Thought Series First Edition — 2. What is Social Inclusion?

“Leave no one behind.”

The webinar started with Dr. Sujata’s brief introduction about social inclusion, referencing former Secretary General Ban Ki Moon’s quote of “Leave no one behind,” asking if it is enough to define social inclusion. The stage was given to Dr. Kristie Drucza, who discussed the theory of social inclusion and touched upon how it is so individual that makes it challenging to talk about considering different identities, cultures, etc. Social inclusion is defined differently in the academic literature and also defined in different contexts. Dr. Drucza highlighted that there are different levels of social exclusion and there are different vectors of social inclusion. She explained emotional level and social inclusion’s interactions and relations with power by different divisions (e.g., among individuals and states). While there can be privileged and underprivileged groups, within these groups there can also be different levels of exclusion. She then mentioned different aspects of social exclusion, using examples of identities such as languages that people speak and religion they believe, illustrating how it can be difficult for an excluded group to negotiate or lobby, and stating the different divisions of the relation between social exclusion and power. Dr. Drucza also touched upon the complexity of social exclusion and individual aspects of social inclusion, explaining the need for different solutions such as an intersectional approach. She gave some examples of the exclusion of disabled and how there are different needs, such as but not limited to emotional inclusion, that needs to be taken into account when it comes to social inclusion. Moreover, she also clarified the relationship between social exclusion and discrimination, stating that social exclusion is denial of full personhood and citizenship on the basis of a person’s identity.

Sisay Mammo took the stage with the disability approach, indicating the importance of knowledge when applying social inclusive policies. According to Sisay, social inclusion is both a process and an outcome. He said for social inclusion, decision is a part of social inclusion, but there is a need to have knowledge. He explained how to do it and gave out some examples. Decision-making can be an outcome. It is one thing for Ethiopia to have ratified the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, it is another to implement it. Then Sisay outlined four kinds of barrier for persons with disabled disabilities in accessing knowledge and resources. First are environmental barriers, which are exclusionary in respect to different body functions and limitations. Second as he reminded the regulations for access to information is designed for not disabled people. Third are barriers of pricing, and last are barriers of knowledge, with reference to the beginning of his speech. Sisay also explained how discrimination can be intersectional, as shown by the example gender differences in outcomes for persons with disabilities.

Finally, Irene Mutambo drew on the experience of different approaches to ethnicity inclusion and exclusion. She mentioned social inclusion as a process. She also mentioned the decision makers’ power issue, highlighting different barriers and different challenges in different regions and different groups in Uganda. Irene followed this by more deeply examining the Ugandan case, giving fundamental information about the country on these issues. She spelled out the relationship between conflicts/ insurgencies and difficulties with accessing services for basic needs, especially health and education. She also mentioned that the existing political will in Uganda doesn’t allow for social inclusion. Moreover, she gave out a case of exclusion by highlighting what happened in the Karamoja region. She also gave a recent case example of the COVID-19 response in Uganda. Ethnicity inclusion is a big issue in Uganda. As indicated in her analysis, corruption and tribalism are eroding social cohesion, leading to many examples of discrimination, service delivery, and excessive use of power by law enforcers. Irene finished her speech with how challenging the issue of social inclusion is.

The main goal of this webinar is to discuss the complexity of social exclusion issues, trying to determine the different aspects, intersectionality, and individuality of the subject. Furthermore, this webinar also allowed us to see different approaches and how social inclusion can be differentiated according to the type of exclusion experienced, such as along the lines of gender, disability, ethnicity, etc.

Thank you (in no particular order) Liya, Eunice, Rebecca, Kanika, Deniz, Yeabtsega for organising the session in all!

Includovate is a feminist research incubator that “walks the talk”. Includovate is an Australian social enterprise consisting of a consulting firm and research incubator that designs solutions for gender equality and social inclusion. Its mission is to incubate transformative and inclusive solutions for measuring, studying, and changing discriminatory norms that lead to poverty, inequality, and injustice. To know more about us at Includovate, follow our social media: @includovate, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram.