British Society for Eighteenth-Century Studies

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Policy 

 

BSECS is committed to promoting EDI, access and good conduct in all of its activities. The Society will regularly review the EDI policy in pursuit of this goal and publish any amendments and changes accordingly. This policy sets out how the Society understands EDI and proposes strategies for embedding EDI at the heart of our daily practice. It also indicates who is responsible for overseeing the adoption of these strategies, and the standards that we seek to uphold.

 

1: Scope of the Policy

For the purposes of this policy, EDI is understood as a commitment to fostering an inclusive culture that promotes equality, values diversity and maintains a working, learning and social environment in which the rights and dignity of all its members are respected. It also ensures that everyone is treated fairly, by removing barriers to resources and opportunities that some groups in society face. BSECS recognises that the broad range of experiences that a diverse membership brings strengthens our research, scholarship and public education strategies. For BSECS to remain a positive influence in our field, both nationally and internationally, we must continue to provide a diverse, inclusive, fair and open environment that allows everyone to grow and flourish.

This policy applies to members, including Officers of the Society. It also applies to any non-members participating in BSECS activities. It also indicates those members responsible for reporting on ensuring that we, as a Society, responding to and reporting on incidents.

 

2: Roles and Responsibilities

2a. Responsibilities for all members of the BSECS Executive Committee:

• To publish and review at regular intervals the policies on EDI, including bullying and harassment, safeguarding and good conduct at BSECS activities.
• To communicate annually to all members of BSECS any changes or updates to the policies on EDI.

2b. Responsibilities for all members of the BSECS Council:

• Approve and review the EDI policy annually.
• Abide by the Society’s constitution and any policies, codes of conduct, with a particular focus on access and inclusion, safeguarding and communication as well as the terms and conditions that the Society may adopt from time to time (together with the conference Terms and Conditions).
• To be proactive and receptive to BSECS members’ feedback on EDI practice, policies and experiences (as recorded, for instance, at the BSECS conference Listening Event and AGM)
• To read and follow the BSECS Guidance on Accessible Presentations at conferences and, if Chairing panels, to remind participants of those guidelines. These guidelines are circulated to all delegates prior to the conference.

2c. Responsibilities for Inclusion and Access Rep/s:

• To keep up to date with developments in the field of EDI and propose updates and propose any revisions to existing conference presentation guidelines.
• To attend BSECS Committee meetings
• To take a lead in responding to and reporting on incidents. These should be reported to the President and/or the Executive Committee where appropriate.
• To help to facilitate the conference mentoring scheme.
• To report on Inclusion and Access activity to the BSECS Council and make recommendations as appropriate.
• To support the organisers of the January and PGR/ECR conference to ensure Access and Inclusion at the conference venue.
• To facilitate and report on the Conference Listening Event and to upload the minutes and feedback to the Membership Voice tab on the website.
• To be a point of contact for members who have inclusion and/or access questions or concerns.

2d. Responsibilities for all BSECS members and non-members participating in BSECS activities:

• To familiarise themselves with the EDI policy and adhere to and engage with the guidance in said policy.
• To help to foster a collaborative, respectful and safe environment at all BSECS activities.
• To raise any concerns to the Access and Inclusion rep/s.

 

3: Working Definitions

Language is fluid and definitions change. The following are the working definitions for all BSECS activities. They will be reviewed and updated at regular intervals, and additional definitions will be added when appropriate. To ensure that these definitions comply with best practice in the UK, appropriate website links have been provided below. However, these definitions and the policy, like our ethos, are intended to facilitate and enhance a constructive, courageous, and respectful dialogue in which all members can participate.

3a. EDI:

EDI stands for equality, diversity and inclusion. The following definition of each of these terms have been taken from the Equality and Diversity Unit at the University of Oxford:

Equality – is about ensuring that everyone has the same opportunities, and no-one is treated differently or discriminated against because of their personal characteristics. These are known as ‘protected characteristics’ under the Equality Act 2010. The nine protected characteristics are: age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation. You may also have come across the term ‘equity’, which is about ensuring that everyone is treated fairly, by removing barriers to resources or opportunities that some groups in society face. BSECS will be operating with both Equality and Equity in mind when carrying out all the work that we do, including assessing proposals for the annual BSECS conference.

Diversity – is about recognising, valuing and taking account of people’s different backgrounds, knowledge, skills, and experiences.

Inclusion – recognises that differences between people are beneficial to fostering an environment where people feel comfortable to share perspectives and beliefs, knowing that these are valued.

3b. Safeguarding:

The following definition has been taken from the UK Government website on Safeguarding:

Safeguarding is the protection of a person’s health, wellbeing, and human rights. It also refers to the process of enabling people to live free from abuse, harm, and neglect. Safeguarding is a collective responsibility that involves people and organisations working together to prevent and stop abuse or neglect. It’s also about responding to harm and promoting the welfare of those at risk. All charities have a responsibility to ensure they do not cause harm to anyone who has contact with them.

3c. Bullying:

The following definition has been taken from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service:

Bullying includes: offensive, intimidating, malicious, or insulting behaviour; abuse of authority which violates the dignity of an individual or a group of people; creating a hostile environment against an individual; the undermining, humiliation or injury of an individual.  The bullying does not need to relate to a protected characteristic but unless it does, or is of a sexual nature, it is not prohibited by the Equality Act 2010 (or, in Northern Ireland, under various pieces of equality legislation addressing a protected characteristic).

3d. Harassment:

The following definition has been adapted from the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service:

Harassment is defined as unwanted conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating the dignity of people or of creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive environment. To be protected under the Equality Act, it must be related to gender reassignment, disability, age, sex (or be of a sexual nature), sexual orientation, race, religion or belief (and in Northern Ireland political opinion) or nationality. It may be an isolated incident or come up again and again. Harassment includes bullying if it relates to one of the protected characteristics listed above. A key factor in determining whether harassment has occurred is whether the actions or comments are viewed as demeaning and unacceptable to the recipient. A few examples of bullying/harassment could include: making offensive or intimidating comments; withholding information so the activities cannot be done properly; overbearing supervision or unjust criticism; blocking opportunities or making threats about status within the society.

 

3e. Gender, Sex and Gender Identity:

The following definitions have been adapted from the World Health Organisation:

Gender – the characteristics of women, men and other genders across the spectrum that are socially constructed norms, behaviours and roles. Gender interacts with but is different from sex.

Sex – the different biological characteristics of females, males and intersex persons, such as chromosomes, hormones and reproductive organs. Gender and sex are related to but different from gender identity.

Gender Identity – a person’s internal and individual experience of gender, which may or may not correspond to the person’s physiology or designated sex at birth. At BSECS, we respect everyone’s self-identified gender identity.