Celebrating Diversity
How to enjoy, respect and benefit from Great Coloured Britain
By
Atul K. Shah
Published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd in paperback original
at £7.99
Britain has huge strength in its diversity:
- Between 1991 and 2001, Britain’s ethnic minority population grew by 48% from 3.1 million to 4.6 million.
- By 2011, only 20% of the UK workforce will comprise of white able-bodied men aged under 45 (the remainder will be women, ethnic minorities and disabled people).
Change is happening everywhere. But there are also blocks of resistance created by ignorance, mistrust and fear. To surmount these requires courage and sensitivity. In his brilliant new book, Celebrating Diversity, Dr Atul Shah provides the tools we need to develop those qualities.
Packed full with powerful insights and real life examples on cultivating an open mind, Celebrating Diversity provides practical ideas and tips for embracing diversity and enjoying the process. It is an invaluable resource for employees, parents, teachers, recruiters, neighbours and diversity managers, covering differences relating to faith, ethnicity, disability, sexuality and age.
Dr Shah draws on 25 years of personal experience of living in numerous parts of Britain as an ethnic minority, working for various institutions and charities and applying the academic rigour of a social scientist to demonstrate how to practice diversity and change perspectives which may have been determined by socio-cultural conditioning. Celebrating Diversity is an honest and practical account of one person’s life mission to adapt and integrate, which will open minds and hearts to the huge benefits of living in diverse Britain today. Dr Shah references his own culture and religion (Jainism) and draws on other ancient cultures and philosophies, which have stood the test of time to demonstrate the entire ecosystem as diverse and all living beings as being worthy of equal respect.
Chapters on open-mindedness, good neighbourliness, religion, the workplace and portrayals of diversity in the media all show how we can build bridges and be sensitive to the needs of others. Learn how we can respect one another in spite of differences and how we can effectively cultivate and nourish open-mindedness.
Celebrating Diversity covers legal rights, obligations and responsibilities, the ethics and values of diverse living, cultivating diverse communities, dealing with difference in areas of faith and ethnicity. The book exposes our own prejudices, fears, barriers and limitations in learning from and respecting others whilst drawing on the timeless pluralist traditions of India, where bio-diversity and respect for all living beings is an integral part of human survival and existence.
Learn:
- How to break habits and mindsets
- How to understand others
- How to be proactive, not reactive, about diversity
- How to avoid cultural conflict in the workplace
- Creative methods to build teamwork and cohesion in organisations.
Dr. Atul Keshavji Shah was born in Mombasa, Kenya, by parents of Indian origin. He was a minority in Africa and came to Britain at the age of 18 to become a minority here to study at the London School of Economics, where he obtained a BSc, MSc and PhD. He has taught at the Universities of Bristol, Essex and Maryland (USA). He is the founding editor of the distinguished Jain Spirit International magazine and has transformed global awareness and perception of the Jain culture. Atul is a regular broadcaster on BBC Radio 4, BBC World Service and BBC Asian Network and helped launch the BBC website on Jainism. Atul was short-listed for the UK Asian Achievers Media Award in 2005. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts. Presently he is founder and Chief Executive of Diverse Ethics Ltd, a media and consulting social enterprise (http://www.diverseethics.com/).
Atul K Shah is available for interview and to talk further about any of the issues raised in the book.
For further information, to receive a review copy of Celebrating Diversity,
or to arrange an interview, please contact Rebecca Law on 0791 915 8892
or 020 8505 5060, or email
More information is available at:
“Positive and Practical – A must-read book for all those who seek peace and harmony and value difference”
- Lynne Sedgmore, CBE, Centre for Excellence in Leadership
“An ideal corporate gift for employees, customers and suppliers”
- Satish Kanabar
Celebrating Diversity is published by Kevin Mayhew Ltd as paperback original at £7.99.
ISBN: 978-1-84417-823-0