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Handbook of the Sociology of the Military pp 327–339Cite as

Managing Diversity: From Exclusion to Inclusion and Valuing Difference

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Abstract

In this chapter we point out why the management of diversity has become an important issue for armed forces today, as well as the uncomfortable dilemmas and challenges this brings to the force. We examine this with reference to the South African armed forces. This case captures many of the issues armed forces across the world face in terms of the integration of persons from different military, racial, cultural and religious backgrounds. Through this we highlight how issues of diversity are managed, the tensions it evokes as well as the effect on organizational effectiveness. How this affects interactions with other military contingents, the importance of understanding the cultural diversity of host countries and why there is a need to deploy troops who come from diverse backgrounds are deliberated. In closure, the different tensions around issues of exclusion, inclusion, differentiation and assimilation are highlighted.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    African in this context refers to black (Africans), while blacks are the collective term used for coloureds, Indians/Asians and Africans.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Professor Sociology & Social Anthropology, Universiteit Stellenbosch University, 422 Arts & Social Sciences Building, Ryneveld Street, Stellenbosch, 7602, South Africa

    Lindy Heinecken

  2. Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Joseph Soeters

Authors
  1. Lindy Heinecken
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  2. Joseph Soeters
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Correspondence to Lindy Heinecken .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro Interuniversitario di Studi e Ricerche Storico-miitari, Pisa, Italy

    Giuseppe Caforio

  2. Department of Economics and Social Sciences, Mathematics and Statistics (E.So.Ma.S.), State University of Torino Italy, Turin, Italy

    Marina Nuciari

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Heinecken, L., Soeters, J. (2018). Managing Diversity: From Exclusion to Inclusion and Valuing Difference. In: Caforio, G., Nuciari, M. (eds) Handbook of the Sociology of the Military. Handbooks of Sociology and Social Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71602-2_16

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71602-2_16

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  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-71602-2

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