Intersectionality, diversity, community and inclusion: untangling the knots

An analysis was conducted of contemporary notions of inclusion and their provenance in developing thought about difference in education, with a particular focus on the role of community in promoting and enabling inclusion. Being informed by (i) an international group of advisers, and (ii) a national group of informants and commentators, a review was conducted of the theoretical and practical analysis of the issue. Conclusions were drawn about consequences deriving from intersectional thought about inclusion, which suggest that more attention should be paid, especially in a world of increasing diversity and ‘superdiversity’, to the kinds of groupings encouraged and facilitated by schools. A framing device is advanced for explicating kinds of community in schools, which draws on a range of theorists and particularly on the distinction between bonding and bridging made by Robert Putnam. An analysis of bridging proffers a range of means for brokering and cultivating groupings in schools and between schools and the communities in their localities.