A workshop to present findings and engage in a discussion on interdisciplinary and intersectional approaches to understanding youth identities will take place at York University on Sept. 7, from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m.
From left: Talia Filler, Nazilla Khanlou, Attia Khan and Luz Maria Vazquez of the Office of Women’s Health Research Chair in Mental Health
Hosted by the Office of Women’s Health Research Chair in Mental Health, Faculty of Health, York University, the workshop will feature the research of scholars and graduate students from various areas of study with a focus on multicultural, immigrant and refugee receiving contexts.
“Intersectional Approaches to Understanding Asian Canadian Youth Experiences of Integration and Cultural Identity in Diaspora: A Workshop” will examine the intersections of youth identity, diversity and inclusion, which are constantly reshaped in the face of global migration and transnational diaspora. Explorations of youth identity and its implications for first- and second-generation diaspora would benefit from intersectional and interdisciplinary perspectives to inform inclusive public policy initiatives.
This activity of learning includes:
- keynote presentations and interactive discussions;
- a wide range of topics reporting on community-based projects’ findings;
- speakers within the fields of critical perspectives on youth identity;
- discussion of challenges and innovative approaches for those working in youth identity; and
- diversity of perspectives ranging across the intersections of gender, race and migrant status.
This day highlights current themes in youth identity and brings together York University graduate students and national experts, highlighting York University as a high-quality research and learning institution.
“Our research points towards youth experiencing their cultural identity as a fluid, complex and a contested concept,” said Nazilla Khanlou, Women’s Health Research Chair in Mental Health and associate professor in the School of Nursing at York University. “Regardless of the temporal and spatial differences of their migration stories, youth have notions of multiple cultural identities in relation to immigration. Their narratives speak of agency and power relations and express an open criticism to identifying with only one culture.”
Discourses around identity, diversity, and inclusion are constantly reshaping in the face of global migration and resettlement of women, men, youth and children, said Khanlou. New inquiry is needed that examines youths’ discourses and identity experiences in a Canadian multicultural context.
This day promotes themes that are important to the York community, as York University is immersed in one of the most multicultural societies in the world, noted Khanlou. Additionally, it offers the opportunity for rigorous discussion and learning for current and future potential approaches to youth identity in multicultural contexts.
To RSVP for the event, email the Office of Women’s Health Research Chair in Mental Health at owhchair@yorku.ca. More information is available online.
This workshop is funded by the York Centre for Asian Research at York University.