Racism in the Canadian University: Demanding Social Justice, Inclusion, and Equity

233 Pages·2009·1.252 MB·English

by  Frances Henry (editor), Carol Tator (editor)

RACISM IN THE CANADIAN UNIVERSITY:
DEMANDING SOCIAL JUSTICE, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY
The mission statements and recruitment campaigns for modern Cana-
dian universities promote diverse and enlightened communities. Rac-
ism in the Canadian University questions this idea by examining the ways
in which the institutional culture of the academy privileges Whiteness
and Anglo-Eurocentric ways of knowing. Often denied and dismissed
in practice as well as policy, the various forms of racism still persist
in the academy. This collection, informed by critical theory, personal
experience, and empirical research, scrutinizes both historical and con-
temporary manifestations of racism in Canadian academic institutions,
fi nding in these communities a deep rift between how racism is imag-
ined and how it is lived.
With equal emphasis on scholarship and personal perspectives,
Racism in the Canadian University is an important look at how racial
minority faculty and students continue to engage in a daily struggle for
safe, inclusive spaces in classrooms and among peers, colleagues, and
administrators.
frances henry is a Professor Emerita, York University.
carol tator is Course Director in the Department of Anthropology at
York University.
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EDITED BY FRANCES HENRY AND
CAROL TATOR
Racism in the Canadian
University
Demanding Social Justice, Inclusion,
and Equity
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO PRESS
Toronto Buffalo London
© University of Toronto Press Incorporated 2009
Toronto Buffalo London
www.utppublishing.com
Printed in Canada
ISBN 978–0-8020–9981–5 (cloth)
ISBN 978–0-8020–9677–7 (paper)
Printed on acid-free and 100% post-consumer recycled paper with
vegetable-based inks.
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Racism in the Canadian university : demanding social justice,
inclusion and equity / edited by Frances Henry and Carol Tator.
Includes index.
ISBN 978-0-8020-9981-5 (bound). – ISBN 978-0-8020-9677-7 (pbk.)
1. Racism in higher education – Canada. 2. Minorities in higher
education – Canada. I. Henry, Frances, 1931– II. Tator, Carol
LB2329.8.C2R33 2009 378.0089(cid:99)00971 C2009-900988-9
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the fi nancial assistance to its
publishing program of the Canada Council for the Arts and the Ontario
Arts Council.
University of Toronto Press acknowledges the fi nancial support for its
publishing activities of the Government of Canada through the Book
Publishing Industry Development Program (BPIDP).
This book is dedicated to all those who work towards creating an
academy that truly embraces and refl ects the knowledge, culture, and
values of all of its members.
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Contents
Introduction: Racism in the Canadian University 3
frances henry and carol tator
1 Theoretical Perspectives and Manifestations of Racism in the
Academy 22
frances henry and carol tator
2 Now You See Them, How You See Them: Women of Colour
in Canadian Academia 60
audrey kobayashi
3 ‘Doing Academia Differently’: Confronting ‘Whiteness’
in the University 76
patricia monture
4 Caribbean Students in the Canadian Academy: We’ve Come
a Long Way? 106
camille hernandez-ramdwar
5 ‘It Will Happen without Putting in Place Special Measures’:
Racially Diversifying Universities 128
carl e. james
6 On the Effectiveness of Anti-Racist Policies in Canadian
Universities: Issues of Implementation of Policies by Senior
Administration 160
enakshi dua
viii Contents
Epilogue 197
frances henry and carol tator
Contributors 209
Index 211
RACISM IN THE CANADIAN UNIVERSITY:
DEMANDING SOCIAL JUSTICE, INCLUSION, AND EQUITY