In higher education and research, and in certain disciplines such as the humanities and social sciences, discrimination has long been a subject of study. These situations are likely to occur in many contexts, particularly in the workplace or at school. For higher education and research establishments, awareness of this type of behavior has increased in recent years, as legal obligations have been strengthened. In addition, as part of their social responsibility, establishments must offer protection to all their users (employees and students); they can also play a role in the fight against discrimination through local partnerships, but also by encouraging the dissemination of knowledge and research results in the region. The recent Public Service Transformation Act of 2019 contributes to this new dynamic.This differs from the private sector, where the introduction of the right to non-discrimination and its corollary in management, diversity management, have led companies to address the issue of discrimination since the early 2000s.
It is against this backdrop that CPED (Conférence permanente des charg-e-s de mission Égalité-Diversité) and the Association Française des Managers de la Diversité (AFMD) have joined forces.with the support of the Défenseur des Droits, the Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation (MESRI), and JuriSup (professional network of legal affairs managers in higher education, research and innovation) to produce this kit for all those who wish or need to take up this subject as staff, students or partners of a school or university in order to work together to prevent discrimination in higher education and research.