Focus: Global Affirmative Action
UC Berkeley School of Law
April 3-6, 2013
About:
This June the U.S. Supreme Court will issue the latest in a long line of decisions determining the legitimacy of affirmative action. Many fear that it will end affirmative action admission programs for public colleges and universities, which are presently justified only as a means of promoting diversity in the academy. But diversity is not the only justification offered for affirmative action, either in the U.S. or in other parts of the world. U.S. law also permits affirmative action for remedial purposes (with limitations). In Brazil, it is justified as compensatory. In South Africa, it is permitted as long as it is not “unfair discrimination.” In India it is permitted to correct historical discrimination. In Australia, it is permitted to promote substantive equality. In parts of Europe, it is used to correct imbalances and to promote equality (and to promote diversity). This panel, featuring six members of the Berkeley Comparative Anti-Discrimination Law Virtual Study Group, from the United States, Europe, and Australia, will discuss global affirmative action law.
Presenters:
Gareth Davies,Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
Ian Haney-López, Berkeley Law
Alvaro Oliveira, Equal Treatment Legislation Unit, European Commission
David Oppenheimer, Berkeley Law
John Powell, Berkeley Law & Haas Institute for a Fair & Inclusive Society
Belinda Smith, The University of Sydney School of Law
A Special Thanks to our Sponsors:
EU Center of Excellence, UC Berkeley
Berkeley Anti-Discrimination Law Virtual Study Group
Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice, Berkeley Law
Haas Institute for a Fair and Inclusive Society, UC Berkeley
Miller Institute for Global Challenges and Law