Institutionalizing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLouvain: challenges, resistance, and successes
(2025) Why EDI Matters: Equ(al)ity, Diversity and Inclusion in European Universities — ISBN: [978-88-6938-482-0], p. 376, published
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- In October 2023, the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Belgium embarked on a historic initiative: a week-long event inviting the entire university community to reflect on, share, and articulate their expectations and aspirations regarding Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI). Organized with the support of the university’s then-rector and led by two internal advisors, this event, referred to as the États Généraux sur l’Equité, la Diversité et l’Inclusion, was both a celebration and a critical moment of engagement. Over 1,200 participations in various sessions allowed experiences of discrimination to be voiced, critiques shared, and calls for change articulated. The event generated more than one hundred concrete proposals coming from the workshops’ attendees. A key outcome was the call to move beyond conversations and commit to the institutionalization of EDI efforts. In response, the university initiated the development of a comprehensive gender and diversity plan which came in addition to an already existing plan to combat sexist and sexual violence at the institution . An EDI Bureau and a Prorector for EDI were established. These steps marked an important shift from informal discussions to structural commitments towards inclusion. Eighteen months later, as we write this chapter, the momentum generated by the États Généraux has evolved. While some of the initial energy has naturally settled, important steps have been taken — including the establishment of dedicated EDI structures, a vote on a Gender Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Plan, and the development of an initial framework of five priorities . Nevertheless, the process of deeper institutionalization is still underway with some important challenges still to be addressed. This chapter explores the challenges of institutionalizing an EDI policy, drawing on our situated experiences as insiders who have been directly involved in identifying enablers – those conditions, actions, or attitudes that have helped move the process forward – and navigating the obstacles that arise in this process. We trace the evolution of EDI at the university from its roots in an established gender policy and semi-informal conversations at the Etats Généraux to more structured and coordinated actions. Our analysis is grounded in a multilevel framework inspired by Eduardo Bonilla-Silva’s work, which allows us to examine resistance and inertia at the individual, organizational, and ideological levels. Through this lens, we highlight both the barriers encountered and the strategies employed to address them, offering insights into the complexities of embedding EDI within academic institutions. Our approach is explicitly reflexive and auto-ethnographic. As scholars, institutional actors and activists from within, the chapter co-authors have each played different roles in the development of EDI at UCLouvain. We also draw on our experience in inter-university working groups from UCLouvain’s alliances, such as the Circle U Gender Balance Taskforce and The Guild’s Gender and Diversity Work Group. This chapter does not claim to offer an exhaustive or objective account. Rather, it reflects our lived experiences and the tensions we have encountered in contributing to institutionalize EDI. We acknowledge that our efforts have been imperfect and that the process itself is ongoing, shaped by negotiation, compromise, and learning. By foregrounding our positionality, we aim to contribute to a broader understanding of how EDI policies are shaped not only by formal structures, but also by the everyday practices, constraints, and commitments of those working to implement them. Additionally, our experiences are by no means unique to our institution but reflect systemic challenges that affect universities more broadly. In fact, in countless conversations with EDI colleagues from other institutions across Europe and North America, our counterparts have shared very similar experiences. Being part of this wider effort one can only observe the structural nature of what may initially appear to be personal or isolated, and thus, the relevance of this chapter extends well beyond our own institutional context.
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Sander, A., Degavre, F., & Ikulu, M. (2025). Institutionalizing Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at UCLouvain: challenges, resistance, and successes. In Wahlström Henriksson, Helena Oboe, Annalisa Sokolová, Věra (ed.), Why EDI Matters: Equ(al)ity, Diversity and Inclusion in European Universities (Upsala University, p. p. 376). Wahlström Henriksson, H., Oboe, A., & Sokolová, V. https://doi.org/10.25430/pupb-2025-9788869384820