The theory that cultural diversity is a necessary part of societal growth continues to expand and take on momentum in most parts of the world. This theory asserts that every culture has its own unique traits that should be accepted as valued, if not appreciated. When this idea is applied to books, it exists in a term called “bibliodiversity.”
Bibliodiversity interconnects stories, writing styles, and publishing types into a web of diverse literature that mixes eco-social factors in ways that are intended to be balanced showcases of diverse cultures. But since it’s a relatively new field of scholarly literature, it’s a concept that requires greater understanding in the framework of academic excellence.
What is Bibliodiversity?
Diversifying academic content on national and international wavelengths is the intent behind bibliodiversity. This is an important concept in order for research on as many contents and topic levels to be compiled and preserved. Scholars who approach research through various methodologies and epistemologies should have access to all of this content in order to analyze, synthesize, and support or dispute the information set forth, as has been the way of academics for millennia. But when a society’s texts are predominantly singular or vaguely multicultured in nature, it makes it difficult for a diffuse evaluation and comparison of cultures that are different, lesser-known, or lesser understood.
In order for this research to be better supported, many challenges must be overcome on both the societal and academic landscapes.
The Challenges of Creating a Bibliodiverse World
Research results through traditional avenues only allow a specialized, limited audience to access the content. For bibliodiversity to thrive and become the norm, the importance, intent, and accessibility need to be disseminated to a wide, unlimited audience. But diversity itself is a highly contested, hot-button topic, and getting nations to agree on what qualifies as relevant research that could be of benefit to society is not always a black and white discussion and compromise.
National infrastructures must be put in place to establish avenues and frameworks in which culturally relevant research is published, preserved, archived, and accessible to everyone in equal measures. This requires researchers to step up their process of finding diverse content to assess, evaluate, and publish, and it also means that funders must be on board with opening their resource allocations to ideas and ideologies that they may not be comfortable with at first.
Just as importantly, countries must create guidelines and frameworks of inter collaboration in order to share their rich cultural identities with each other for better appreciation, recognition, and understanding of them. In this collaborative relationship, libraries can build their collections to include more diverse titles. Publishers are also integral to this bibliodiversity as they choose which academic books will be released and should take into account which books will help encourage plurality in society and research, continue to preserve cultures and languages, particularly those which are in the minorities, and demonstrate and disseminate new knowledge when it becomes available.
The crucial components of bibliodiversity begin with the writers and producers of the content. Through them, this field can grow and thrive as a common, accepted, and even normal practice of academia. Publishers are part of this integrated web and electronic publishing avenues are working hard today to ensure diversity is promoted in ratio with the production of their content. When culturally diverse content is available to any audience interested in reading it, an understanding of the theories behind bibliodiversity begins to take hold in families, and ultimately, societies, around the world.
Impactio Can Help Your Work Enhance Bibliodiversity
If you have research content that can make an impact on a diverse level, it needs to be in the hands of as wide an audience as possible. Without the right program to help simplify things for you, this can take longer to put together. But simplifying processes for academics is why Impactio was designed, and it’s why so many experts around the world choose this program to handle their research content needs.