(PLN3) Challenging hate in Canada: The role of sociologists

Hate incidents are on the rise in Canada. From Islamophobia to anti-semitism and hate-fuelled crimes against Black people and sexual minorities, evidence of the upsurge appears in reports from governmental and non-governmental entities. What is the role of sociologists in combating ideologies of hate at the macro, meso and micro-sociological levels? How may academics in general and sociologists in particular engage in pedagogies, research and other social activities that may contribute to reducing or eliminating hate in society?  This panel is designed to help unpack this issue and engender understanding of the role of sociologists in combating hate.

Moderator: Dr. Temitope Oriola, University of Alberta and President of the Canadian Sociological Association

Dr. Temitope Oriola is professor of criminology/sociology and associate dean in the Faculty of Arts, University of Alberta. He is an exemplary scholar and public intellectual known for field-defining sociological research on terrorism and policing, leadership and service to his discipline, and commitment to mobilizing knowledge in support of informed public debate. Internationally, he is known for his work on terrorism studies. In Canada, Professor Oriola’s scholarship focuses on policing and use of force. A decorated researcher and teacher, he has received multiple national and international recognitions and is also one of Canada’s most sought-after public intellectuals on police reform. He has served as special adviser to the Government of Alberta on Police Act Review. He is currently a member of the Board of Directors, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences and a columnist with the Edmonton Journal while serving as the President of the Canadian Sociological Association.

Panelists:

Dr. Xiaobei Chen, Carleton University

Xiaobei Chen is Professor of Sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. She is Past-President of the Canadian Sociological Association (2021-2022). Her research and teaching interests include: sociology of childhood and youth, governance and power, citizenship, racism, colonialism, citizenship, Asian diasporas especially the Chinese diaspora, and Buddhist social thought. Her latest book is a co-edited volume The Sociology of Childhood and Youth in Canada. Her current research and community engagement are focused on anti-Asian racism and Sinophobia.

Dr. Neil McLaughlin, McMaster University

Dr. Neil McLaughlin teaches sociological theory and social psychology at McMaster University. He studies the sociology of ideas, political sociology and public intellectuals. His book Erich Fromm and Global Public Sociology (Bristol University Press) was published in paperback in 2023. He is studying conspiracy theories directed at American philanthropist George Soros, the rise of right wing internet figures in Canada, the political implications of the structure of higher education funding in the United States and Canada, and the Jordan Peterson phenomenon.

Dr. Justin Tetrault, University of Alberta

Dr. Justin Tetrault is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of Alberta, Augustana campus. His research focuses on social movements, political theory, qualitative methods, decolonization, and prisons. Justin studies Canadian nationalism and has published on right-wing extremism and hate crime in Current Sociology and the British Journal of Criminology. Much of this work critiques the dominant “countering violent extremism” approach to studying far-right politics. Justin is also a senior researcher and project manager of the University of Alberta Prison Project, a multi-year study of life experiences of imprisoned people. Through this work, Justin has published on multiculturalism and prison gangs in Sociology and decolonizing prisons in Crime and Justice and Incarceration. His current work examines the obstacles Indigenous people face upon release from prison. Justin is a proud citizen of the Manitoba Métis Nation.

Additional panelists pending

 

Organizateur: Sherry Fox, CSA