Praveen Sewgobind ArtEZ inclusion and diversity project leader
In Praveen Sewgobind, ArtEZ University of the Arts has found an inspiring and critical inclusion and diversity project leader who will be responsible for the overall implementation of the inclusion and diversity initiatives at ArtEZ. By linking them together, elaborating on them and deepening them, ArtEZ hopes to further explore these themes and embed them within the culture and structure of the university. Sewgobind will take up her post at ArtEZ on 1 November.
Sewgobind is a cultural scientist with a background in social activism and has previously worked at the Design Academy in Eindhoven as Research Professor of Diversity & Inclusivity and as a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis.
ArtEZ is working on the themes of diversity and inclusion on several fronts, including the Studium programme ‘diversity for what’, but also by remaining self-critical and by examining the learning and working environment. ArtEZ students interpret the themes in different ways and regularly question the organisation about the status quo. With Sewgobind’s appointment, the Executive Board is convinced that it has the knowledge, experience, vision and skills it needs to link the initiatives together, organise the dialogue and take the themes within ArtEZ to the next level.
Sewgobind: “I am Hindustani-Surinamese and have been on a long journey to shape my own diverse identities and find a place for them. That process never ends, and because of my cultural connections to South Asia, the Caribbean, and Europe, I feel empowered to foster a philosophy and practice of cultural diversity in my social environment."
The pursuit of greater inclusion and diversity needs to be tailored to the specific situation and cannot be imposed, but must be thought through, experienced, and lived. In this way, by seeing others and understanding backgrounds, we can make organisations and other living environments more socially just.
