This chapter argues that to explore the politics of equality and diversity demands an interrelated approach bringing together history, society, and biography. It is therefore organized around four interconnected themes with the dominant first theme of history, society, and biography which interrelates horizontally and vertically with the remaining three themes: colonial history, voluntarism and regulation, and diversity careers. By engaging critically with the politics of diversity and arguing for the interrelationship of the above themes and the importance of emancipatory principles to guide diversity research, the chapter also seeks to understand the politics that shape our own milieu as academics concerned with social justice as well as the public issues of equality and diversity. In doing so, it seeks to widen the parameters within which diversity is often written and discussed.