Meanings of Diversity in the Chronicle of Higher Education, 2019–25: A Hermeneutic Text Mining Approach

Abstract

In the past decade, few policies have been politicized in U.S. higher education as much as those meant to encourage diversity among students and professors. DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) policies have become a favourite target among politicians appealing to voters who see them as a symptom of a zero-sum game where people not perceived as “diverse” are valued less than others. This article examines 118 articles about diversity published in the Chronicle of Higher Education between 2019 and 2025. It uses text mining tools (specifically, sentiment, correspondence, and correlation analysis) to map changes in the ways the words related to diversity, in particular DEI and woke, were used. It then employs hermeneutic techniques, drawing on the work of Paul Ricoeur, to interpret the patterns identified through text mining. It shows points of continuity, resulting from the ways speakers respond to past discourse, and change, resulting from the ways they anticipate others’ responses and change their behaviour accordingly. Ultimately, this article documents an evolution in meanings of diversity characterized by growing pessimism in response to national and international politics and conflict.