This recorded panel discussion is part of our COVID-19 Disruption, Denudation, and Dawning series.
On June 8, 2020, the GLRC held a recorded panel discussion with co-authors of The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities, Frances Henry, Enakshi Dua, and Carl E. James. Opening remarks were provided by Sheila Cote-Meek, York University Vice-President, Equity, People and Culture. Shirin Shahrokni acted as Discussant. The panel was chaired by GLRC Director Luann Good Gingrich.
Speakers were invited to consider these guiding questions:
- How are deep-rooted dynamics of exclusion and structural violence reinvigorated, made new?
- How do emergency responses by governments, the university, YUFA, and the community differently impact certain individuals and groups, and what do we need to learn from their experiences?
- What opportunities and strategies for transformation, for influencing a more just and compassionate “normal”, are emerging?
We first hosted Frances Henry, Carl E. James, Enakshi Dua, and Shirin Shahrokni on November 13, 2019 for our panel entitled ‘Two Years Later, at York U: Responses to the Equity Myth.’
Dr. Frances Henry, Professor Emerita, is considered to be one of Canada’s leading experts in the study of racism and anti-racism. Since the mid seventies when she published the first study of attitudes towards ‘people of colour’, she has consistently pioneered research in this field. Her most recent book, co-authored with colleagues is The Equity Myth published by UBC press which reports the results of a four year national study of race, racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian universities. Other books include the fourth edition of the Colour of Democracy (Nelson) and Racism in the University: Demanding Social Justice and Inclusion published by the University of Toronto Press. Professor Henry has been a member of the prestigious Royal Society of Canada since 1989.
Dr. Enakshi Dua is Interim Director of the Centre for Feminist Research, and Professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies at York University. Her research covers the historical construction of the categories of nation, race, and gender in Canada; immigration processes; women and health; equity and anti-racism policies; and the racialization of masculinity and femininity, globalization, and biodiversity. Her notable publications include: Scratching the Surface: Canadian Anti-Racist Feminist Thought, The Hindu Woman’s Question, Decolonising Anti-Racism, and Theorizing Anti-Racism: Linkages in Marxism and Critical Race Theories.
Dr. Carl E. James is the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora in the Faculty of Education, York University; and holds cross-appointments in the Graduate Programs in Sociology, Social and Political Thought, and Social Work. He is also the Affirmative Action, Equity & Inclusivity (AAEI) Officer. His research interests include examining issues of access, equity, and inclusion for marginalized and racialized individuals in terms of educational achievements, employment opportunities, and social outcomes. Among James’ publications is the book: The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities which is authored with F. Henry, E. Dua, A. Kobayashi, P. Li, H. Ramos, M.S. Smith (2017).
Dr. Sheila Cote-Meek is Anishinaabe from the Teme-Augama Anishnabai. She joined York University as the inaugural Vice-President, Equity, People and Culture in October 2019. Cote-Meek leads a team that includes Human Rights, Equity and Inclusion, Labour Relations, and Human Resources in order to ensure the development and implementation of a progressive and effective strategy and structure that advances the University’s mission to cultivate an equitable, inclusive, respectful and healthy work environment. Dr. Cote-Meek holds a PhD in Sociology and Equity Studies from the University of Toronto, as well as an MBA and BScN from Laurentian University. Author of Colonized Classrooms – Racism, Trauma and Resistance in Post-Secondary Education (2014) and co-Editor of Decolonizing and Indigenizing Education in Canada (2020) and Critical Reflection and Politics on Advancing Women in the Academy (2020), Sheila remains an active researcher. She has extensive experience working with Indigenous communities regionally, nationally, and internationally on social justice, equity, and education. Dr. Cote-Meek has a strong history of building relationships that provide synergistic opportunities to advance institutions, and she is committed to working toward accessible higher education for all.
Shirin Shahrokni is an Assistant Professor in Sociology at Glendon, York University. Her research explores racial inequities in the realm of higher education; her coming book, to be published with Routledge in December 2020, examines the trajectories and experiences of upward educational mobility among France’s descendants of post-colonial immigrants admitted in the country’s elite higher education institutions. She is currently one of the co-investigators of the SSHRC-funded RAIS project (Principal Investigator: Jean Michel Montsion), which examines the racialization experiences of international students from from India, China and Korea across five Canadian universities. Her work has been published in Ethnic and Racial Studies, the British Journal of Sociology, and the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies.
