tag:theconversation.com,2011:/institutions/concordia-university-of-edmonton-2712/articlesConcordia University of Edmonton2024-02-01T23:03:34Ztag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2197862024-02-01T23:03:34Z2024-02-01T23:03:34ZGirls in hijab experience overlapping forms of racial and gendered violence<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570251/original/file-20240118-27-ltadts.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=308%2C625%2C5251%2C3075&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Violence against girls who wear hijabs is often situated in structural oppression, including gendered Islamophobia and white supremacy.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/girls-in-hijab-experience-overlapping-forms-of-racial-and-gendered-violence" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><a href="https://worldhijabday.com/">World Hijab Day</a> recognizes the millions of Muslim women and girls who wear the traditional Islamic headscarf.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/26/europe/un-hijab-olympics-intl/index.html">Around the world</a>, Muslim girls in hijab are experiencing unique forms and <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/hamilton/islamophobia-canada-health-care-muslim-1.6792148">heightened rates</a> of gender and race-based <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9549134/ttc-islamophobia-nccm-police-toronto/">violence and discrimination</a>. Overt violence against girls and women in hijab have captured global attention, evidenced most recently in the violent Canadian attacks on <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/community-groups-join-calls-for-further-action-in-attack-on-two-women-1.5839402">women in hijabs in Alberta</a> and the horrific <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/london/it-s-been-6-months-since-members-of-the-afzaal-family-in-london-ont-were-killed-what-s-changed-1.6274751">murders of the Afzaal family in London, Ont.</a></p>
<p>Violence against hijabi girls is often situated in structural oppression, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680600788503">gendered Islamophobia</a> and white supremacy. Understanding the underpinnings of this violence is key to imagining more just and equitable futures for girls and young women in hijab.</p>
<h2>Islamophobia</h2>
<p>The term Islamophobia has often been used and understood in different ways. While often used interchangeably, some have argued that the term anti-Muslim racism, rather than the term Islamophobia, better encapsulates the systemic nature of anti-Muslim hate and violence.</p>
<p>Sociologist and Muslim studies scholar Jasmin Zine <a href="https://www.jstor.org/stable/48696287">has outlined how Islamophobia in Canada is comprised of systemic oppressive networks</a> and industries that are both fueled by and fuel anti-Muslim racism. Zine explains that an “industry behind purveying anti-Muslim hate” distinguishes Islamophobia from other forms of oppression.</p>
<p>According to Zine, this well-funded, lucrative and often transnational industry is comprised of media outlets, political figures and donors, white nationalist groups, think tanks, influencers and ideologues that support and engage in “activities that demonize and marginalize Islam and Muslims in Canada.”</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C44%2C6000%2C3943&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young girl in a pink hijab watches a sunset" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C44%2C6000%2C3943&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/568512/original/file-20240109-25-pd0nip.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
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<span class="caption">Understanding the underpinnings of violence is key to creating more just and equitable futures for girls and young women in hijab.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<h2>Gendered Islamophobia</h2>
<p>Islamophobia and anti-Muslim racism is part of the fabric of institutions. Critics of laws such as <a href="https://doi.org/10.3138/cjwl.32.1.05">Bill 21 in Québec</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/01419870.2013.738821">similar measures in France</a> have argued that <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/muslim-women-most-affected-by-quebec-s-secularism-law-court-of-appeal-hears-1.6644377">Muslim women who wear the hijab are most affected</a>. These measures reflect narratives that <a href="https://www.hup.harvard.edu/books/9780674088269">position Muslim girls and women as oppressed victims</a> in need of rescue, as well as <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/books/159783/orientalism-by-edward-w-said/9780394740676">Orientalist tropes</a> in the form of the <a href="https://assertjournal.com/index.php/assert/article/view/31/62">“save us from the Muslim girl” narratives</a>.</p>
<p>As Muslim women in hijab, we grieve horrific violence alongside our communities. Violent attacks highlight how anti-Muslim racism is often situated at a nexus of anti-Black racism, xenophobia, white supremacy and patriarchy. </p>
<p>We know that anti-Muslim violence is often aimed at girls and women in hijab. Yet, academic literature on hijabi girlhood is relatively scarce. Two years ago, we put out <a href="http://journals.berghahnbooks.com/_uploads/ghs/GHS_cfp_TheGirlInTheHijab.pdf">a call to the international academic community</a> seeking papers and creative submissions on the experiences of girls and young women in hijabs.</p>
<h2>The girl in the hijab</h2>
<p>Two years later, <a href="https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2023.160302">our new special issue</a>, called <em>The Girl in the Hijab</em>, has now been published in the international journal <em>Girlhood Studies</em>. It comes at a time when anti-Muslim, anti-Arab and <a href="https://www.canarablaw.org/s/Anti-Palestinian-Racism-Naming-Framing-and-Manifestations.pdf">anti-Palestinian racism</a> are on <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/muslim-groups-report-skyrocketing-number-of-islamophobic-incidents-across-canada">the rise around the country</a> and around the world.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.berghahnjournals.com/view/journals/girlhood-studies/16/3/girlhood-studies.16.issue-3.xml">The special issue</a> includes academic articles written by mostly Muslim women and creative works produced by hijab-wearing girls themselves. Both types of work provide insight into the current global landscape of hijabi girl experiences. </p>
<p>Cultural politics lecturer <a href="https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2023.160303">Noha Beydoun explores the events surrounding the donning of the American flag as a method of protest</a>. She finds that this phenomenon gained popularity because it worked to conceal complicated U.S. histories regarding Muslim immigration and broader imperial interests. Beydoun’s analysis evidences that the “American flag as hijab for girls and women reinforces the larger constructs it seeks to resist.”</p>
<p>Gender studies professor Ana Carolina Antunes highlights <a href="https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2023.160305">how unconscious bias and microaggressions hinder a positive sense of belonging among hijab-wearing students and impacts their academic success</a>. This study also reveals that anti-Muslim sentiment in schools affects the everyday experiences of Muslim girls, leading to disconnection from the school community. </p>
<p>Among the central themes in the special issue is <a href="https://assertjournal.com/index.php/assert/article/view/31/62">how women and girls resist gendered and Islamophobic discrimination in their everyday lives</a>. Hijabi girls resist oppressive narratives through their everyday actions and activist engagements. In Antunes’s study, girls asserted their right to occupy space in the educational environment.</p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/islamophobia-in-schools-how-teachers-and-communities-can-recognize-and-challenge-its-harms-162992">Islamophobia in schools: How teachers and communities can recognize and challenge its harms</a>
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<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A girl in a black hijab with a handbag walks down a tree-lined path" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/570252/original/file-20240118-20-old0n0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">For Muslim women, donning the hijab can be an act of resistance and resilience in the face of discrimination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
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<p>Clinical social workers Amilah Baksh and her mother, Bibi Baksh, provide insight into their <a href="https://doi.org/10.3167/ghs.2023.160306">lived experiences as Indo-Caribbean social workers and university educators</a>. In their article, they identify the hijab as a form of resistance and resilience in their personal and professional lives. In their words, “it was never the hijab that rendered us voiceless. It is Islamophobia.”</p>
<p>The special issue highlights how Muslim girls and women, racialized through donning hijab, continue to be at the forefront of the struggle against Islamophobia and anti-Muslim violence, even as we remain among the primary targets of that violence.</p>
<p>The articles in this special issue demonstrate the need for better policies, education and laws that consider the unique experiences of girls and women in hijab. To counter violence against girls and women in hijab, we must name and understand the complexities of anti-Muslim racism and gendered Islamophobia. </p>
<p>Critically, this must center the voices of girls and women in hijab, opening or widening spaces for girls and women in hijab to practise acts of resistance in ways that are not bound by colonial logics and respectability politics.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/219786/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Salsabel Almanssori receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC).</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Muna Saleh receives funding from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Insight Development Grant (2022-2024) for her research titled “A Narrative Inquiry into the Curriculum-Making Experiences of Palestinian Muslim Youth and Families in Alberta.”</span></em></p>Around the world, Muslim girls who wear hijabs are experiencing unique forms and heightened rates of gender and race-based violence.Salsabel Almanssori, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of WindsorMuna Saleh, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2187002023-11-30T17:21:21Z2023-11-30T17:21:21ZWhy are school-aged boys so attracted to hateful ideologies?<iframe height="200px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/a0e5db7e-fb55-4a8a-880e-00f8d5a0f2dc?dark=true"></iframe>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-572" class="tc-infographic" height="100" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/572/661898416fdc21fc4fdef6a5379efd7cac19d9d5/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p><em>In this episode of<a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/episodes/why-are-school-aged-boys-so-attracted-to-hateful-ideologies"> Don’t Call Me Resilient</a>, we look at the current rise of white supremacy and how that rise has filtered down into the attitudes of school-aged boys.</em> </p>
<p>Anecdotally, and in polls conducted by <a href="https://angusreid.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/2021.10.19_canada_school_kids_racism_diversity-1.pdf">Angus Reid</a> and the <a href="https://www.girlguides.ca/WEB/Documents/GGC/media/media-releases/Gender_Equality_Press_Release_Oct_2018.pdf">Girl Guides of Canada,</a> school-aged children are expressing concern about the sexist, homophobic and racist attitudes they are experiencing in their classrooms. And the research supports them: experts say <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-misogyny-influencers-cater-to-young-mens-anxieties-201498">the rise in far-right ideologies globally has impacted school-age students</a>. </p>
<p>Many experts point to Andrew Tate, the far-right social media influencer as one of the culprits. <a href="https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/online-misogyny-harrasment-school-children-b2314451.html">Teachers say he has a big presence in the classroom</a>. </p>
<p>On top of that, there’s been an exponential rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia in Canada that have also impacted the classroom.</p>
<p>Why are boys especially attracted to these hateful ideologies? As we near <a href="https://theconversation.com/a-continuum-of-unabated-violence-remembering-the-massacre-at-ecole-polytechnique-88572"> the National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women on Dec. 6,</a> we spoke with to two experts who have been thinking a lot about this question.</p>
<p>Teresa Fowler is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Concordia University of Edmonton whose research focuses on critical white masculinities. </p>
<p>Lance McCready is an associate professor in the Department of Leadership, Higher and Adult Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. His research explores education, health and the well-being of Black men, boys and queer youth, especially in urban communities and schools. </p>
<h2>Read more in The Conversation</h2>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-misogyny-influencers-cater-to-young-mens-anxieties-201498">How 'misogyny influencers' cater to young men's anxieties</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/act-tough-and-hide-weakness-research-reveals-pressure-young-men-are-under-74898">Act tough and hide weakness: research reveals pressure young men are under</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-schools-can-foster-civic-discussion-in-an-age-of-incivility-106136">How schools can foster civic discussion in an age of incivility</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/less-talk-more-action-national-day-of-remembrance-on-violence-against-women-108139">Less talk, more action: National Day of Remembrance on Violence Against Women</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/too-busy-for-the-pta-but-working-class-parents-care-104386">Too busy for the PTA, but working-class parents care</a>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-critical-race-theory-should-inform-schools-185169">Why critical race theory should inform schools</a>
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<h2>Resources</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/aug/06/andrew-tate-violent-misogynistic-world-of-tiktok-new-star">Inside the violent, misogynistic world of TikTok’s new star, Andrew Tate</a> </p>
<p><a href="https://www.boyhoodinitiative.org">The Boyhood Initiative</a></p>
<p><a href="http://www.gegi.ca">How to Advocate at School for Yourself or Someone You Love</a>, the first bilingual self-advocacy resource for K-12 students experiencing gender identity discrimination at school.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/667368/rebels-with-a-cause-by-niobe-way/"><em>Rebels with a Cause: Reimagining Boys, Ourselves and Our Culture</em></a> by Niobe Way</p>
<p><a href="https://therepproject.org/films/the-mask-you-live-in/">The Mask You Live In</a></p>
<p><a href="https://www.zinnedproject.org/materials/pedagogy-of-the-oppressed/"><em>Pedagogy of the Oppressed</em></a> by Paulo Freire</p>
<h2>Listen and follow</h2>
<p>You can listen to or follow <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em> on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-call-me-resilient/id1549798876">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/37tK4zmjWvq2Sh6jLIpzp7">Spotify</a>, <a href="https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL_mJBLBznANz6ID9rBCUk7gv_ZRC4Og9-">YouTube</a> or wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts. </p>
<p><a href="mailto:DCMR@theconversation.com">We’d love to hear from you</a>, including any ideas for future episodes. </p>
<p><strong>Please fill out our <a href="https://dontcallmeresilient.com">listener survey</a>.</strong></p>
<p>Join the Conversation on <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationCA">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/dontcallmeresilientpodcast/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theconversation">TikTok</a> and use #DontCallMeResilient.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/218700/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
Host Vinita Srivastava explores why racist, homophobic and sexist attitudes are increasingly showing up in school-age boys – and what we can do about it.Vinita Srivastava, Host + Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientAteqah Khaki, Associate Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientJennifer Moroz, Consulting Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientKikachi Memeh, Assistant Producer/Student Journalist, Don't Call Me ResilientLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2101642023-09-28T20:35:50Z2023-09-28T20:35:50ZEducation for reconciliation requires us to ‘know where we are’<iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/education-for-reconciliation-requires-us-to-know-where-we-are" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p>On a sunny morning in <a href="https://infoedmonton.com/article/amiskwaciwaskahikan-%E2%80%89%E1%90%8A%E1%92%A5%E1%90%A2%E1%91%B2%E1%90%A7%E1%92%8B%E1%90%8B%E1%90%A7%E1%90%A2%E1%91%B2%E1%90%A6%E1%90%83%E1%91%B2%E1%90%A3%E2%80%89-the-land-as-history/">amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton)</a> last October, more than 100 university students, the two of us and other university instructors gathered near the banks of <a href="https://chrs.ca/en/rivers/north-saskatchewan-kisiskaciwani-sipiy-river">kisiskâciwan-sîpî (North Saskatchewan River)</a> in the Riverdale neighbourhood. </p>
<p>Joining our group were <a href="https://concordia.ab.ca/tipi-teachings-with-elder-philip-campiou-virtual/">Cree Elder Phillip Campiou, a cultural knowledge keeper,</a> and members of the Riverdale Community League <a href="https://riverdalians.ca/contact">Truth and Reconciliation Committee</a>. </p>
<p>The gathering was an event called “Knowing Where You Are.” We conceived and planned this experiential learning activity as instructors of foundational courses in the bachelor of education program at Concordia University of Edmonton.</p>
<p>We wanted to take our students out of the classroom to ground their learning about Indigenous Peoples and histories in an understanding of the importance of place, and to put students in a position where they could learn about where they live, study and work. </p>
<h2>Importance of place</h2>
<p>We chose this activity at this place because of the layered history of the bridge site, which has significance as a meeting place among First Nations, Métis and settler people.</p>
<p><a href="https://riverdalians.ca">Riverdale</a> is situated on <a href="https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca/uploads/r/city-of-edmonton-archives/f/1/6/f16fa6b48895d0a208a7ed4d684177d9e2af3f1c64e7d2da536edec0f4f1f418/EAM-3.jpg">Métis river lots 18 and 20</a> in what is now central Edmonton. Part of the <a href="https://indigenouspeoplesatlasofcanada.ca/article/communities/">Métis homeland</a>, Edmonton is at the centre of Treaty 6 territory. </p>
<p>We also wanted to foster students’ habits of wondering about knowing where they are as a starting point for their learning. We sought to cultivate and nurture habits of mind and body to inform how students enter and approach their future classrooms. </p>
<p>Importantly, we hoped this unique activity would instil a sense of confidence with — and commitment to — education for reconciliation. </p>
<h2>Education for reconciliation in Alberta schools</h2>
<p>We and other educators have been responding to four of the <a href="https://ehprnh2mwo3.exactdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf">94 Calls to Action</a> released by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada in 2015. </p>
<p>The intent of education for reconciliation is to include opportunities for students in kindergarten to Grade 12 to learn about the histories, experiences, knowledges and contributions of Indigenous Peoples to Canada. </p>
<p>Call to Action No. 62 calls for government funding to enable post-secondary institutions “to educate teachers on how to integrate Indigenous knowledge and teaching methods into classrooms.” Alberta signalled its commitment to this partly through developing and implementing <a href="https://www.alberta.ca/professional-practice-standards#jumplinks-1">a new Teaching Quality Standard</a>, which outlines six competencies for teachers. </p>
<p>The competencies are interconnected sets of knowledge, skills and attitudes. They provide guidance to practising or aspiring teachers, as well as those who supervise and evaluate them. One of six competencies is entirely dedicated to the development and application of “foundational knowledge about First Nations, Métis and Inuit for the benefit of all students.” </p>
<h2>Decolonial approaches to education</h2>
<p>For us, knowing where you are is both an expression of our willingness to fulfil a mandate defined by the <em>Teaching Quality Standard</em> and of our commitment to a decolonial approach to teacher education.</p>
<p>We take the competencies and associated indicators as only a starting point, and as minimum descriptors of quality teaching in a field that is typically cautious in its approach to change. </p>
<p>We strive to de-centre the physical university as the necessary site of learning, and to take an Indigenous teaching and learning approach that is a meaningful step toward decolonized teacher education.</p>
<h2>Where do you stand?</h2>
<p>As a decolonial approach to education for reconciliation, “knowing where you are” has been inspired by different methods of investigation, each crucially determined by local history, knowledge, conditions and purposes. </p>
<p>One of these methods for examining local history begins with the metaphor of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/721036/dig-where-you-stand-by-sven-lindqvist/">digging where you stand</a>, named and inspired by the work of Swedish author Sven Lindqvist. </p>
<p>Another that has guided us is Cree scholar <a href="https://jcacs.journals.yorku.ca/index.php/jcacs/article/view/16868">Dwayne Donald’s adaptation of a phenomenon known as “pentimento</a>.” Pentimento refers to the re-emergence of earlier layer or layers of paint on a canvas, which Donald explores in his 2004 article, “Edmonton Pentimento: Re-Reading History in the Case of the Papaschase Cree.” </p>
<p>Inspired by the work of <a href="https://www.upress.umn.edu/book-division/books/american-pentimento">historian Patricia Seed</a>, Donald proposes “‘pentimento re-reading’ as a way to recover stories and memories that have been ‘painted over.’” </p>
<p>This involves “the acknowledgement that each layer mixes with the other and renders irreversible influences on our perceptions of it.” The tendency <a href="https://theconversation.com/leaked-alberta-school-curriculum-in-urgent-need-of-guidance-from-indigenous-wisdom-teachings-148611">to separate the stories of Indigenous and settler Canadians</a> is one symptom of the legacies of colonialism and paternalism that have characterized Canadian society. </p>
<h2>Continuous presence of the past</h2>
<p>We wanted to engage with a Cree principle of seeking knowledge and understanding in our teaching.</p>
<p><a href="https://edst.educ.ubc.ca/kovach-margaret/">Nêhiyaw (Cree) and Saulteaux scholar Margaret Kovach</a> writes that <a href="https://utorontopress.com/9781487525644/indigenous-methodologies">“we know what we know from where we stand</a>” in her discussion of Indigenous research methodology. </p>
<p>This idea speaks to a notion of knowledge that emerges from the places and times we find ourselves. To us, it implies that teacher education informed by Indigenous approaches to teaching and learning ought to be pursued in a way that is aware of the continued presence and relevance of the past.</p>
<h2>People who have made commitments</h2>
<p>At the fall 2022 event, students cycled through three activities. </p>
<p>They visited the <em>tipi</em> (lodge) erected every summer on a prominent hilltop in a community park by Elder Phillip Campiou, and learned from him.</p>
<p>Students also walked to the nearby Tawatinâ Bridge to view <a href="https://transforming.edmonton.ca/tawatina-bridge-connecting-people-to-downtown/">a public art installation by Métis artist David Garneau</a>. The installation includes 400 individual pieces of art intended as “an homage to the history, nature, and First Nations and Métis presence in the region.” We asked students to choose an art piece as a starting point for further learning. </p>
<p>Finally, students visited with members of the Riverdale Truth and Reconciliation Committee, who spoke of the personal and collective commitments they have made in support of truth and reconciliation.</p>
<h2>A model for learning</h2>
<p>This event is a model we hope students carry with them in their future careers, no matter where they live and work.</p>
<p>We were encouraged by how engaged the students were on the day of the activity, as well as by evidence of learning revealed in work submitted later in the term. Feedback we received tells us students enjoyed and appreciated the activity. </p>
<p>We are optimistic that such activities matter, though we know translating specific insights, experiences and understanding into deep learning requires ongoing commitments. </p>
<p>The layered nature of places — their “pentimento” quality — applies everywhere. When we understand this, possibilities unfold. </p>
<p>Through this approach, these future teachers — indeed, all teachers — can come to understand the importance of recognizing the continuous presence and ongoing relevance of the past in stories they tell about people and places.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/210164/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Experiential learning took students in a bachelor of education program out of the classroom for their own learning about truth and reconciliation and to prepare them for future classrooms.Lorin Yochim, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, University of AlbertaChristine Martineau, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/2052742023-05-15T20:33:55Z2023-05-15T20:33:55ZWhat a viral meme about Evander Kane can tell us about white supremacy in hockey<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525976/original/file-20230512-19-k2quc6.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=12%2C6%2C4318%2C2876&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Edmonton Oilers left wing Evander Kane is congratulated after scoring his third goal against the Seattle Kraken during the third period of an NHL hockey game on March 18, 2023, in Seattle. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/John Froschauer)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>An image of a white woman flipping Edmonton Oilers player Evander Kane the bird from behind the protective glass of a hockey rink went viral on May 7. It sparked the creation of a meme dubbed “<a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/EdmontonOilers/comments/13aw01i/kane_vs_karen/">Kane vs. Karen</a>” by a social media user on Reddit.</p>
<p>“<a href="https://time.com/5857023/karen-meme-history-meaning/">Karen</a>” has become a popular term used to identify white women who weaponize their whiteness to either shift attention away from their racist behaviour or insight racial violence.</p>
<p>While the incident that resulted in the meme may not have been racially motivated, it is still about race and white supremacy. </p>
<p>The meme challenges viewers to consider the role of white women’s fandom in upholding and normalizing white supremacy in hockey culture.</p>
<p><div data-react-class="Tweet" data-react-props="{"tweetId":"1655053121494851588"}"></div></p>
<h2>Defining white supremacy</h2>
<p><a href="https://www.yorku.ca/edu/unleading/systems-of-oppression/white-supremacy/">Scholars have defined</a> white supremacy as the “institutionalization of Whiteness and White privilege.” Institutionalization occurs when rules, standards or practices are nomalized to the extent that it has become so common we do not question it. </p>
<p>White privilege describes the unearned advantages white people receive based on the colour of their skin. Whiteness acts as an <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/the-origins-of-privilege">invisible backpack of privilege</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://www.berea.edu/centers/the-bell-hooks-center/about-bell">American scholar, writer and educator bell hooks</a> described how white supremacy legitimizes and advances <a href="https://www.mediaed.org/transcripts/Bell-Hooks-Transcript.pdf">patriarchy, settler-colonial capitalism and racism</a> — factors that are woven deeply into the culture of men’s ice hockey. </p>
<p>White supremacy is invisibilized and normalized in hockey culture. When white supremacy is challenged, hockey culture pushes back. For example, a coach from Surrey, B.C., <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/surrey-b-c-hockey-parents-question-why-coach-was-suspended-after-standing-up-to-alleged-racism-1.6830865">was suspended after pulling his U-11 players off the ice</a> to protect them from anti-Black racism.</p>
<h2>White supremacy culture</h2>
<p>As white settler Canadian women, we recognize that “the burdens of dismantling white supremacy and decolonizing the sport of hockey are more justly shouldered by white settler Canadians and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2021.0017">the hockey establishment</a>.”</p>
<p>Men’s ice hockey upholds white supremacy through erasure, exclusion and mandated conformity. </p>
<p>The erasure of the history of the Colored Hockey League, as highlighted by sport researchers <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2022-0065">Alex Mackenzie and Janelle Joesph</a>, is an example of how white supremacy erases those who aren’t considered white. </p>
<p>The important contributions made by the league, including the butterfly technique, slap-shot and entertainment during intermissions, were omitted as a result.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9wmxbr3IvtM?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">A video about the origins of the Colored Hockey League.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>White supremacy is also achieved through exclusion. Ice hockey has historically been — and continues to be — a white space.</p>
<p>Even though <a href="https://environicsanalytics.com/en-ca/resources/blogs/ea-blog/2022/10/26/census-2021-canadas-cultural-diversity-continues-to-increase">one in four Canadians identifies as racialized</a>, and the <a href="https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/RHI125221">United States is also racially diverse</a>, the sport remains a bastion of whiteness.</p>
<p>A total of <a href="https://apnews.com/article/nhl-sports-hockey-race-and-ethnicity-racial-injustice-1fc28e1d7db391c2bec6203fa19fda1f">83.6 per cent of the NHL’s workforce is white</a> and over 90 per cent of players and nearly all coaches and officials are white.</p>
<p>Despite the NHL’s “<a href="https://www.nhl.com/community/hockey-is-for-everyone">hockey is for everyone</a>” branding, whiteness remains privileged. Racialized hockey players are expected to conform to the sport’s culture and values.</p>
<h2>Whiteness and surveillance</h2>
<p>It’s important to understand the Kane vs. Karen meme <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/2056305120981047">within the broader historical and cultural context</a> of white women patrolling, policing and surveilling Black bodies based on white supremacist notions of law and order. </p>
<p>Racialized hockey players are often held to a higher moral standard than their white counterparts. Former NHL player P.K. Subban, for example, is currently under fire for a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/9673726/p-k-subban-lizzo-weight-lunch-joke-toronto-maple-leafs/">fat-shaming comment</a> about pop singer Lizzo. But <a href="https://www.sportsnet.ca/nhl/article/disappointment-anger-hope-p-k-subban-discusses-anti-black-racism-hockey/">the racism Subban endured as a Black athlete in a white sport</a> has not received the same attention. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A Black man in a suit speaks to off-screen reporters in front of a bunch of hands holding microphones" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=395&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/525983/original/file-20230512-32388-50hj2p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=497&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">P.K. Subban has discussed the systemic nature of anti-Black racism in hockey in interviews before.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>White supremacy ensures we are constantly surveilling Black players and holding them to higher moral standards than white players. This stands in sharp contrast to how racialized players are expected to behave when faced with racism.</p>
<p>Comments against racialized players are <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/mark-fraser-racism-george-floyd-hockey-nhl">silenced</a>, downplayed or <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/hockey-is-not-for-everyone-akim-aliu-nhl">ignored</a>. Racialized players are expected to defend the sport and themselves, like Vegas Golden Knights player <a href="https://youtu.be/2UI1OMIU33w">Zach Whitecloud</a>, who had to defend his Dakota heritage against an ESPN commentator who said his last name was better suited for toilet paper.</p>
<p>Racialized players are also expected to take the high road when confronted with violence, as Kane did when he blew a kiss to the fan who flipped him off.</p>
<h2>Hockey fan culture</h2>
<p>Fans also play a key role in upholding white supremacy in hockey — particularly white women because ice hockey has a predominantly <a href="https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/study-uncovers-the-fact-that-the-nhl-has-the-whitest-most-republican-fans-of-all-major-sports-leagues">white fan base</a> in North America. </p>
<p>The exclusionary practices that keep men’s ice hockey elite, heterosexual and white are reflected in its fandom. If professional athletes are not free to be Black or Indigenous in ice hockey, we can expect the same for fans. </p>
<p>Legal scholar <a href="https://doi.org/10.1353/ces.2021.0018">Martine Dennie</a> has written about what it means to be a hockey fan in Calgary. To belong, all a fan needs to do is wear a Flames jersey. But even this approach to fandom doesn’t stop racial hierarchies from forming. It still “preserves the whiteness of hockey fandom.”</p>
<h2>Combating white supremacy</h2>
<p>As white women, researchers and fans, we are calling on other white women to be aware of how we engage with racialized players and fans. Combating white supremacy involves exposing the way it operates as an undercurrent.</p>
<p>True interrogations of white supremacy don’t focus on individual acts of overt racism — instead, they reveal how normalized and systemic it is.</p>
<p>Organizations like <a href="https://blackgirlhockeyclub.org/">the Black Girl Hockey Club</a> are working to make hockey more inclusive for players and fans of all backgrounds. They are doing this by challenging the perception of hockey being a predominantly white sport.</p>
<p>The Kane vs. Karen meme challenges white women to consider our role in perpetuating white supremacy. Addressing and deconstructing the whiteness of ice hockey is long overdue.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/205274/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Anne Fowler received funding from Brandon University and the Concordia University of Edmonton for their research in men's ice hockey, and she is a member of Scholars Against Abuse in Canadian Sport.</span></em></p><p class="fine-print"><em><span>Shannon D. M. Moore received funding from the University of Manitoba and Brandon University for their interview-based study with elite level male hockey players about hockey culture. She is also a member of Scholars Against Abuse in Sport.</span></em></p>The viral Kane vs. Karen meme invites the viewer to see the parallels between the actions of a white female hockey fan, surrounded by white onlookers, towards a Black player surrounded by referees.Teresa Anne Fowler, Assistant Professor, Education, Concordia University of EdmontonShannon D. M. Moore, Assistant professor of social studies education, Department of Curriculum Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education, University of ManitobaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1864502022-07-21T17:56:39Z2022-07-21T17:56:39ZGetting hammered by cancer: ‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ re-examines the hero’s journey<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475399/original/file-20220721-22-swp7hy.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=27%2C4%2C2992%2C1521&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Meaning is found in love and risk, not in superpowers.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Marvel Studios)</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe style="width: 100%; height: 100px; border: none; position: relative; z-index: 1;" allowtransparency="" allow="clipboard-read; clipboard-write" src="https://narrations.ad-auris.com/widget/the-conversation-canada/getting-hammered-by-cancer---thor--love-and-thunder--re-examines-the-hero-s-journey" width="100%" height="400"></iframe>
<p><em>This story contains spoilers about ‘Thor: Love and Thunder.’</em></p>
<p>In the new movie <em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em>, based on recent comic books about the superhero, cancer complicates what it means to be Thor.</p>
<p>The superhero Thor <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Journey_into_Mystery_Vol_1_83">first appeared in 1962</a>, quickly joining the super-team The Avengers. Thor was the epitome of the male superhero: morally upstanding and astonishingly physically powerful.</p>
<p>But recent comic book stories have seen different characters — the original, a male Thor Odinson and, lately, a female Mighty Thor, also known as Jane Foster — team up to command the power of Thor.</p>
<p><em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em>, the newly released film by director <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/29/movies/taika-waititi-thor-love-and-thunder.html">Taika Waititi,</a> adapts some of these stories. Thor Odinson (Chris Hemsworth) is surprised when, after an eight-year separation, his ex-girlfriend Foster (Natalie Portman) transforms into The Mighty Thor. </p>
<p>Foster as The Mighty Thor has cancer in both the movie and in recent comics. </p>
<p>The character raises questions about the impact cancer has on ideas of worthiness, responsibility and power — and what it means to be a superhero. These are themes we examine in our forthcoming book, <em>The Cancer Plot: Terminal Immortality in Marvel’s Moral Universe</em>. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Go8nTmfrQd8?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">‘Thor: Love and Thunder’ official trailer.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Bewildered, angry fans</h2>
<p>In both the recent comic books and film, Foster controls the enchanted hammer <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mjolnir">Mjolnir</a>, the weapon that grants superheroic powers to the person who can to lift it. </p>
<p>Some comic book <a href="https://www.cbr.com/fans-calm-down-jane-foster-mighty-thor/">readers reacted</a> negatively to Foster’s time as The Mighty Thor, arguing that Marvel was stripping away or confusing the history of a male Thor superhero in order to introduce gender diversity in its characters.</p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-ms-marvel-matters-so-much-to-muslim-south-asian-fans-184613">Why Ms. Marvel matters so much to Muslim, South Asian fans</a>
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<p>Some movie viewers have expressed similar disappointment about seeing a <a href="https://www.insider.com/fans-react-to-natalie-portman-playing-female-thor-2019-7">female Thor</a>.</p>
<p>The film’s focus, however, is not on the gender of Thor, but on Odinson’s moral journey. Foster’s spreading cancer is the catalyst for Thor Odinson’s moral growth.</p>
<h2>Facing enemies</h2>
<p>In both comic books and the Thor film franchise, which began with the 2011 movie <em>Thor</em>, Thor Odinson is a deity: <a href="https://www.worldhistory.org/Thor/">the Norse God of Thunder</a>. A moral exemplar, Odinson could only lift the enchanted hammer <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mjolnir">Mjolnir</a> if he was worthy. </p>
<p>In both earlier comic books and films, Foster’s typical role was as a minor character. Writers used her as the love interest in danger, giving the male hero someone to rescue.</p>
<p>That is, until she became The Mighty Thor herself. </p>
<p>In <em>Love and Thunder</em>, Foster takes on new enemies: cancer and the <a href="https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Gorr_the_God_Butcher">cosmic villain Gorr</a> (Christian Bale). While Foster and Odinson vanquish Gorr, they are not able to defeat her cancer.</p>
<p>By taking on Gorr, and risking death from cancer, Foster shows Odinson that a meaningful life is one of emotional and physical risk that may result in loss.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Black and white image of a vampirish-looking pale villain's grimacing face." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=251&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475404/original/file-20220721-9523-13bqsb.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=316&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">The cosmic villain Gorr (Christian Bale) is one of the enemies The Mighty Thor faces.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Marvel Studios)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Complicating the superhero</h2>
<p>Foster transforms when she holds Mjolnir in both the comic book and movie.</p>
<p>Emaciated from chemotherapy, Foster becomes muscled (and blonde) as The Mighty Thor. The film and comic books link these different bodies through the ethical decisions she must make.</p>
<p>The movie runs up against idealizing narratives of cancer. Cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has criticized depictions of cancer as “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jan/02/cancer-positive-thinking-barbara-ehrenreich">the source of [one’s] happiness</a>.”</p>
<p>Such narratives <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/detailing-the-problems-of-breast-cancer-culture/2012/02/09/gIQA3DiT2Q_story.html">minimize the painful process of cancer care to promote</a> a lifestyle brand.</p>
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<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/cancer-and-loneliness-how-inclusion-could-save-lives-140516">Cancer and loneliness: How inclusion could save lives</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>The film mostly avoids this. Cancer becomes the occasion for determining what’s important in life through struggle on behalf of others while facing death.</p>
<p>Foster’s continual decision-making — to have chemotherapy or engage in battle — vividly characterizes the struggle of cancer patients highlighted <a href="https://www.bcaction.org/from-the-executive-director-pink-ribbon-culture-gaslighting-and-the-breast-cancer-epidemic/">in critical</a> works <a href="https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6303890">and memoirs</a>. </p>
<p>Thus, The Mighty Thor’s cosmic work cannot be separated from her mortal life as a cancer patient.</p>
<h2>The cost of superheroism</h2>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="A smiling man seen against a Marvel backdrop." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=693&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475412/original/file-20220721-10055-c3xwd7.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=870&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Chris Hemsworth in role as Thor Odinson does not have to consider the same complicated ethical decisions as his girlfriend, Jane Foster.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Mark Baker)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The same superheroic action has different effects on Odinson and Foster.</p>
<p>For Odinson, the cost of battle does not jeopardize his superhero identity or practice. He can <a href="https://marvelcinematicuniverse.fandom.com/wiki/Thor%27s_Prosthetic_Eye">lose a body</a> <a href="https://screenrant.com/thor-metal-arm-origin-marvel-comics/">part, or</a> use a cane when in <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Donald_Blake_(Earth-616)">a temporary human form</a>, but neither puts him at risk of dying. </p>
<p>The costs for Foster, however, are much higher. Foster’s superhuman power, ironically, prevents her cancer treatments from working. Being The Mighty Thor risks killing her. </p>
<p>She must consider death and disease when choosing to battle. Cancer forces The Mighty Thor to make complicated ethical decisions that Odinson doesn’t have to consider.</p>
<h2>Renewed life</h2>
<p>In both the comic books and the film, cancer kills Foster.</p>
<p>In <a href="https://www.marvel.com/articles/comics/the-full-reading-order-of-jason-aaron-s-thor">the years-long comic book story</a>, <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Mighty_Thor_Vol_2_706">Foster dies</a> after throwing Mjolnir into the sun. </p>
<p>Odinson rewards Foster with renewed life and the consolation prize of new <a href="https://marvel.fandom.com/wiki/Valkyrie:_Jane_Foster_Vol_1">superhero identity</a> as a Valkyrie, an elite warrior of Asgard.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="Two women in fancy dresses seen against a blue backdrop smiling at each other." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/475410/original/file-20220721-22-gu6xud.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Foster (Natalie Portman) finds new life as a Valkyrie in New Asgard, ruled by King Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson).</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(AP Photo/Scott Garfitt)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Love and loss</h2>
<p>In <em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em>, Foster’s cancer journey enables Odinson learn a lesson on meaning and risk. While she is in hospital, Odinson begs her to give up Mjolnir so that he won’t lose her. </p>
<p>Despite the likelihood of her death, Foster chooses to live, and die, on her own terms. She joins Odinson in the final battle against Gorr, dying as a result of the wounds she sustains and her cancer. </p>
<p>Early in the movie, fellow superhero Star-Lord (Chris Pratt) talks to Odinson about the loss of own his love. He advises: “<a href="https://gamerant.com/best-quotes-from-thor-love-and-thunder/">I hope one day you can feel this shitty</a>,” a variation on the adage that it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. </p>
<h2>How meaning is found</h2>
<p>By choosing to make hard moral decisions and take risks, even that of losing him, Foster gives Odinson things to feel shitty about. In this state, Odinson now empathizes with Gorr to the point of taking on the care of his enemy’s orphaned daughter.</p>
<p>Though Foster dies, she is rewarded as The Mighty Thor with entry into <a href="https://www.britannica.com/topic/Valhalla-Norse-mythology">Valhalla</a>. However, she enters the place of the gods in her mortal form. Her heroism is not tied to her powers but to her moral decision-making and risk-taking.</p>
<p><em>Thor: Love and Thunder</em> offers a new way to read Foster’s cancer. It shows how meaning is found in love and risk, not in superpowers.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186450/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>In the latest ‘Thor’ movie, the character Jane Foster raises questions about the impact of cancer on ideas of worthiness, responsibility and power — and what it means to be a superhero.Reginald Wiebe, Associate professor, Department of Language and Literature, Concordia University of EdmontonDorothy Jean Woodman, Associate Lecturer, Department of English and Film Studies, University of AlbertaLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1860022022-07-05T13:52:10Z2022-07-05T13:52:10ZShowered in sexism: Hockey culture needs a reckoning<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472369/original/file-20220704-24-z6rpi4.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C0%2C2940%2C1896&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">People have come forward in highly publicized stories speaking to experiences of sexism, sexual violence and silencing at the hands of hockey players and teams.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Research about men’s ice hockey has consistently revealed that the culture is saturated in <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7834744/canadian-youth-hockey-culture-survey/">sexism, misogyny</a>, <a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/chapter/2109402">homophobia</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.2020-0098">hypermasculinity</a>. </p>
<p>Beyond research, people have come forward in highly publicized stories speaking to experiences of <a href="https://ftw.usatoday.com/2020/05/brendan-leipsic-sexist-misogynist-group-chat">sexism</a>, <a href="https://thehockeynews.com/news/kyle-beach-is-the-blackhawks-john-doe-what-we-learned">being silenced</a> and <a href="https://theathletic.com/3373130/2022/06/20/sexual-violence-junior-hockey/%22%22">sexual violence</a> at the hands of hockey players and teams. </p>
<p>And these stories echo those told to us by elite-level hockey players who participated in our <a href="https://www.brandonu.ca/research-connection/article/an-inquiry-into-how-elite-level-male-ice-hockey-players-enact-forms-of-resistance-to-hegemonic-ideals/">small interview-based study in 2021</a> where we explored how participants resisted the expectations of hypermasculinity in hockey culture. </p>
<h2>An established history</h2>
<p>In June 2022, Hockey Canada was summoned to speak at the <a href="https://www.ourcommons.ca/Committees/en/CHPC/StudyActivity?studyActivityId=11764784">Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage</a> in response to the organization’s settlement for the alleged sexual assault of a woman by players at a Hockey Canada event. </p>
<p>There, Hockey Canada CEO Tom Renney said <a href="https://www.tsn.ca/hockey-canada-chl-settle-lawsuit-over-alleged-sexual-assault-involving-world-junior-players-1.1804861">the alleged incident committed by members of Canada’s 2017-18 U20 Men’s World Junior Team</a> was “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/no-government-funds-hockey-canada-1.6494754">unacceptable and incompatible with Hockey Canada’s values and expectations</a>.” </p>
<p>We disagree. This is entirely on brand — the assault, the impulse to cover it up and the broader community’s attempt to label this as an isolated incident. This is part of hockey culture.</p>
<p>Rather than finger-pointing, the hockey community needs to consider the ways entrenched hierarchies, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1123/ssj.25.4.462">rewarded performances of masculinity</a> and enforcement of a “bro code” encourage this behaviour.</p>
<p>The tragedy <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/article-the-important-moral-question-hockey-canada-sponsors-now-face/">is not just that this happened</a>, but that Hockey Canada’s first impulse was to protect their image and that not a single team member came forward.</p>
<h2>What happens in the dressing room stays there</h2>
<p>One of our research participants spoke about how being a good teammate <a href="https://www.thestar.com/sports/hockey/opinion/2019/11/29/wayward-coaches-and-bully-players-can-no-longer-hide-behind-hockeys-unwritten-code-of-dressing-room-silence.html">means being silent</a>: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“There’s stuff that happens in the dressing room, obviously, talking about girls, parties, whatever is the case, that happens in there, that sort of stays in there for the most part. Well, on good teams it stays in there. Whether it’s who you’re hooking up with, if you got sent pictures from some girl, everyone sees them. So it stays in the dressing room and it’s a team builder. It’s not to embarrass people in front of the outside world.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>This locker room culture encourages and rewards particular performances of masculinity. And players who don’t adhere to implicit and explicit organizational expectations risk being ostracized.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A camera shot from inside a hockey net as a goalie and player fill the space" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/472373/original/file-20220704-21-7dlt0u.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">There are sexual assault allegations against members of Canada’s 2017-18 U20 Men’s World Junior Team.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Mark Blinch</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Despite this, anonymous participants in our study willingly recognized the inherent sexism in hockey culture and told stories of women and girls being used for props and “points” at team events. One participant shared, “I had a coach do body shots off a 15-year-old girl at a rookie party.” </p>
<p>This narrative touches on many issues in hockey culture: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184X03257433">the normalization of underage drinking and partying</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1097184X03257433">the objectification of women and girls</a>, the lack of social responsibility and the complicity of coaches.</p>
<p>These stories are the result of broader hockey culture, and Hockey Canada can only affect change once they scrutinize the underlying culture that normalizes and rewards this behaviour.</p>
<h2>Education for new understandings in hockey culture</h2>
<p>Hockey Canada’s CEO also said the organization is interested in addressing <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/no-government-funds-hockey-canada-1.6494754">“behavioural issues” through changes to its code of conduct and improved education programs</a>. As educators, we suggest Hockey Canada:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Reflect on its own response to allegations of sexual assault. What is it teaching hockey players about sexual violence, consent and human value, when the impulse is to pay, privilege and protect players?</p></li>
<li><p>Recognize that these issues are systemic, and work to change the culture of hockey rather than centring discussions on individual “bad apples.”</p></li>
<li><p>Make discussions and workshops about sexual violence, consent and healthy relationships part of team training.</p></li>
<li><p>Make space for discussions about the “brand” of masculinity that is expected, promoted and rewarded in hockey culture. Our research made it clear that no overt discussions of masculinity had previously occurred, which had <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/corey-hirsch-dark-dark-dark">consequences on the mental and physical health</a> of participants.</p></li>
<li><p>Interrogate the institutional practices that reward <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-hockey-seizure-video-1.5775894">particular performances of masculinity</a>. Consider how the rigid hierarchies in hockey culture contribute to a culture of silencing.</p></li>
<li><p>Go beyond the superficial. Rather than using corporate <a href="https://cultmtl.com/2021/10/new-ad-starring-p-k-subban-addresses-racism-and-sexism-in-hockey-scotiabank-for-all/">campaigns</a> to <a href="https://www.nhl.com/community/hockey-is-for-everyone">re-brand hockey</a>, meaningfully engage in critique.</p></li>
</ol>
<p>Those who initiate criticism against hockey culture are often met with emotional and passionate rebukes that “the game is changing.” And <a href="https://theconversation.com/the-montreal-canadiens-have-legitimized-rape-culture-by-drafting-logan-mailloux-165047">incidents of reprehensible behaviour are regularly dismissed</a> as involving a small number of players and not indicative of a deep-rooted systemic problem. </p>
<p>We believe it is critical to continually bring into question and interrogate how gender is understood, constructed and performed by all those who are involved in hockey to truly change the culture.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186002/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>We need to question how gender is understood, constructed and performed by hockey players, teams, coaches and organizations to truly change the culture.Shannon D. M. Moore, Assistant professor of social studies education, Department of Curriculum Teaching and Learning, Faculty of Education, University of ManitobaTeresa Anne Fowler, Assistant Professor, Education, Concordia University of EdmontonTim Skuce, Associate Professor, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Brandon UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1839732022-06-15T14:55:45Z2022-06-15T14:55:45ZWhy you shouldn’t be afraid of critical race theory — Podcast<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/483285/original/file-20220907-9281-15j86.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Critical race theory simply holds a mirror up to society, reflecting its realities. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Marcelo Cidrack/Unsplash</span></span></figcaption></figure><iframe height="480px" width="100%" frameborder="no" scrolling="no" seamless="" src="https://player.simplecast.com/fb609e39-d729-4a54-860a-8a411be157ae?dark=false&show=true"></iframe>
<p><iframe id="tc-infographic-572" class="tc-infographic" height="100" src="https://cdn.theconversation.com/infographics/572/661898416fdc21fc4fdef6a5379efd7cac19d9d5/site/index.html" width="100%" style="border: none" frameborder="0"></iframe></p>
<p>Critical race theory has a lot of people upset. In the United States some parents are calling for schools to ban critical race. They claim it distorts reality and invokes shame for white students. </p>
<p>This is not a new battle in the U.S. or Canada (remember when Prime Minister Harper said “<a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2014/08/22/stephen_harpers_dangerous_refusal_to_commit_sociology.html">this is not a time to commit sociology</a>?” or when President Trump chastised <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2012/03/the-ugly-campaign-to-use-derrick-bell-against-barack-obama/254448/">President Obama for embracing Derrick Bell</a>?). But it has picked up steam recently. Since January 2021, <a href="https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/map-where-critical-race-theory-is-under-attack/2021/06">42 states have introduced bills or taken other steps to restrict how teachers can discuss racism in the classroom</a> and 17 states have given in to these demands.</p>
<figure class="align-right zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="Racism is so American that when you protest it people think you are protesting America." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=750&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/468600/original/file-20220613-15-1pmszk.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=942&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Racism is so American that when you protest it people think you are protesting America.</span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>But critical race theory is not an abstract concept — it is actually simply a reflection of us: of our unequal laws and systems already in place. It points out the history of our society and its ongoing inequalities. And asks us to look at issues as systemic instead of as individual problems. </p>
<p>Today we explore how applying critical race theory in classrooms across Canada helps both students and teachers.</p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/anti-black-racism-is-not-a-consensual-schoolyard-fight-160134">Teresa Fowler</a>, assistant professor of education at Concordia University of Edmonton, is one of our guests on today’s episode of <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em>. She said the reason we feel fear when it comes to discussing race is because: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>“We’re afraid of what CRT is revealing … and that is our own bias. CRT is a mirror and we’re all afraid to look into it.” </p>
</blockquote>
<p>Also joining us on today’s episode is Dwayne Brown. He is a PhD student in education at York University, and a Grade 7 teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Brown grew up in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood in Toronto, and studies <a href="https://theconversation.com/emotional-intelligence-is-life-and-death-where-im-from-93413">mental health in relation to Black male student success</a>.</p>
<p>Brown who teaches within Canada’s largest school board, where anti-racism curriculum is already embedded into the classroom (<a href="https://theconversation.com/the-crisis-of-anti-black-racism-in-schools-persists-across-generations-120856">although with mixed application</a>) said change begins at school: </p>
<blockquote>
<p>It starts with our education system. It starts with the conversations that we have. And critical race theory as a tool, is definitely effective. It’s definitely necessary in order to interrogate the insecurity and the fragility that we have in our society. The social conditioning that we have all endured has to be exposed for what it is and held complicit in the fragility that it’s developed inside of each and every one of us.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Both Brown and Fowler use critical race theory in their classrooms every day, and say that it helps them to see and evaluate their own biases — while also making students feel truly included in their own education. </p>
<p>Please listen in and <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/episodes/why-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-critical-race-theory">follow along in this fascinating conversation</a>. </p>
<h2>Transcript</h2>
<p>An unedited transcript of this episode is available <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/episodes/why-you-shouldnt-be-afraid-of-critical-race-theory/transcript">here</a>.</p>
<h2>Follow and listen</h2>
<p>You can listen to or follow <em>Don’t Call Me Resilient</em> on <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/dont-call-me-resilient/id1549798876">Apple Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9qZFg0Ql9DOA">Google Podcasts</a>, <a href="https://open.spotify.com/show/37tK4zmjWvq2Sh6jLIpzp7">Spotify</a> or <a href="https://dont-call-me-resilient.simplecast.com/">wherever you listen to your favourite podcasts</a>. <a href="mailto:theculturedesk@theconversation.com">We’d love to hear from you</a>, including any ideas for future episodes. Join <em>The Conversation</em> on <a href="https://twitter.com/ConversationCA">Twitter</a>, <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TheConversationCanada">Facebook</a>, <a href="https://www.instagram.com/theconversationdotcom/">Instagram</a> and <a href="https://www.tiktok.com/@theconversation">TikTok</a> and use #DontCallMeResilient.</p>
<h2>ICYMI — Articles published in The Conversation</h2>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/anti-black-racism-is-not-a-consensual-schoolyard-fight-160134">Anti-Black racism is not a ‘consensual schoolyard fight’</a> by Teresa Fowler </li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/emotional-intelligence-is-life-and-death-where-im-from-93413">Emotional intelligence is life and death where I’m from</a> by Dwayne Brown </li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-critical-race-theory-make-people-so-uncomfortable-176125">Why does critical race theory make people so uncomfortable?</a> by Patrina Duhaney</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spark-change-within-our-unequal-education-system-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-3-152355">Podcast: How to spark change within our unequal education system: Don’t Call Me Resilient EP 3</a>. Interviewed: <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/carl-james-416389">Carl James</a></li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/racism-contributes-to-poor-attendance-of-indigenous-students-in-alberta-schools-new-study-141922">Racism contributes to poor attendance of Indigenous students in Alberta schools: New study</a> by Teresa Fowler</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/to-serve-school-communities-and-address-inequities-after-covid-19-principals-must-become-activists-175491">To serve school communities and address inequities after COVID-19, principals must become activists</a> by Kenneth MacKinnon</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/black-youth-yearn-for-black-teachers-to-disrupt-the-daily-silencing-of-their-experiences-177279">Black youth yearn for Black teachers to disrupt the daily silencing of their experiences</a> by Olufunke Oba</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">How to curb anti-Black racism in Canadian schools</a> by Tanitiã Munroe</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/canadian-universities-10-years-of-anti-racist-reports-but-little-action-153033">Canadian universities: 10 years of anti-racist reports but little action</a> by Natalie Delia Deckard, Ayesha Mian Akram and Jane Ku</li>
<li><a href="https://theconversation.com/the-crisis-of-anti-black-racism-in-schools-persists-across-generations-120856">The crisis of anti-Black racism in schools persists across generations</a> by Carl James</li>
</ul>
<h2>References mentioned</h2>
<ul>
<li><em><a href="https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/308/308596/the-master-s-tools-will-never-dismantle-the-master-s-house/9780241339725.html">The Master’s Tools Will Never Dismantle the Master’s House</a></em> by Audre Lorde</li>
<li><a href="https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Blood-of-Emmett-Till/Timothy-B-Tyson/9781476714851"><em>The Blood of Emmett Till</em></a> by Timothy B. Tyson</li>
<li><a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/016146819509700101"><em>Race, Social Class, and Educational Reform in an Inner-city School</em></a> by Jean Anyon</li>
<li><a href="https://youtu.be/D9Ihs241zeg">“The Danger of a Single Story.” Ted Talk by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</a></li>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-spark-change-within-our-unequal-education-system-dont-call-me-resilient-ep-3-152355">How to spark change within our unequal education system: Don't Call Me Resilient EP 3</a>
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<p><em>Series co-producers of this podcast are: Haley Lewis, assistant producer Vaishnavi Dandekar and sound producer Lygia Navarro. Jennifer Moroz is our consulting producer. Reza Dahya is our original sound designer. Lisa Varano is our audience development editor and Scott White is the CEO of the Conversation Canada. This podcast was produced with a grant for Journalism Innovation from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.</em></p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/183973/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
In today’s episode of Don’t Call Me Resilient, we speak with two Canadian educators who explain how using critical race theory in their classrooms helps both students and teachers.Vinita Srivastava, Host + Producer, Don't Call Me ResilientLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1827382022-06-12T12:11:27Z2022-06-12T12:11:27Z‘Y’all are coming at this like we’re racists’: How ‘Survivor’ highlights the pulse of socialization<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/468049/original/file-20220609-24-sslflq.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=18%2C0%2C4071%2C2918&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">In Season 42, Episode 9 Drea Wheeler pointed out that Black players get voted off before white players which opened up a discussion about race. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(SurvivorCBS/Twitter)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>While <a href="https://horizon.westmont.edu/6065/oped/in-defense-of-garbage-why-reality-tv-is-a-positive-form-of-escapism/">reality television may be escapism</a>, <em>Survivor</em> highlights the pulse of socialization. </p>
<p>Since its premiere in 2000, <em>Survivor</em> has been a <a href="https://www.psychologyinaction.org/psychology-in-action-1/2015/01/05/outwit-outplay-outlast-the-psychology-of-survivor">social experiment</a> providing a window into the lives of how people live with each other amid social and physical challenges.</p>
<p>Players, however, are not disavowed from their lives outside of the game — who they are does not change. They’re not only battling each other for immunity, but players are also grappling with the ways in which social constructions of identity bleed into the game, like race.</p>
<p>If you look back at <em>Survivor</em> winners there is some <a href="https://www.globaltv.com/shows/survivor/articles/survivor-winners-list/">racial diversity</a>, however patterns remain and have often been pointed out by cast members. In Season 42, Episode 9, <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/216609/">Drea Wheeler</a> pointed out that Black players get voted off before white players which opened up a discussion about race. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/why-does-critical-race-theory-make-people-so-uncomfortable-176125">Why does critical race theory make people so uncomfortable?</a>
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<p>In 1989, critical race theorist Kimberlé Crenshaw gave a name to the experiences of injustice Black women are confronted with as they were often left out of policies meant to move justice forward for racialized people: <a href="https://www.cjr.org/language_corner/intersectionality.php">intersectionality</a>. The term addressed the ways in which Black women were oppressed by the dual identity of being a woman and being Black. </p>
<p>Since then, intersectionality has been expanded to other groups of people because it is “<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/in-theory/wp/2015/09/24/why-intersectionality-cant-wait/">a way of thinking about identity and its relationship to power</a>.” And when we think differently about relations of power, those who hold power begin to feel threatened as their power has been normalized <a href="https://www.britannica.com/science/socialization">through our engagement with socialization</a> and the ways institutions and systems reproduce power. This is systemic racism.</p>
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<figcaption><span class="caption">Kimberlé Crenshaw explaining the urgency of intersectionality.</span></figcaption>
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<p>Also playing into this notion is <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/article/what-is-critical-race-theory.html">critical race theory (CRT)</a> — another term Crenshaw helped coin — which recognizes that racism is embedded within our systems and institutions which are reproducing barriers to equity and inclusion.</p>
<p>Before children are born, they are socialized into gender stereotypes through gender reveal parties (really <a href="https://www.salon.com/2017/07/04/its-a-boy-its-a-girl-its-not-a-gender-reveal-party/">sex reveal parties</a>), and moved through society that tells them who gets killed first in <a href="https://time.com/3547214/horror-films-who-dies-first/">horror movies</a>, the role of Black people in <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/black-character-history-video-games/">video games</a>, who can play professional <a href="https://www.theplayerstribune.com/articles/hockey-is-not-for-everyone-akim-aliu-nhl">men’s ice hockey</a> and who gets voted off <em>Survivor</em>.</p>
<h2>Implicit bias and racism</h2>
<p>On an episode of <em>Survivor</em> during a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8wQudHM77Q">tribal council</a>, a discussion about race emerged and a white male player, <a href="https://www.cbs.com/shows/survivor/cast/216613/">Jonathan Young</a>, responded to the dialogue saying: “I don’t feel this is right, because y’all are coming at this like we’re racists.” In doing this, he showcased the ways in which <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate/2015/06/16/how-fluid-is-racial-identity/race-and-racial-identity-are-social-constructs">socialization constructs racial identities</a>. </p>
<p>The role of <a href="https://nccc.georgetown.edu/bias/module-3/1.php">unconscious or implicit bias</a> was implicated when Drea openly shared her frustration about her experience as a Black woman playing <em>Survivor</em> when she noticed two other Black players were voted off from a different tribe. </p>
<p>She called out the pattern of who gets voted off <em>Survivor</em>. This opened the conversation about what it means to be Black on the show: she has to <a href="https://youtu.be/bcBxPTirDak">question her identity</a> and the impact race has on the game at every moment whereas someone like Jonathan does not.</p>
<p>Jonathan pushed back stating: “that’s saying I’m subconsciously racist. And that’s not true.” This steered the conversation away from the trend Drea pointed out towards <a href="https://libjournal.uncg.edu/ijcp/article/viewFile/249/116">Jonathan’s discomfort with the conversation about bias</a>. </p>
<p>This implied connection between implicit bias and racism result in more <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2022/05/03/no-survivor-not-everyone-is-subconsciously-racist/">accusations that CRT is hurting</a> white people and this is absolutely not the case.</p>
<p>The conversation between Drea, Maryanne Oketch and Jonathan was not referring to Jonathan or the other tribal members as racist, but calling out the ways in which socialization leads people to believe stereotypes about certain people and how patterns continue to be reproduced. </p>
<p>By not having these open discussions, what is left is fear mongering and misunderstandings of CRT. Jonathan may or may not be a racist, but unfortunately that is where the conversation was focused — on white people having to become aware of how whiteness permeates our media and causes harm to Drea, Maryanne and other racialized people. </p>
<p>This conversation shouldn’t have centred white people. It should have played out by the white cast members being willing take a step back and listen to Drea and Maryanne. The conversation shouldn’t have been about white people feeling uncomfortable but centred on identifying the patterns of racism which feed how we are <a href="https://theconversation.com/colourism-how-shade-bias-perpetuates-prejudice-against-people-with-dark-skin-97149">socialized into a hierarchy of skin colour</a>. </p>
<p>This is not a drastic approach or a political agenda, but a call to open up spaces for conversations about racism, about whiteness, about race with white people <em><a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-empowerment-diary/201708/deep-listening-in-personal-relationships">listening</a></em>.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/182738/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Teresa Anne Fowler does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>This is not a drastic approach or a political agenda, but a call to open up spaces for conversations about racism, about whiteness, about race with white people listening and not centring themselves.Teresa Anne Fowler, Assistant Professor, Education, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1699372021-11-29T22:29:58Z2021-11-29T22:29:58ZSchools need to step up to address Islamophobia<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433528/original/file-20211123-21-300cu0.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=445%2C50%2C4724%2C2959&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">There are many ongoing silences and erasures around anti-Muslim hate and violence in education systems. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock) </span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The inspiration for this article was born of frustration and heartache. It follows the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/ottawa-vigil-london-muslim-family-attack-1.6058519">murders of four intergenerational members</a> of the Afzaal/Salman family that left a nine-year-old child injured and orphaned in London, Ont., on June 6, 2021. </p>
<p>It also follows ongoing injustice related to <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/bill-21-resulted-in-racism-towards-student-teachers-mcgill-research-finds">state-sanctioned racism of Bill 21 in Québec</a> and a rash of hate attacks in Alberta, <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2021/07/04/they-only-call-it-a-hate-crime-after-you-get-killed-as-muslim-women-are-attacked-in-alberta-a-community-asks-can-canada-face-its-islamophobia-problem.html">most of them targeting Black Muslim women in hijab</a>. </p>
<p>This year <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/a-string-of-hate-motivated-attacks-muslim-women-in-edmonton-reveals-a-complicated-history">at least nine attacks in Edmonton were reported to police, seven of which resulted in criminal charges</a>.</p>
<p>There is ongoing silence and erasure when it comes to anti-Muslim hate and Islamophobia in the education systems we and our loved ones inhabit. </p>
<h2>Islamophobia: A form of racism</h2>
<p>Although there is no one static understanding or definition of Islamophobia, we recognize it as a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920514531606">form of racism, structural and individual, that is rooted in long histories of empire and colonization</a>. </p>
<p>The events of Sept. 11, 2001, in the United States have had deep, long-lasting reverberations for Muslims globally. While western narratives have framed Islam through the lens <a href="https://openlibrary.org/books/OL4740907M/Orientalism">of orientalism</a> for centuries, 9/11 triggered renewed forms of Islamophobia across sectors.</p>
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<img alt="A person holds a sign that says 'standing with Muslims against Islamophobia and racism'." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=382&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433330/original/file-20211123-21-10l7cdt.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=480&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
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<span class="caption">People hold signs during a demonstration in Montréal in March 2017 in support of Parliament’s motion to condemn Islamophobia, systemic racism and religious discrimination.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Graham Hughes</span></span>
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<p>We should examine multiple dimensions of Islamophobia that build and shape <a href="https://www.routledge.com/The-Routledge-International-Handbook-of-Islamophobia/Zempi-Awan/p/book/9780367783914">realities of Muslim people through policy, social and economic structures and public representations</a> across institutions and around the world. These manifestations shape the representations of Muslims, and their embodied experience of “Muslimness” in Canada.</p>
<p>It’s important to consider Islamophobia not only in daily hate crimes but also in daily indignities, silencing and injuries to Muslims’ sense of self and well-being. </p>
<p>There are common ways that educators, boards, senior leadership and the policies and curricula they support maintain the reality of Islamophobia in schools. These “evasions” are ways of escaping or avoiding addressing Islamophobia that allow us to maintain a sense of innocence and goodness, while denying complicity in perpetuating harms against Muslims.</p>
<h2>Evasion 1: Excluding Islamophobia from discussions of racism</h2>
<p>One way schools avoid addressing Islamophobia is by <a href="https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/2/2/14452388/muslim-ban-immigration-order-islamophobia-racism-muslims-hate">neglecting to explicitly name and address it in larger discussions of racism</a>, xenophobia and oppression.</p>
<p>Common understandings of racism maintain narrow definitions of race as solely related to biology. But as sociologist Saher Selod explains, “racialization” is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920513516022">process and act</a>. It is articulated and enforced through cultural, political or legal narratives. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0896920514531606">Islamophobia is an outcome of the racialization of Muslims</a> as an “other.” </p>
<p>While Islamophobia is a form of racism, it must also be understood that <a href="https://doi.org/10.1525/aeq.2001.32.4.399">Muslim students hold multiple identities</a>, including their socio-economic status, ethnicity and linguistic identity, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/10665680600788503">as well as their</a> <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/0891243220932156">gender</a> and sexuality, along with other forms of <a href="http://tessellateinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Black-Muslims-in-Canada-Systematic-Review-FatimahJacksonBest.pdf">racialization</a>. As such, the specific way a Muslim student may experience Islamophobia is through the interaction of their multiple identities. </p>
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Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/celebrating-diversity-isnt-enough-schools-need-anti-racist-curriculum-140424">Celebrating diversity isn't enough: Schools need anti-racist curriculum</a>
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<p>Such interconnected aspects of identity are related to broader systems of oppression, and as education researcher George J. Sefa Dei notes, <a href="https://fernwoodpublishing.ca/book/anti-racism-education">anti-racist education should seek to respond to complex oppressions</a> through <a href="https://www.law.columbia.edu/news/archive/kimberle-crenshaw-intersectionality-more-two-decades-later">intersectional</a> analysis.</p>
<h2>Evasion 2: Asserting we have a ‘secular’ society</h2>
<p>The implicit belief that Canadians <a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1220008">exist in a secular society with secular public institutions</a> is widespread. But the institutions of Canadian society, including our schools, were built and now operate as if being Christian is the norm. Mainstream educational institutions continue to marginalize <a href="https://www.thestar.com/opinion/commentary/2017/04/19/why-calls-for-secularism-in-education-is-a-facade-opinion.html">students (and their families) who are non-Christian as outside of national identity</a>. </p>
<p>Public school curricula occasionally teaches <em>about</em> a religion, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.18733/cpi29546">largely avoids discussion rooted in faith and spirituality as part of identity and lived experience</a>. Countering Islamophobia requires a critical examination <a href="https://www.ubcpress.ca/islam-in-the-hinterlands">of white supremacy, its Christian hegemony and racial power hierarchies</a>.</p>
<p>Educating about Islam can be valuable in countering misinformation, but is insufficient to challenge Islamophobia.</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A large crowd of people is seen marching on the street, next to a line of cars." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433325/original/file-20211123-21-1ffb1ly.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Thousands of people march through the streets of London, Ont., on June 11, 2021, in a Multi-Faith March to End Hatred after four members of a Muslim family were killed in a hate crime.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Geoff Robins</span></span>
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<h2>Evasion 3: ‘We don’t have any Muslim students’</h2>
<p>Naming, addressing and dismantling Islamophobia does not require the presence of Muslims. The assumption of “no Muslims here” should also be held lightly, as some families choose not to disclose their faith identity for a myriad of reasons, including protecting their children from anticipated racial targeting. </p>
<p>While the presence of self-identified and identifiable Muslim students and staff may mean there is an increase in instances of explicit Islamophobia, their visible presence in a school isn’t a precondition for the commitment to recognize and address this form of racism.</p>
<h2>Evasion 4: ‘We have faith accommodations’</h2>
<p><a href="http://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-preventing-discrimination-based-creed/9-duty-accommodate">Faith accommodations</a> can be viewed as an improvement from the explicit <a href="https://doi.org/10.1080/02589346.2013.765681">exclusion of Muslims from public spaces through claims of secularism</a>. But “accommodating” within existing structures won’t address the Islamophobia in curriculum, policy or institutional culture.</p>
<p>Faith accommodations are often approached as a procedure (at best) or sometimes as a nuisance to “integrate” minority students. Rarely are they viewed as <a href="https://www.ubcpress.ca/beyond-accommodation">an opportunity to build relationships, to learn together</a> or to transform schooling. </p>
<h2>Evasion 5: ‘We don’t know enough’</h2>
<p>Author and education scholar <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622408/we-want-to-do-more-than-survive-by-bettina-love/">Bettina Love</a> writes that if people believe that teaching against racism is important, they will commit to doing the work — including unlearning, learning and not waiting to be taught by people within communities who experience different forms of intersecting violence. </p>
<p>Too often, Muslim students and colleagues are forced to become “ambassadors” of their faith tradition because the adults around them assert that they don’t know enough about Islam and Islamophobia.</p>
<h2>Evasion 6: Excusing Islamophobia as ‘free speech’</h2>
<p>Muslim scholars, feminists, theorists and clergy have long engaged in study, analysis, debate and critique in understanding Islamic scripture, practices and histories. As in all faith communities and traditions, there has always been and continues to be vibrant dialogue and reflection within Islam. Muslim communities hold a plethora of understandings and modes of religious practice. Insisting that Muslims homogeneously subscribe to a fictional singular (medieval) understanding of Islam is a cornerstone to Islamophobia. </p>
<p>Too often an invitation to debate “about Islam” and “Muslim life” in classrooms is informed by sources promoting this perspective. This results is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177/1757743818790276">Islamophobic targeting</a> and harassment — <a href="https://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/03/29/515451746/muslim-schoolchildren-bullied-by-fellow-students-and-teachers">sometimes even led by or in the presence of teachers</a> — that is dismissed as “free speech.”</p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="People are 'standing against Islamophobia' signs" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=490&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/433571/original/file-20211123-15-1tl8416.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=615&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">People gather for a vigil in Toronto held for victims of the New Zealand terror attack in March 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young</span></span>
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</figure>
<h2>New stories urgently needed</h2>
<p>These evasions are just some of the ways Islamophobia is perpetuated through silences and omissions in school systems. Potential ways of living out different stories in school systems include:</p>
<ol>
<li><p>Recognizing how Islamophobia is present, even when Muslim students and staff aren’t. Like other forms of racism, <a href="http://tessellateinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Examining-Islamophobia-in-Ontario-Public-Schools-1.pdf">Islamophobia is always operating in various structures, curricula, language and beliefs</a>.</p></li>
<li><p>Addressing and removing barriers to meaningful inclusion. Go beyond accommodating and move towards designing spaces and systems in ways <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/622408/we-want-to-do-more-than-survive-by-bettina-love">where every student feels they belong and matter</a>. This necessarily entails co-creating life-giving and sustaining spaces that affirm spirituality and faith, even when schools claim to be secular.</p></li>
<li><p>Teaching against Islamophobia needs to be explicit, purposeful and integrated in anti-racist work. We believe all educators have an ethical responsibility to work towards becoming co-conspirators and disrupt anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, Islamophobic, homophobic, transphobic, misogynistic and ableist systems. School systems cannot wait for this to happen organically. Anti-racist and anti-oppressive education must become a guiding ethic and expectation in all educational institutions.</p></li>
</ol>
<h2>Commit to doing the work</h2>
<p>In planning this article, we asked, “What will it take for education systems (and the people leading and within them) to finally take Islamophobia seriously?”</p>
<p>Too often, being Muslim is seen as being incompatible with public life in Canada. We want better for ourselves, our children and all children, youth, families, caregivers and educators who live and work within these systems.</p>
<p>Educators and school systems cannot continue to evade facing, interrupting and dismantling Islamophobia. They must step up and commit to doing the work.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/169937/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>Tackling Islamophobia as a form of racism even when Muslims aren’t visible is key.Nada Aoudeh, PhD Candidate, Education, York University, CanadaMuna Saleh, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Education, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1611592021-05-26T18:11:41Z2021-05-26T18:11:41ZCash, COVID-19 and church: How pandemic skepticism is affecting religious communities<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401753/original/file-20210519-12241-1p0zt8g.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=251%2C150%2C6313%2C2885&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Pandemic skepticism has given struggling churches a much needed financial boost. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The GraceLife Church in Alberta has been at the centre of a recent controversy about pandemic restrictions. The rural church located outside Edmonton has resisted restrictions on public gatherings issued to prevent the spread of COVID-19. </p>
<p>The pastor James Coates was <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/gracelife-tick-tock">charged with violating the Public Health Act in December</a> after the church failed an inspection. He was jailed shortly thereafter when he would not agree to his bail conditions. After being released, Coates continued to conduct services that flouted the province’s COVID-19 protocols, leading Alberta Health Services (AHS) to order the church closed on April 7.</p>
<p>There have been at least 12 reported outbreaks in Alberta churches to date. The most tragic occurred at <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/i-would-do-anything-for-a-do-over-calgary-church-hopes-others-learn-from-their-tragic-covid-19-experience-1.4933461">Living Spirit United Church</a> early in the pandemic, when 41 people attended a birthday celebration of an elderly congregant. Twenty-four people contracted the virus as a result and two died.</p>
<p>Research out of Australia has demonstrated <a href="https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/27/6/21-0465_article">the elevated risk of COVID-19 transmission in places of worship</a>. This is not surprising, given the activities commonly undertaken in church: singing, shaking hands, hugging — which all come with a high transmission risk. What is surprising, however, is that churches have emerged at the centre of pandemic skepticism movements that resist public health measures.</p>
<h2>Pandemic skepticism meets pandemic reality</h2>
<p>While recent research has found a connection <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10943-020-01058-9">between religiosity and elevated pandemic skepticism</a>, the vast majority of <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/caring-for-others-mosque-synagogue-advise-alberta-church-to-follow-covid-19-rules-574128172.html">Albertan faith communities</a> have followed public health guidelines without protest. GraceLife Community Church is an outlier in their resistance to these measures. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A security officer walks beside the sign at the entrance to GraceLife Church. The grey church building is behind him." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=388&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401758/original/file-20210519-13-6fy4ov.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=487&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Some churches like GraceLife Church have flouted public health restrictions and become sites of protest for far-right groups.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>While GraceLife has not reported an outbreak, <a href="https://calgary.ctvnews.ca/southwest-calgary-church-handed-ahs-order-over-lack-of-masks-and-no-limit-on-gathering-1.5229687">Southside Victory Church in Calgary</a> has been less fortunate. AHS has not reported any official numbers in relation to the church, but we can assume there have been at least 10 cases due to its inclusion on the <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20210504213610/https://www.alberta.ca/covid-19-alberta-data.aspx">provincial outbreak list</a>. </p>
<p><a href="https://fb.watch/5tfVuqDOBu/">In an April sermon</a>, Senior Pastor Craig Buroker struggled to acknowledge the suffering of his sick congregants, while still questioning the severity of the pandemic. He referred to COVID-19 as “the flu” and emphasised the “99 per cent” survival rate for the infected. </p>
<p>This is a classic example of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/10030-000">cognitive dissonance</a> — a state of internal contradiction usually reserved for apocalyptic religious groups who are forced to reckon with their continued existence when the world fails to end as planned.</p>
<h2>Sources of Christian pandemic denial</h2>
<p>Three primary factors contribute to pandemic denial and resistance to public health orders in churches: finances, political culture and theology. </p>
<p>Some research suggests that the pandemic has <a href="https://baptistnews.com/article/despite-covid-worst-case-scenario-did-not-emerge-for-church-finances/">not significantly impacted church finances</a>. However, many churches are indeed struggling and have flouted public health regulations as a means of increasing funds. It worked for <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-08/la-pastor-mocks-covid-19-rules-church-members-ill">Grace Community Church</a> in Los Angeles, whose weekly donations increased six-fold after the church’s pastor openly mocked health restrictions. The church has <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/gracelife-tick-tock">close ties with GraceLife</a>.</p>
<p>Second, what drives a church to resist public health orders isn’t its Christianity, but the political culture in which the church is situated. These churches are <a href="https://www.npr.org/2021/02/21/969539514/disinformation-fuels-a-white-evangelical-movement-it-led-1-virginia-pastor-to-qu">already filled with people inclined to question</a> restrictions and the severity of the virus. </p>
<p>GraceLife’s <a href="https://gracelife.ca/feb-7-statement/">public statement</a> on the pandemic repeats numerous themes circulated by pandemic skeptics, including Alberta Premier <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/alberta/article-jason-kenney-faces-criticism-for-incorrectly-referring-to-covid-19-as/">Jason Kenney’s comparison of COVID-19 to influenza</a>. GraceLife’s statement mirrors those of U.S. churches who repeated <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-08/la-pastor-mocks-covid-19-rules-church-members-ill">Donald Trump’s pandemic skepticism</a> to justify their own resistance to public health measures.</p>
<p>This rhetoric also aligns the churches with fringe anti-government elements like far-right groups and QAnon conspiracy theorists.</p>
<p>Shortly after GraceLife was ordered shut, groups that <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7750653/covid-19-calgary-convoy-gracelife-church-edmonton/">describe themselves as “patriots”</a> — a label commonly used in QAnon conspiracy circles — arrived to protest a barrier placed around GraceLife to prevent people entering the church. </p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man pulls a metal barrier while police hold onto it." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=404&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/401755/original/file-20210519-13-139kslu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=508&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Supporters try to tear down the barrier outside GraceLife Church near Edmonton.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Theology as an afterthought</h2>
<p>Theology only appears in GraceLife’s argument to support their financial and political positions. They argue that public health regulations <a href="https://gracelife.ca/mediaPlayer.php?id=5967&x=1621283285125">prevent members</a> from taking part in the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-the-great-commission-and-why-is-it-so-controversial-111138">Great Commission</a>. In other words, it inhibits their ability to evangelize.</p>
<p>Restriction resistant churches read public health guidelines through the “<a href="https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/otm/episodes/trumps-age-old-christian-persecution-complex">Christian persecution complex</a>.” This perspective assumes an <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-myth-of-persecution-candida-moss?variant=32206054129698">attack on a single Christian is an attack on all Christians</a>, and <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6241808338001#sp=show-clips">has played out</a> in right-wing U.S. media <a href="https://crosspolitic.com/podcast/canadian-tyranny-mp-arnold-viersen-and-james-coates-tim-stephens-aaron-rock-nate-wright/">coverage of Gracelife</a>.</p>
<p>Researchers suggest <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/jssr.12677">Americans subscribing to Christian nationalism</a> are more likely to eat in restaurants, visit people indoors, gather in larger groups and are less likely wear a mask or wash their hands. Christian nationalists think of <a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/111191/the-armageddon-factor-by-marci-mcdonald/">Canada</a> and the <a href="https://global.oup.com/academic/product/taking-america-back-for-god-9780190057886">United States</a> as distinctly Christian nations. As such, they look to fuse Canadian and American politics and civic life with a narrow conservative version of Christian culture and morality.</p>
<p>GraceLife’s leaders have accused churches following health restrictions of being <a href="https://gracelife.ca/mediaPlayer.php?id=5967&x=1621283285125">allied with “Caesar”</a>. A reference to the Roman Empire, which many Christians understand as being complicit in Jesus’ execution and a <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/products/the-myth-of-persecution-candida-moss?variant=32206054129698">persecutor of the early church</a>.</p>
<p>Coates has claimed the government does not have the right to protect us from death. His words <a href="https://gracelife.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Coates-2021-02-14-Directing-Govt-to-its-Duty.pdf">to this effect are quite chilling</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p><em>We live in a fallen world. Viruses and death are inevitable. A virus has unleashed on the world, God is sovereign over that virus. The effects of that virus are not the government’s responsibility. They do not have the responsibility to protect us from the virus. There is no culpability when someone dies from COVID‐19.</em></p>
</blockquote>
<p>Coates is trying to justify his dismissal of the pandemic and the death that inevitably comes with it.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A man walks down a road carrying a large wooden cross." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=393&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/402201/original/file-20210521-23-12ou2uu.JPG?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=494&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">GraceLife Church supporters rallied in mid-April to protest the closure of the church.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Challenging government authority has also led Coates and others who have joined this <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7851355/calgary-council-voters-list-candidate-doxxing-threats/">pandemic skeptic bandwagon</a> to target Alberta’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw and other healthcare workers. Coates says he has <a href="https://youtu.be/eY7CMPh78MA?t=4120">“demonstrated clearly that the threat to Alberta is not COVID-19. It is AHS”</a>. This language is dangerous and it places a target directly on AHS employees, who have <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/disturbing-graffiti-painted-outside-edmonton-ahs-office-1.5982686">already received threats</a>.</p>
<p>It will be a year or two before we can fully look into the financial benefits of pandemic denial through both Canadian Revenue Agency data and benefits gained though speaking fees and book deals. In the meantime, we do have examples of <a href="https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2020-11-08/la-pastor-mocks-covid-19-rules-church-members-ill">American churches</a> benefiting financially from pandemic denial and a GoFundMe setup to assist James Coates sits at over <a href="https://ca.gofundme.com/f/support-pastor-james">$45,000</a>.</p>
<p>Persecution stories are like currency in some Christian circles. In this case they are being used to produce actual currency. The public health charges, the arrest of church leaders, and the ongoing criticism of the church play into these narratives. </p>
<p>In sociology, we often note that privilege is more difficult to acknowledge than poverty. The fact that the Alberta government has allowed communities of faith to meet in person for most of the pandemic, albeit in a reduced capacity, while non-religious cultural communities have not, does not seem to cross the minds of Christian leaders like Coates. With GraceLife and other churches resisting health orders, their argument is not actually about persecution; it’s about keeping their privilege.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/161159/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>Robin Willey receives funding from the Social Science and Humanities Research Council of Canada. </span></em></p>Despite outbreaks, some church leaders in Alberta have continued to downplay the severity of COVID-19. Choosing to double down on pandemic skepticism.Robin Willey, Assistant professor, Sociology, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1601342021-05-12T17:18:43Z2021-05-12T17:18:43ZAnti-Black racism is not a ‘consensual schoolyard fight’<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399818/original/file-20210510-5598-1guaykz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=54%2C54%2C7059%2C3155&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The contradictory responses to the recent attack of a Black teenager in an Edmonton school demonstrate the urgent need for more equitable practices in schools. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>Last month a 14-year-old Black student at an Edmonton school was the <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/justice-for-pazo-rally-police-headquarters-1.6010880">victim of an attack</a>. In a video, several boys physically attack the student and call him the N-word. The incident left the boy in hospital with a concussion. The assault on the student was clearly a racist act, something community members and his family underscored. </p>
<p>The Edmonton Public School District called the incident a “<a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/students-involved-in-racist-assault-recommended-for-expulsion">hate-filled attack</a>” and have recommended expelling the perpetrators.</p>
<p>However, the Edmonton police called it a “<a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/edmonton-police-say-swarming-beating-of-black-teen-not-a-hate-crime-1.6008366">consensual school yard fight</a>.” Around 200 hundred people <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/justice-for-pazo-rally-police-headquarters-1.6010880">rallied</a> outside the police headquarters in Edmonton, <a href="https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/community-advocate-calls-for-hate-crime-laws-to-change-following-rosslyn-school-incident-1.5410074">calling on the police to retract their statement and apologize</a>. </p>
<p>The discrepancies between responses are not surprising. Police in Edmonton and across Canada have repeatedly misunderstood and stigmatized racialized communities.</p>
<p>A recent report on the death of Colten Boushie and the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7709025/colten-boushie-mother-discrimation-rcmp">treatment of his mother</a> called on police to address “out-of-date beliefs” which “<a href="https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/task-force-on-policing-and-racism-in-edmonton-releases-findings-1.5370034">take root in organizations and systems, influencing the way things are done</a>.” </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/watchdog-report-into-rcmp-investigation-of-colten-boushies-death-confirms-police-racism-158507">Watchdog report into RCMP investigation of Colten Boushie’s death confirms police racism</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Racism and oppression are not only entrenched in policing, but also other institutions like our school systems. </p>
<h2>Lack of diversity</h2>
<p>Current hiring practices within school systems do not reflect Black, Indigenous or People of Colour communities.</p>
<p>Data on the <a href="https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_clr.asp#:%7E:text=In%202017%E2%80%9318%2C%20about%2079,1%20percent%20of%20public%20school">demographics of educators</a> in the United States is reflected in our Alberta classrooms, meaning the majority of educators in Alberta are white <a href="https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b9f67a91-e513-4c9b-92ed-835f8b699485/resource/08422626-c422-4855-b7b5-359724e51eba/download/6084401-2013-02-transformation-in-progress-february-2013-final.pdf">females</a>.</p>
<p>Canada has <a href="https://www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-how-canadas-racial-data-gaps-can-be-hazardous-to-your-health-and/">limited data</a> on racialized individuals.</p>
<p>Where communities have documented experiences of Black students, such as in the Toronto District School Board, these students have <a href="https://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.pdf?x60002">described the negative effects of anti-Black racism they encounter at school</a>. Racialized data from the United States also tells us that compared to their peers, <a href="https://www.apa.org/monitor/2016/11/cover-inequality-school">Black children</a> are more likely to be treated differently within the education system. </p>
<p>When incidents occur, Black students are less likely to be given the benefit of the doubt or to be believed. They are more likely to be <a href="https://thewalrus.ca/canadian-education-is-steeped-in-anti-black-racism/">strictly punished</a> for minor transgressions, mislabelled as <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/apology-school-gang-affiliation-do-rag-1.5323862">troublesome</a>, or believed to have learning difficulties. </p>
<hr>
<p>
<em>
<strong>
Read more:
<a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-curb-anti-black-racism-in-canadian-schools-150489">How to curb anti-Black racism in Canadian schools</a>
</strong>
</em>
</p>
<hr>
<p>Implementing greater <a href="https://doi.org/10.25071/1705-1436.144">employment equity</a> in our school systems is a necessary step toward addressing the lack of representation. <a href="https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/e-5.401/page-1.html">Women, members of visible minorities, people with disabilities and Indigenous Peoples</a> combined make up over <a href="https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/corporate/portfolio/labour/programs/employment-equity/reports/2018-annual.html#h2.04">60 per cent of Canada’s labour force</a> and yet are minimally represented in the school system’s administration or classrooms despite a movement towards decolonizing our educational systems.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A teacher stands in front of a class of students." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=400&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399551/original/file-20210508-23-1nikatm.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=503&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Getting more racialized teachers in schools creates a more diverse school community where BIPOC students feel represented and heard.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The lack of diversity among educators is not reflective of the students in our schools. When Black and racialized people are employed in the school system, it creates a more diverse school community. Black people will have greater confidence in a system they feel represents them and stand a chance to benefit from these equitable practices.</p>
<p>Despite a focus on reconciliation and educators learning about colonial history, there remains a <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/4243508/calgary-indigenous-boy-braids-hair-school">lingering racism in schools</a>. </p>
<p>Simply talking about racism doesn’t make it go away. As anti-colonial scholar Kathryn McKittrick reminds us, “<a href="https://twitter.com/demonicground/status/1089248858876661760">description is not liberation</a>.” Movement towards racial equality cannot succeed through tokenistic practices like land acknowledgements by the same institutions where Black and Brown students are exposed to racism every day. </p>
<p>Instead of recognizing and addressing the serious issues in education, the government of Alberta has introduced a draft K-6 curriculum that <a href="https://edmonton.citynews.ca/2021/03/31/alberta-curriculum-under-fire-for-whitewashing-canadas-history/">white washes Canadian history</a>. A <a href="https://theconversation.com/leaked-alberta-school-curriculum-in-urgent-need-of-guidance-from-indigenous-wisdom-teachings-148611">white colonial history is being taught in the classroom</a> while racialized children experience its outcome in the school yard. This is despite a <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/bop-bashir-mohamed-luluu-anderson-black-history-prairies-1.5897499">long history of Black people in Alberta</a>.</p>
<h2>Impacts on mental health</h2>
<p>Anti-Black racism within the education system negatively impacts the <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7071297/racism-public-health-emergency-canada/">physical and mental well-being</a> of Black children.</p>
<p>Anti-Black racism can lead to chronic stress which is associated with changes in hormones that cause inflammation in the body, a marker of chronic disease. Chronic and prolonged traumatic experiences can change <a href="https://mentalhealthactionplan.ca/tools-resources/training/mental-health-training-framework/brain-development-impact-of-trauma/">children’s brain development</a>. Children may suffer from issues with self-confidence, social isolation and disrupted sleep and eating patterns.</p>
<figure class="align-center zoomable">
<a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img alt="A young girl writes in a notebook." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=398&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/399512/original/file-20210507-17-hw3v1n.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=501&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px"></a>
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">Racism can cause students to suffer low self-confidence, leave them feeling isolated and negatively impact their mental health.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Shutterstock)</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>The Canadian Public Health Association, in collaboration with seven provincial and territorial public health associations, has <a href="https://www.cpha.ca/racism-public-health-issue-canada-its-time-speak-out">declared racism a public health issue</a>. The association provided recommendations for agencies and organizations involved in education, research and the provision of health and social services to address systemic racism in Canada. </p>
<p>Some suggestions include: a system-wide review of regulations, policies, processes and practices to identify and remove any racist systems and approaches; providing mandatory anti-racism and anti-oppression training for all staff and volunteers; collect race and ethnicity data in an appropriate and sensitive manner; and monitor their organizations for stereotyping, discrimination and racist actions and take corrective actions.</p>
<p>When an education system and teachers do not understand the cultural context of the racialized children in their care, the supports they design and implement to help those children will miss the mark.</p>
<p>With this latest incident, the public schooling and policing systems have yet another opportunity to respond appropriately to racialized violence. The Black community is waiting.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/160134/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The recent attack on a Black teenager in an Edmonton school demonstrates that much more needs to be done to address racism in public institutions.Teresa Anne Fowler, Assistant Professor, Education, Concordia University of EdmontonCecilia Bukutu, Associate Professor, Public Health, Concordia University of EdmontonElizabeth Coker Farrell, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Management, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/1419222020-09-29T21:05:43Z2020-09-29T21:05:43ZRacism contributes to poor attendance of Indigenous students in Alberta schools: New study<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360608/original/file-20200929-22-1moccxz.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C42%2C2048%2C1223&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Rocks painted with the message "every child matters," commemorate Orange Shirt Day, Sept. 30, about creating meaningful discussion about the effects of Residential Schools and their legacy. </span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">(Province of British Columbia/Flickr)</span>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/">CC BY-NC-ND</a></span></figcaption></figure><p>Regular attendance in schools is a factor that affects <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30835245/">positive and healthy childhood development</a>. Students with poor school attendance are at an increased risk for a number of negative outcomes. Students who experience chronic stress, such as socio-economic disadvantage, mental health challenges or cultural marginalization, are at an increased risk for school absenteeism. </p>
<p>In Alberta, recent data from Rocky View Schools — the province’s <a href="https://www.rockyview.ab.ca/jurisdiction">fifth largest school board serving students west, north and east of Calgary</a> — suggest that of the population of students who identify as Indigenous within the district, 30 per cent can be considered chronically absent the 2017-18 school year. Of the population of on-reserve students attending Rocky View Schools, a staggering 80 per cent of all on-reserve students were chronically absent. Enrolment of on-reserve students has also decreased significantly in the past five years. </p>
<figure class="align-right ">
<img alt="" src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=462&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/296574/original/file-20191010-188819-17iz6s9.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=580&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption"></span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://theconversation.com/ca/topics/focus-truth-and-reconciliation-in-canada-77341">Click here for more articles in our ongoing series about the TRC Calls to Action.</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>These findings prompted Rocky View Schools to undertake further research, funded by Alberta Education, to examine this gap.</p>
<p>As a white educator who spent years teaching in kindergarten to Grade 12 schools, predominately in Rocky View Schools, I conducted <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/112217/Final%20Report%20RVS%20Attendance.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y">research</a> with my colleague Mairi McDermott to probe deeper into on-reserve Indigenous students’ attendance patterns. We used a mixed methods study that included education staff (teachers, educational assistants, administrators, guidance counsellors and central office staff) and families from the Stoney-Nakoda Nations whose children attended Rocky View Schools. Education staff completed an online survey, and families were interviewed in person.</p>
<p>We found a form of cross-cultural anxiety was a barrier to attendance. <a href="https://prism.ucalgary.ca/bitstream/handle/1880/112217/Final%20Report%20RVS%20Attendance.pdf?sequence=3&isAllowed=y">Cross-cultural misunderstandings compounded by educators’ unexamined white privilege and racism</a> are barriers to on-reserve Indigenous students’ school attendance.</p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_5PS5dLSMa4?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from Stoney Nakoda: Bearspaw Nation Treaty 7 Project.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>What Indigenous parents, teachers said</h2>
<p>Rocky View Schools serves the Stoney-Nakoda First Nations communities of <a href="https://www.stoneyeducation.ca/Bearspaw%20First%20Nation.php">Bearspaw</a>, <a href="https://www.treaty7.org/about">Chiniki</a> and <a href="https://www.treaty7.org/wesley-first-nation">Wesley</a>, as well as the <a href="https://tsuutinanation.com/">Tsuu T'ina</a> Nation.</p>
<p>Indigenous parents in the study reported that they chose to send their children to an off-reserve public school for increased access to specialized programs, such as mechanics, and special education support. </p>
<p>Parents felt that attending off-reserve schools would assist with children’s learning to bridge different cultural worldviews and might help them with future employment opportunities.</p>
<p>But parents said that sending their children to off-reserve schools also meant their children showed signs that they were experiencing racism. </p>
<p>One parent said they anticipated this, and wanted to gradually expose their children to the settler-colonial worldview and to gradually experience racism so it was not such a shock later in life. Another parent struggled to understand their eight-year-old child’s request for more sunscreen on a family vacation. The child said they did not want to return to school more brown. </p>
<p>Therefore parents say Indigenous or racialized students do not feel safe or a sense of belonging in schools.</p>
<p>Education staff who participated in the research overwhelmingly said they felt anxiety and mental health concerns were a key barrier to student attendance. The educators connected this to the legacy of residential schools. </p>
<p>One parent in our study said that this assumption by educators was demeaning and served only to delegate the issues of contemporary racism into the background. </p>
<p>Despite educators not recognizing this as a barrier, daily experiences of racism and a lack of cultural understandings are contributing to the poor attendance of on-reserve students.</p>
<p>Particularly given our findings about students’ experiences of racism, an important area for future research could be the attendance pattern of racialized students. </p>
<figure class="align-center ">
<img alt="A man holds up an orange shirt at a podium." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&rect=0%2C98%2C4383%2C2913&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=429&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360347/original/file-20200928-24-g7i3rr.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=539&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde holds up an Orange Shirt Day T-shirt as he speaks during the Honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony in Gatineau, Québec, in September 2019.</span>
<span class="attribution"><span class="source">THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang</span></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<h2>Current reconciliation education</h2>
<p>The teaching profession in Alberta is <a href="https://work.alberta.ca/documents/industry-profile-educational-services.pdf">70 per cent white and female</a>. Having an homogeneous teaching population in Alberta classrooms presents a challenge to reconciliation. If educators consistently see their own identities and perspectives reinforced, and are not encouraged to critically examine how white privilege shapes these, it limits educators’ capacities for perceiving Indigenous or racialized students’ experiences. </p>
<p>In Rocky View Schools, educator <a href="https://register.rockyview.ab.ca/public/">professional development</a> has focused on Indigenous education through increasing teachers’ knowledge about the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, residential schools and trauma. Activities have included the <a href="https://www.kairosblanketexercise.org/">blanket exercise</a> and examining teaching approaches. Indigenous scholars have spoken at leadership meetings and Elders have engaged with classrooms. </p>
<figure>
<iframe width="440" height="260" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Z5MryBoCccU?wmode=transparent&start=0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen=""></iframe>
<figcaption><span class="caption">Video from Rocky View Schools featuring Grade 4 students in dialogue with Saa'kokoto, Elder and Storyteller Randy Bottle.</span></figcaption>
</figure>
<p>However, there has been little attention paid to how forms of systemic racism and oppression remain ingrained in policy, curriculum and teaching or classroom practices in our current kindergarten to Grade 12 school system. </p>
<p>As I have explored in other research, beyond Rocky View Schools’ own professional development offerings, trends in teacher professional development are focused on <a href="https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cjnse/article/view/53057">self-reflective practices, which often ignore social structures and systemic forms of racism in schooling</a>. Narrow professional teacher education may in fact contribute to Indigenous student absenteeism. </p>
<h2>Being accountable</h2>
<figure class="align-left ">
<img alt="An orange T-shirt made of paper." src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=237&fit=clip" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=600&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/360609/original/file-20200929-18-1mg941h.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=754&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px">
<figcaption>
<span class="caption">A handmade paper orange T-shirt reads: ‘My reconcliation includes respect, humility, truth, courage, honour, love, wisdom, goals.</span>
<span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/">(Flickr/Delta Schools)</a>, <a class="license" href="http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/">CC BY</a></span>
</figcaption>
</figure>
<p>Making new and better commitments to how educational systems interact with Aboriginal communities was a key focus of <a href="http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf">the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action</a>. Who is accountable for its call towards truth and reconciliation?</p>
<p>While the ministries of education and the the Council of the Ministers of Education Canada, an intergovernmental body that works to support ministers of education, are engaged in <a href="https://cmec.ca/docs/108CMEC%20B.2%20CMEC%20Indigenous%20Education%20Plan%202019-22%20APP1%20EN%20POSTED%202019.07.15.pdf">work to prioritize Indigenous education</a>, on-reserve families we spoke with are not seeing improvements in their children’s educational experiences when attending off-reserve schools. The data from Rocky View Schools indicates that on-reserve students are not feeling safe or included in Alberta’s schools. </p>
<p>There is clearly more work to be done, and yet there remains a lack of accountability surrounding reconciliation to ensure educators are partners in removing barriers to accessing public education — rather than furthering the opportunity gap.</p><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/141922/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>This study was funded by Alberta Education and supported by Rocky View Schools.</span></em></p>A study in one Alberta school board found racism contributes to poor attendance of on-reserve Indigenous students in public schools, despite educators not recognizing this as a barrier.Teresa Anne Fowler, Assistant Professor, Education, Concordia University of EdmontonLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.tag:theconversation.com,2011:article/469972016-09-12T15:39:48Z2016-09-12T15:39:48ZWorld Social Forum: is another world being constructed without Africa?<figure><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/136266/original/image-20160901-1048-142me5t.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=496&fit=clip" /><figcaption><span class="caption">The World Social Forum believes 'Another World is Possible'.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">judygr/flickr</span></span></figcaption></figure><p>The 12th <a href="https://fsm2016.org/en/">World Social Forum</a> (WSF) was held in Montreal, Canada, in August 2016, bringing together 35,000 activists from social movements around the world. This was the first time in its history the forum had convened in the geopolitical <a href="https://fsm2016.org/sinformer">north</a>.</p>
<p>All participants, except those from the US and Europe, were required to obtain visas to enter Canada. This limited African participation as many were denied entry. The most prominent case was that of <a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/montreal-world-social-forum-aminata-traore-visa-denied-1.3712818">Aminata Traoré</a>, a former cabinet minister in Mali, head of a large NGO and a member of the WSF’s International Council. </p>
<p>In another notable case, one group from Nigeria reported that only five or their group of 25 obtained visas. This is despite year-long fundraising and successful participation in past forums. This led writer and translator Danica Jorden to <a href="https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/world-social-forum-in-montreal-another-world-is-once-again-being-constructed-without-africa/">observe</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Another world is once again being constructed without Africa. </p>
</blockquote>
<p>To put these comments in perspective we need to recall the origins, purpose and controversies of past forums. These kinds of controversies are not new, and each WSF inevitably reflects the concerns of the place where it is held. </p>
<p>The fact that this year’s forum was held in Canada is not a sign of Africa’s exclusion but rather an indicator that the negative impacts of neoliberal capitalism are globalising – and that the struggle needs to globalise with them.</p>
<h2>Alternative to the World Economic Forum</h2>
<p>The World Social Forum was founded in 2001 to counter the World Economic Forum (WEF) – an annual gathering of powerful corporate and political elites held in Davos, Switzerland. </p>
<p>While the WEF purports to tackle global challenges such as inequality and climate change, it works to further corporate globalisation, which some would <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/jan/23/davos-plutocracts-politicians-deserve-contempt">argue</a> is at the root of these problems.</p>
<p>In contrast, the WSF is:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>… an open meeting place for reflective thinking, democratic debate of ideas and formulation of proposals.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Under the theme <a href="https://fsm2016.org/en/sinformer/a-propos-du-forum-social-mondial/">“Another World is Possible”</a>, activists can gather and provide critiques and alternatives to neoliberal corporate globalisation. </p>
<p>Founded by European and Brazilian global justice activists, the first WSF was held in Porto Alegre, Brazil, in a city and province controlled by sympathetic leftist governments. It quickly grew, attracting more than 100,000 participants annually. </p>
<p>From 2004 these forums were held outside Brazil for the first time on a biannual basis. Local, national and regional forums also mushroomed around the world. </p>
<h2>A diverse history of exclusion and incorporation</h2>
<p>Social forums from the beginning generated controversies over who was included and excluded. For example, at the 2007 WSF in Nairobi, poverty activists who felt economically excluded crashed the gates of the forum, which led to free access for the marginalised from the slums. </p>
<p>In another case, it was <a href="http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/464">argued</a> that certain voices were too dominant – for example northern NGOs with access to resources that many grassroots movements in the global south lack.</p>
<p>These and other challenges of inclusion have been progressively overcome with the gradual incorporating of marginalised voices – women, indigenous peoples and Dalits (India’s so-called untouchables). </p>
<p>Every WSF reflects the local realities and concerns of the region where it is held. This is indeed the point of moving the forum. At any forum event, about 80% of participants will be from the local region, with the balance drawn from the rest of the world.</p>
<p>Since 2006, <a href="http://jwsr.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/jwsr/article/view/459">Africa</a> has hosted the second-largest number of forums, including global events in Bamako, Mali, Nairobi, Kenya, Dakar, Senegal, Tunis and Tunisia. WSFs in Nairobi, Dakar and Tunis tackled issues such as debt, HIV/AIDS, migration, land-grabbing, democracy and the Arab Spring. </p>
<p>The WSF in Montreal reflected issues specific to the region, including resource extraction, pipeline expansion, climate justice and the situation of indigenous peoples. But, issues affecting many regions of Africa were also addressed, such as land-grabbing, a major issue in sub-Saharan Africa, the rights of women and the impact of extractive industries in the south.</p>
<h2>African presence in Montreal</h2>
<p>What was the reality on the ground in terms of African presence and participation in Montreal? Using the WSF online program and search function we can provide a rough estimate. </p>
<p>Of the 1,200 self-organised events, 16, including two conferences, were focused on African issues. These included questions of democracy in Africa, human rights and migration, peace and development, decolonisation, health, poverty, climate justice, womens’ land rights and food security. Of these, 13 had African speakers and organisations sponsoring the session – less than 2% of all sessions. </p>
<p>There was never any question that participation from the south would fall by holding the forum in Montreal, given the visa restrictions as well as the costs of accommodation and travel. It was the concerns about this that led some to question the legitimacy of holding the forum in Montreal.</p>
<h2>Globalising the struggle</h2>
<p>One African activist <a href="https://zcomm.org/znetarticle/world-social-forum-in-montreal-another-world-is-once-again-being-constructed-without-africa/">argued</a>:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>Africans should commit to launching an African Social Forum to compensate for their absence at the WSF 2016.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Another approach may be to use this moment to think about global social justice in a more holistic way. The decision to hold the forum in Montreal does not suggest the concerns of the south and Africa have been marginalised. Rather, it highlights there has been a shift in the impact of neoliberalism. </p>
<p>Austerity, debt, and cutbacks to public services are no longer restricted to the south but have come north. These new realities sparked off the spontaneous <em>indignado</em> protests that began in May 2011 in Madrid. </p>
<p>Inspired by the Arab Spring, the indignant activists gathered at a square in Madrid to protest against austerity. Inequality and the power of the 1% were rallying points for the Occupy! movement, which began in September 2011 with the occupation of Zuccotti Park near New York’s Wall Street financial district. These protests spread across many cities in North America and Europe.</p>
<p>As one Montreal organiser <a href="http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2016/08/world-social-forum-summit-calls-global-cooperation/">notes</a>, the division of north and south when it comes to global justice is simplistic. The second-richest man on the planet (just behind Bill Gates) is <a href="http://www.forbes.com/sites/chasewithorn/2015/03/02/forbes-billionaires-full-list-of-the-500-richest-people-in-the-world-2015/#2b9d690616e3link">Mexican</a> and corporations from the south are engaging in <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/poverty-matters/2013/feb/25/indian-land-grabs-ethiopia">land-grabbing</a> in sub-Saharan Africa. </p>
<p>The plight of indigenous people in Canada, as many WSF participants in Montreal learned, has many parallels to the challenges affecting the most marginalised in the south. Injustice in the north and south are structurally and inseparably linked. </p>
<p>As Father John Patrick Ngoyi – a Nigerian religious leader and WSF activist – noted:</p>
<blockquote>
<p>We have a north and a south, even though in different proportions. The struggle must indeed be globalised!</p>
</blockquote><img src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/46997/count.gif" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" />
<p class="fine-print"><em><span>The authors do not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and have disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.</span></em></p>The decision to hold the 2016 World Social Forum in Canada made it inaccessible to many activists from the geopolitical south. But it also highlighted the false simplicity of the north-south dichotomy in social justice activism.Elizabeth Smythe, Professor of Political Science, Concordia University of EdmontonPeter Jay Smith, Professor of Political Science, Athabasca UniversityLicensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.