Forgetting culturally diverse equity groups in Australian doctoral policy: what happens when population parity is reached?

Abstract

Population parity figures keep governments and universities accountable in ensuring that equity groups have access to higher education. However, what happens once population parity is reached? This paper explores Australian doctoral education policy on culturally and linguistically diverse (transcultural) domestic candidates. Using Foucauldian discourse analysis, we suggest that an overwhelming focus on counting avoids addressing vital epistemological questions about the diverse knowledge transcultural candidates bring to Australian research. We highlight the ways doctoral policies do not capture the significant diversities within transcultural communities. We recommend the use of Nancy Fraser’s concept of participatory parity instead of population parity in government policy as a way of incorporating three elements of social justice–redistribution, recognition and representation. Focusing on the element of recognition, we extend Fraser’s notion of cultural recognition to include valuing diverse cultural knowledge systems which might create the conditions for epistemic justice in Australian doctoral education policy.