the overwhelming support for EDI is suddenly dwindling. Many have attributed this decline to a variety of factors, such as the rise in the notion of ‘woke' culture and anti-wokery sentiments, political extremism, the cost-of-living crises, alongside the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
All these factors have led to a deeply polarised world with a severe undermining of EDI work, with powerful political leaders, business figures and social media influencers insinuating that EDI has lost its relevance. This dangerous rhetoric has led to a severe backlash resulting in organisations either scrapping units or cutting down investments in EDI activities. Experts believe that we have entered a new phase of the fight for the soul of EDI with the world in turmoil.
This moment of crises in the EDI arena presents a rare opportunity for leaders, policy makers, allies, and practitioners to reassess EDI strategies in the wake of the rising backlash.
We also want to use the opportunity of this conference to continue the conversation on the value of arts and culture to promoting peace and social inclusion as Bradford hosts the UK City of Culture festivals in 2025.
We invite abstracts that demonstrate the real and tangible value of EDI work, and how current 'anti-wokery' sentiments threaten social justice and inclusion. Abstracts may focus on the above description including the following thematic areas.
The value of EDI: preserving EDI in times of turbulence
Abstracts seeking to find innovative ways to overcome the current backlash against EDI. This may include and not restricted to:
- Navigating a world on the brink: fighting for the soul of EDI in times of financial crises.
- Reframing EDI initiatives at times of turbulence.
- New and contemporary approaches to sustaining the value of diversity.
- Looking beyond the business case for diversity.
Embracing difference: Moving beyond minimisation and polarisation
Abstracts are invited covering the following areas:
- Embracing difference.
- Social cohesion.
- Creating inclusive cultures.
- Interacting across cultural differences and commonalities.
Wokery: creating the evidence, narratives, and counter-narratives
Abstract are invited exploring different arguments and counter arguments of ‘wokery’ culture.
- What is ‘wokery’ and why is it a divisive concept?
- Narratives and counterarguments of ‘wokery’.
- The balance of Power: who controls the narratives?
- The recent race riots in the UK: causes and implications.
Inclusion through Arts and Culture: Capitalising on the economic and social benefits
Abstract may relate to the following:
- Arts as a medium for social justice.
- Culture and community cohesion.
- Determining the economic value of cultural investments: why is this relevant to inclusion and social justice?
- The Bradford City of Culture Festivals: Possible benefits and downsides.
Abstract submission guidelines
All proposals are to be submitted electronically via the Abstract Submission Form on or before Monday 31 March 2025 at midnight. Your abstract text should be no more than the specified word limit depending on your presentation format (please see formats and word limits). Applicant can submit a maximum of two abstracts to be considered for one oral presentation and one poster.
All submissions should fall under the following Categories:
Research: These are in the form of summary of an original research work involving the collection and analysis of primary data or knowledge reviews. Proposals which data collection and analysis have been completed at the time of submission will be prioritized. If for any reason the data collection and analysis have not been completed, there must be a compelling case that this would have been done before the date of the conference. You must complete all the compulsory fields in the abstract submission form.
Research abstracts should include the following items:
- Rationale and aims/objectives.
- Methods, such as experiment, systematic review, survey, interview study, observational study
- Findings/results
- Conclusions and recommendations
Knowledge in practice: Knowledge in practice abstracts present a summary of projects conducted in academic or non-academic sectors. This can include a summary of an EDI initiative implemented and evaluated for effectiveness, best practice, and the results of a pilot non-academic research related activity. Abstracts must contain the critical elements of the project such as clear aims and objectives, results, description of the processes used in the projects and benefits of the project. All knowledge in practice abstracts must be completed at the time of submission and related to at least one of the thematic areas.
Notification: Applicants will be notified via email if their abstracts have been accepted for presentation.
Presentation formats
The following presentation formats are available for this conference.
- Parallel sessions
- Symposia
- Workshops
- Panel discussions
- Poster
Parallel Sessions
These sessions run concurrently, and last 25 minutes (abstract should be approx. 350 words). Each presenter is allowed 20 minutes to present followed by 5 minutes for questions and discussion.
The emphasis should be on exploring emerging issues and solutions relating to the subject rather than simple descriptions.
Workshops
These are 60 minutes interactive sessions in which the leader(s) engages the attendees in a manner designed to improve their understanding and knowledge of a particular area. Workshop presenters are expected to be professionals in their field.
Abstracts should be approximately 1,000 words and should clearly specify the focus of the workshop and method(s) that will be used to engage the participants.
Panel discussion or debates
This involves a panel of 3 - 4 discussants addressing a relevant issue related to one of the thematic areas. This session will last for 60 minutes, including at least 20 minutes for audience engagement. Depending on the day’s events, this can either be schedule during plenary or concurrent sessions.
Abstract for panel discussion should be approximately 350 words long with clear title, objectives, rationale and summary.
Symposia
This consists of between three and four papers from different authors with a shared theme. Each symposium will last for 60 minutes. Presenters wishing to take part in a symposium are asked to appoint a symposium leader and to submit a single abstract of approximately 350 words. Please note that the symposium chair need not be the symposium leader or a presenter.
Each paper detailed in the symposium abstract must meet the criteria for abstract selection.
Posters
This is an interactive medium consisting of a visual display of materials. Abstracts should be approximately 350 words. Posters should be self-explanatory and have a significant graphic component, not just text. Accepted posters will be on display prior to the opening of the conference and throughout the day.
Presenters are expected to be in attendance and available to discuss their work with conference delegates during coffee/tea and lunch breaks. All posters should be A1 Landscape (594 x 841 mm - 23.4 x 33.1 in). You can also submit an electronic poster to be displayed on one of our screens on the conference day.
Please ensure we receive your printed and electronic posters at least three days before the conference.
Acceptance criteria
Each abstract will be reviewed for acceptance against the following key criteria:
- Relevance to any of the aforementioned themes
- Clarity and coherence of the proposal
- Demonstrable use of emerging research/discourses on diversity interventions
- Contribution to knowledge and reflection on equality, diversity and inclusion
Your abstract must include paper title; presenter(s) name(s), affiliate organisation and contact details; overall aim of paper; maximum of three references included in text. Note that you may be asked to present in a format other than your preferred method. Presentation formats are not negotiable once the conference programme has been confirmed.
If you do not want to submit an abstract but would like to attend the conference, please save the date, and email [email protected] with ‘MDICAC 2025’ as the subject.
You can also visit the conference pages for further information.