Selective Inclusion

 Selective Inclusion: The Hidden Contradictions of Modern Publishing

In recent years, the publishing industry has undergone a profound cultural shift. Many of its gatekeepers, from editors to prize committees, have embraced initiatives designed to amplify historically marginalised voices. At face value, this appears commendable. A rich literary culture thrives on diversity of experience and perspective.

However, this well-intentioned movement has produced an unintended consequence: a form of discrimination that is selectively recognised. Prejudice against any immutable characteristic (race, gender, ethnicity)is harmful regardless of who is targeted. When discrimination is tolerated against one demographic, society abandons a core principle of equality.

Among those affected are writers whose identities do not align with the increasingly narrow definition of diversity. Consider, for example, individuals from small indigenous ethnic backgrounds within the modern “white” population. Some of these groups, such as Britons, have experienced historical marginalisation, cultural erasure, and dramatic population reduction. Yet they are often misclassified as part of a monolithic majority and therefore excluded from recognition as minorities. This oversimplification erases nuance, history and heritage.

In many cases, writers belonging to these groups are told, implicitly or explicitly, that their stories are not valuable, relevant, or welcome. Grants, submissions, and promotional initiatives may openly discourage them. The result is a contradiction: a system that promotes inclusion while selectively excluding those who do not fit its preferred narrative.

Publishing should ultimately be concerned with the merit of the work. A compelling story is not contingent upon the author’s demographic traits. When gatekeepers reduce writers to stereotypes, valuable voices are lost, and culture suffers.

To celebrate diversity authentically, we must recognise it in all its forms. Including the subtle, the inconvenient, and the unfashionable. Genuine equality requires consistent principles, not selective application. Only when merit and individuality are prioritised over political optics can the literary world truly reflect the vast complexity of the human experience.