Equity Issues Subcommittee
2026-2027 Subcommittee members
Pouya Morshedi, Memorial University (Chair)
Jessica Braimoh, York University
Tuğçe Ellialtı-Köse, University of Guelph
Foroogh Mohammadi, Acadia University
Dean Ray, York University
The Equity Issues Subcommittee provides leadership and guidance on matters related to equity and social justice by monitoring emerging issues, advising the Association, facilitating communication and collaboration, and supporting initiatives that advance equitable practices across the Association's activities.
Mandate:
• Bring current and emerging issues of concern dealing with equity and injustice to the attention of the association and members
• Communicate relevant resources to the membership and broader community through the Association
• Assign members to other Association committees (Awards, Conference Program, Nominations, etc)
• Organize special sessions on Equity issues at the annual conference and/or as part of the Association webinar series
Subcommittee News
Coming soon
Subcommittee Activities
Members:
Foroogh Mohammadi, Acadia University - Co-chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Kristen Hardy, University of Winnipeg - Co-chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Pouya Morshedi, Acadia University
Dean Ray, York University
Jessica Braimoh, York University
This year, the Equity Issues Subcommittee engaged in the following activities:
1. Annual Conference Sessions 2026
(EQS1a) Spatial [In]Justice, Power, and Everyday Life I & (EQS1b) Spatial [In]Justice, Power, and Everyday Life II
Organizers: Pouya Morshedi, Memorial University; Kristen Hardy, University of Winnipeg; Jessica Braimoh, York University; Foroogh Mohammadi, Acadia University; and Dean Ray, York University
Chairs: Pouya Morshedi, Memorial University; Dean Ray, York University
(EQS2) Got Pretendians? The Quandaries, Costs, and Consequences of Indigenous Identity Fraud
Organizers: Dean Ray, York University; Angele Alook, York University; Jeff Denis, McMaster University
2. Contribution to other CSA Committees
Dean Ray represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Conference Program Committee. All members participated in the Conference Session planning.
3. Feedback on proposed CSA governance model recommendations.
Members of the Equity Issues Subcommittee met with the CSA President and the Executive Director in November 2025 to offer feedback on the AD HOC Governance Committee Report. Dr. Dean Ray also offered detailed written feedback to the CSA on this in advance of this meeting.
4. Consultation on demographic questions Members of the Equity Issues Subcommittee met with the Executive Director in November 2025 to offer feedback on potential changes to the demographic questions that the CSA asks members to complete, with a focus on aligning the CSA’s data needs with up-to-date terminology and categories.
5. Webinars
A) On April 28th, 2026, the Equity Issues Subcommittee, in partnership with the Student Concerns Subcommittee, hosted an interactive webinar, “‘Where Does This Paper Even Go? A Survival Guide to Interdisciplinary Publishing,” featuring Dr. Alan Santinele Martino (University of Calgary). Over thirty people attended.
B) Planned for May 11th, 2026, is a second webinar organized by the Equity Issues Subcommittee, titled, “The Future of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion: A Critical Dialogue,” featuring Dr. Adia Harvey Wingfield (Washington University) and Sean Hillier (York University), to be moderated by Dr. Foroogh Mohammadi and Dr. Jessica Braimoh.
Jessica Braimoh, York University - Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Foroogh Mohammadi, Acadia University
Kristen Hardy, University of Winnipeg
This year, the Equity Issues Subcommittee engaged in the following activities:
1. Annual Conference Session 2025
Social Justice and Public Health
Organizers: Equity Issues Subcommittee
2. Contribution to other CSA Committees
• Foroogh Mohammadi represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Nominations Committee.
• Kristen Hardy represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Awards Committee.
• Jessica Braimoh represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Conference Program Committee and helped with adjudication of the Student Merit Award.
• All members participated in the Conference Session planning and the virtual teaching workshop.
3. Advocacy for Student Travel Grant Program
The Equity Issues Subcommittee advocated for the $1000 allocated to our conference plenary organizing to be redistributed to the CSA Student Travel Grant program.
4. Collaboration with other CSA Committees
On February 19, 2025, the Equity Issues Subcommittee, alongside the Student Concerns Subcommittee, hosted an interactive webinar, “Reframing Togetherness: Equity Focused, Anti-Oppressive Classrooms in Challenging Times.”
Two invited speakers shared their insights: Nadiya Nur Ali (Trent University), Jayne Malenfant (McGill University). Thirty-one people attended the workshop. This event received funding by the Canadian Sociological Association and the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences' EDID Initiatives Fund'.
Members:
Jessica Braimoh, York University - Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Kristen Hardy, University of Ottawa/Brandon University
Mathieu Lizotte, University of Ottawa
Kristen Lozanski, King’s University College, Western University
Maureen Kihika, Simon Fraser University
Pedrom Nasiri, University of Calgary
This year, the Equity Issues Subcommittee engaged in the following activities:
i. Annual Conference Sessions 2024
• (EQS2) Responding to Homelessness and Hate
Organizers: Equity Issues Subcommittee
• (ENV5) Decolonization, Social Justice, and the Environment
Organizers: Environmental Sociology Research Cluster and the Equity Issues Subcommittee
ii. Committee Service
Members represented the Subcommittee on various CSA and other Committees.
• Annual Conference Program Committee – Kristen Hardy
• Nominations Committee – Kristin Lozanski
• Best Student Paper Award Committee – Kristen Hardy
• Early Investigator Award Committee – Pedrom Nasiri
• Global Sociology Book Award Committee – Maureen Kihika
• Outstanding Contribution Award Committee – Pedrom Nasiri
• Conference Plenary Committee – Mathieu Lizotte and Jessica Braimoh
• Student Mentor Program – Jessica Braimoh
iii. Advocacy for Student Travel Grant Program
The Equity Issues Subcommittee advocated for the $1000 allocated to our conference plenary organizing to be redistributed to the CSA Student Travel Grant program.
iv. Webinar collaboration with other CSA Committees
• Palestine and Critical Pedagogy Considerations for the Classroom (December 2023)
Organized by Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee and co-sponsored by the Equity Subcommittee (180 members registered for this event).
• Challenging Colonial and Racialized Inequities in Higher Education
Organized by the Policy, Ethics, and Professional Concerns Subcommittee and co-sponsored by the Equity Subcommittee (120 members registered for the event).
Members:
Kristen Lozanski, King’s University College, Western University - Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Pedrom Nasiri, University of Calgary
Jessica Braimoh, York University
Bobby Henry, University of Saskatchewan
Maureen Kihika, Simon Fraser University
Alan Martino, University of Calgary
1. Equity Subcommittee sessions for Congress 2023
The Equity Issues Subcommittee invited Dr. Eve Tuck (OISE) to present her work in a keynote address, co-sponsored by the Canadian Association for the Study of Indigenous Education. Dr.Tuck’s presentation, entitled “Enlivening the Practice of Collaborative Indigenous Research: A new digital garden,” for which we were successful in obtaining support to Congress' Open Programming Fund to share Dr. Tuck’s beyond the CSA Conference.
Alan Martino and Jessica Braimoh, on behalf of the Equity Subcommittee, have organized a panel entitled “Re-Imagining Justice Research Towards a Desire-Based Approach.”
2. Collaborations
• Pedrom Nasiri represented the Equity Issues and the Student Concerns Subcommittees on the Conference Program Committee
• Maureen Kihika represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Awards Committee
• Alan Martino represented the Equity Issues Subcommittee on the Nominations Committee
• Pedrom Nasiri and Kristin Lozanski served on the Congress Student Merit Award adjudication committee
Members:
Kristen Lozanski, King’s University College, Western University - Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Ayesha Mian Akram, Windsor University
Jessica Braimoh, York University
Bobby Henry, University of Saskatchewan
Maureen Kihika, Simon Fraser University
Alan Martino, University of Calgary
Throughout the year, the subcommittee worked closely with Dr. Irene Shankar (past Chair of the Equity Subcommittee; current President-Elect). We are grateful for her energy and contributions.
1. Equity Subcommittee sessions for Congress 2022:
The Equity Subcommittee has organized the following panels for May’s virtual conference:
i. Navigating Parenting as an Academic during and ‘after’ the Pandemic
Chair: Jessica Braimoh, York University
ii. The Consequences of Igniting Change on University Campuses
Chair: Maureen Kihika, Simon Franser University
2. Equity Policy:
Kristin Lozanski and Irene Shankar continued to work towards a final iteration of the CSA Operating Standards and Principles on Equity, which was compiled by the Equity Subcommittee and circulated to the Black Caucus and the Decolonization Subcommittee in 2020-21. It was brought forward for approval to the CSA Executive in May 2022. This document has been revised significantly to incorporate the input of members of the CSA Executive, along with the members of the Equity Subcommittee (2020-21; 2021-2022). We are especially grateful to Dr. Shankar’s continuing commitment to this project and to Sherry Fox’s outstanding support through this process.
3. Collaborations:
Equity Subcommittee members participated on Awards Committees as follows:
• Alan Martino – Global Sociology Award; Outstanding Contribution Award
• Maureen Kihika – Best Student Paper Award; Early Investigator Award
• Bobby Henry – Congress Graduate Student Merit Award
Additionally, Jessica Braimoh represented the Subcommittee on the Nominations Committee and Bobby Henry on the Conference Program Committee.
Members:
Irene Shankar, Mount Royal University - Chair and member of the CSA Executive Committee
Gülden Özcan, University of Lethbridge
Bobby Henry, University of Saskatchewan
Kristin Lozanski, Kings University
Carieta Thomas, University of Calgary
Amongst the demands of pandemic, the committee completed several initiatives:
1. CSA conference sessions from last year were moved to this year. The committee continued to finalize the logistics and correspond with the panelist. Jeffery Denis (chair of the subcommittee from last year) provided continued planning and coordination of these panels. Thank you, Dr. Denis. The following panels were organized by this subcommittee:
i. “We are dropping like flies”: The professional and physiological implications of doing equity work
ii. Beyond equity policy: Searching for institutional procedures and practices that support Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) faculty
iii. Best Practices in Teaching about Racism and Colonialism: Pedagogies for Pursing Racial Justice and Decolonization.
iv. “Resisting Racism and Colonialism in Sociology” on June 3rd of 2021 has been organized by Irene Shankar and Kristin Lozanski
2. Webinar
Organized Navigating the Path to Tenure and Promotion in White Academy Webinar. This webinar was originally formulated by Gulden and organized with active collaboration of the committee. Kristin Lozanski moderated the session and the panelists included Drs. Xiaobei Chen (Carleton University), Enaskhi Dua (York University), Cora Voyageur (University of Calgary) and Irene Shankar (Mount Royal University).
3. Resources
• Carieta Thomas (cross listed with Student Concerns Committee) prepared a resource guide on race and sociology and is chairing a session on intersectional inequalities at upcoming conference.
• Kristin Lozanski completed the first draft of an equity statement and moderated webinar discussed above.
4. Collaborations
• Worked with the Black Caucus and Decolonization Subcommittee to draft an Equity statement.
• Successfully reconfigured the subcommittee membership, through a motion to the CSA executive.
• Bobby Henry participated in the Conference Program and Nominations Committees
• Gülden Özcan represented the Equity subcommittee on Mentorship Programme for Black, Indigenous and Racialized Graduate Students.
• Assisted the CSA executive emerging organizational issues.