The Researchers and Academics of Colour for Equality/Equity (R.A.C.E.) Network is a nonprofit association of First Nations, Inuit, Métis and Non-status Indians and people of colour who, in collaboration with allies, are engaged in critical anti-racist, anti-colonial and feminist scholarship and praxis in the academy, nongovernmental organizations and the wider society.
A HISTORY OF R.A.C.E.
The Vancouver based Race And Gender Teaching and Advocacy Group (RAGTAG) organized a National Conference and Consultation on furthering Race and Gender studies in Canada in May, 2001. RAGTAG is a voluntary group of anti-racist activists from various academic institutions and community organizations committed to contesting dominant race and gender relations in our teaching and learning.
This first Conference and Consultation were held at the University of British Columbia, and approximately two hundred academics and community activists participated in the events and adopted the following three recommendations at the national consultation:
1. Organize a national conference on critical race and gender issues on an annual basis;
2. Develop a national association for Indigenous peoples and people of colour academics and researchers to promote critical race and anti-colonial scholarship; and
3. Build networks at the regional level to work toward achieving equality/equity in the academy, NGOs and the broader society.
A national steering committee was elected at that time to work on implementing the recommendations.
National Steering Committee The Steering Committee of the R.A.C.E. Network is made up of the following academics and activists:
- Dr. Sedef Arat-Koc, Associate Professor Political Science and Public Administration, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario
- Dr. Yasmin Jiwani, Associate Professor, Communications Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
- Dr. Lynn Lavallée, Assistant Professor, Social Work, Ryerson University, Toronto, Ontario
- Dr. Gada Mahrouse, Assistant Professor, Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec
- Dr. Tanisha Ramachandran, Assistant Professor, Department of Religion, Wake Forest University, North Carolina
- Dr. Sherene Razack, Professor, Sociology and Equity Studies, OISE, University of Toronto, Ontario
- Dr. Malinda S. Smith, Associate Professor, Political Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta.
- Dr. Sunera Thobani, Associate Professor, Women’s and Gender Studies, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Our goals are to:
• Foster and promote critical anti-racist, anti-colonial and feminist thought
• Foster a critical conversation and produce a body of Canadian anti-racist, anti-colonial and feminist scholarship
• Foster a critical conversation and produce a body of work on decoloniality and Canada
• Create opportunities and foster networks among First Nations, Inuit, Métis and people of colour academics and researchers with the aim of cultivating a more equitable
environment for the production of research, teaching and scholarship
• Pursue institutional support for Indigenous peoples and communities of colour
• Provide mentoring and other support to Indigenous peoples and communities of colour within the academy
Annual Critical Race Studies Conferences:
In 2002, the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies (CIARS) organized the second annual Canadian Critical Race Conference as directed at the RAGTAG conference. This conference drew 350 participants and there were over eighty scholars of colour presenting papers. Students participated massively and were conference presenters as well.
Following the OISE conference, a coalition organized the Canadian Critical Race Conference at the University of British Columbia in May, 2003. This conference, which drew approximately 400 participants, helped to further expand the RACE Network.
On April 29 to May 1, 2004, the Centre for Feminist Studies, York University hosted the third annual Critical Race Conference, “Race, Racism, and Empire: Reflections on Canada,” which led to a special issue of the journal Social Justice. http://www.socialjusticejournal.org/Abstracts/32_4Abstracts.html
On April 1 and 2, 2005, the James R. Johnston Chair in Black Studies, Professor David Divine, co-hosted the fourth annual Canadian Critical Race conference in Halifax Nova Scotia on the theme, “Racial Violence and the Colour Line of the New World Order.” http://jamesrjohnstonchair.dal.ca/Racial_Violence_and_.php
On May 4-6, 2006, the Canada Research Chair in Social Justice and Aboriginal Education, Professor Carol Schick co-hosted the fifth annual critical race studies conference in Regina entitled the Race/Culture Divide in Education, Law and the Helping Professions.
http://www.uregina.ca/news/newsreleases.php?release=163
On May 3-4, 2007, Professor Sherene Razack from Sociology and Equity Studies at OISE, University of Toronto, co-hosted the seventh annual Critical Race Studies Conference at OISE, University of Toronto, entitled “Transnational Racism: ‘The Right to Have Rights’.”
http://www.rabble.ca/babble/anti-racism-news-and-initiatives/conference-transnational-racism-and-quotthe-right-have-right
November 14-16, 2008 the conference was organized by Dr. Sedaf Arat-Koç at Ryerson University in Toronto. The theme was “Race-ing Hegemonies, Resurging Imperialisms: Building Anti-Racist and Anti-Colonial Theory and Practice for Our Times.” http://www.arts.ryerson.ca/raceconf/
June 5-7, 2009 the conference, “Compassion, Complicity and Conciliation: The Politics, Cultures and Economies of Doing Good,” was jointly organized by Dr. Yasmin Jiwani and Dr. Gada Mahrouse at Concordia University and Dr. Charmaine Nelson at McGill University, Montreal with the assistance of Dr. Aziz Choudhry and Dr. Mike Doxtator also at McGill University. http://sites.google.com/site/criticalracemontreal/Home
October 8-10, 2010 the tenth Anti-Racism and Critical Race Studies Conference, “Race-Making and the State: Between Postracial Neoliberalism and Racialized Terrorism” will be hosted by Dr. Malinda S Smith at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada. http://www.criticalraceconference.arts.ualberta.ca
