Resilience in the Face of Attacks on DEI Policies

Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad “Woke”?

In recent years, it’s been hard to miss the sensational headlines that regularly appear in the press: from “The Invasion of ‘Woke’ Propaganda” (Valeurs Actuelles) to “The ‘Woke’ Offensive” (Le Figaro), to the characterization of inclusive writing as a “deadly threat” to the French language (L’Académie Française), it’s no surprise that DEI leaders face increasingly strong resistance to the implementation of inclusion policies. 

As yet another manifestation of the attacks facing DEI policies, some French companies were surprised on March 28 to receive a letter from the U.S. Embassy asking them to certify that they do not implement DEI policies in order to continue providing their services. During a workshop on the polarization of discourse organized in late 2023 with our members, we had already seen how accusations of “wokism” tend to silence the fight against discrimination and lead to the systematic dismissal of actions taken within organizations.

During a workshop on the polarization of discourse organized in late 2023 with our members, we had already seen how accusations of wokism tend to silence the fight against discrimination and lead to the systematic dismissal of actions taken within organizations.

“Wokism” as a Scare Tactic

Accusations of wokism are reminiscent of the strategy used to oppose same-sex marriage in 2013: one of the main arguments at the time was the condemnation of “gender theory” as a harmful concept that posed a danger to the social and emotional fabric of society. However, “gender theory” does not exist—in the sense that it is a mistranslation of “gender theory,” which refers to “gender studies,” a field of research on social relations between genders.

Les accusations de wokisme rappellent la stratégie de mobilisation contre le Mariage pour tous en 2013 : un des principaux arguments était alors celui de la dénonciation de la « théorie du genre » comme d’un concept délétère et dangereux pour le tissu social et affectif. Pourtant, la « théorie du genre » n’existe pas, dans le sens où c’est une mauvaise traduction de gender theory, les « études sur le genre », qui est un champ de recherche sur les rapports sociaux entre les genres. 

Thus, we had to fight against a dishonest and fallacious argument, held up as a bogeyman and finding traction only among reactionary movements.

Something similar is happening with “wokism”: while the term’s origin refers to raising awareness (to stay awake) and mobilizing against injustices, it has been portrayed by the French far right as a confrontational and divisive ideology that supposedly serves as the banner for those seeking to combat discrimination and inequality.

So, what does “wokism” actually refer to? How can DEI leaders respond to the argument that “you can’t say anything anymore” or, conversely, manage the behavior of people who insist on speaking their minds without reservation? How can we combat “diversity fatigue”—that weariness that undermines the initiatives we’ve put in place?

On resilience

To avoid succumbing to shock and inaction, Laure Bereni, Research Director at the CNRS and author of the book Le management de la vertu, breaks down the news of recent months for us and reflects on the concept of resilience. The interview took place on March 6, prior to the U.S. Embassy’s letter being sent (French only).

Photo: Faris Mohammed, Unsplash