The trends towards post‐inclusion: Another post‐truth or an emerging reality?

Abstract

Some may consider it to be an over-reach, but if we are now living in a post-truth world, as has been so often suggested in 2016 – indeed, ‘post truth’ is the Oxford Dictionaries’ word of 2016 - it is hard to believe that we got to this point given all the warning signs. All humans have core needs for belonging. Although it is acknowledged that across the globe, and throughout history, we have tended to feel more secure around people ‘like us’, there are increasing signs that as a general public we feel more confident to exclude (or not include) ‘others’ in our society. Shifts in government policy and the dominant discourse surrounding asylum seekers and people of Muslim faith are perhaps the clearest examples or recent warning signs of such ‘othering’. Less obvious developments include the public outrage and subsequent withdrawal of the ‘Safe Schools Program’ – a program designed to promote the inclusion and safety of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and inter-sex students in Australia, and the findings of the recent (Australian) Senate Inquiry into the inclusion and educational outcomes of students with disabilities. It is therefore argued that greater consciousness-raising, advocacy, and action is required if we are to redress this emerging trend, and ultimately, avoid finding ourselves in an era of ‘post-inclusion’.