We hope others find this a useful way to think about DEI in knowledge production and global development. This is not the final word on DEI for Busara. It is simply a step to reflect that we—just like many others—recognize that DEI is not an indicator or a finish line: it is a constantly evolving process of refining beliefs, sharpening practice, acknowledging emotion, and continuing to ask questions. Ahmed is right when she says that ‘if diversity is to remain a question, it cannot be solved.’ This is because, as Sengeh argues, ‘we must always be working toward a more just society by identifying new areas of exclusion.’ There is no finite answer.

Discussions about knowledge creation and diverse perspectives can come across as if comparing apples and oranges: they are often about establishing that one type of knowledge is different from another. Our philosophy starts from the belief that highlighting difference first makes the conversation less open. If we take it as a given that the difference between the oranges is a marketing tool to elevate the international juice above the local (creating a sense of difference that maintains a hierarchy), what, then, would that mean for how we think about knowledge creation in applied research in global development?