Meaning-Making and the Global DEIB Discourse: A Reflection and a Call to Action

This article intriduces a special issue of the journal LCM devoted to Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB). It critically examines the global discourse surrounding DEIB, positioning it as a dynamic, context-sensitive construct shaped by historical, geopolitical, and institutional forces. Drawing on critical discourse analysis and intersectionality theory, the authors argue that DEIB functions as both a normative ideal and a contested terrain, subject to ideological co-optation, political backlash, and commodification. A critical intorduction to the theme, it foregrounds the conceptual indeterminacy of DEIB— which is argued to be akin to other powerful contemporary constructs, such as that of sustainability—and underscores the need for ethically grounded, historically informed frameworks that resist reductionist or tokenistic applications. Through a transnational lens, the authors explore the divergent interpretations and operationalizations of DEIB across sectors, highlighting tensions between inclusion and market logics, representation and performativity, and integration versus assimilation. The issue’s contributions, spanning corporate communication, STEM education, LGBTQIA+ representation, paternity leave, and AI ethics, are presented as discursive interventions that illuminate the polyphonic and intersectional nature of DEIB. Ultimately, the editorial calls for a critical, praxis-oriented engagement with DEIB that fosters structural transformation, epistemic justice, and sustainable belonging in increasingly polarized and algorithmically mediated societies.