Coloniality and Racial (In)Justice in the University: Counting for Nothing?

by Sunera Thobani (Editor)

Coloniality and Racial (In)Justice in the University examines the disruption and remaking of the university at a moment in history when white supremacist politics have erupted across North America, as have anti-racist and anti-colonial movements. Situating the university at the heart of these momentous developments, this collection debunks the popular claim that the university is well on its way to overcoming its histories of racial exclusion. Written by faculty and students located at various levels within the institutional hierarchy, this book demonstrates how the shadows of settler colonialism and racial division are reiterated in "newer" neoliberal practices. Drawing on critical race and Indigenous theory, the chapters challenge Eurocentric knowledge, institutional whiteness, and structural discrimination that are the bedrock of the institution. The authors also analyse their own experiences to show how Indigenous dispossession, racial violence, administrative prejudice, and imperialist militarization shape classroom interactions within the university.

422 pages, Paperback

Published November 8, 2021

Reviews

[Georgia · Rating 5 out of 5]

While I can only comment on this book through a white gaze, I really enjoyed(is that the right word?) the academic look at anti indigenous racism and colonialism in Canadian universities and I very much liked learning a bit more about how white fragility and supremacy play a role in these institutions and how they educate their students.

The discussion of performative activism and how even institutions that promote themselves as being open to hearing all points of view still insist that students not get too angry and not share too much really resonated with me. Can't risk angering those rich white donors, am I right?

Thanks to NetGalley and the University of Toronto for this ARC.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This essay collection is essential reading for people within the academy in Canada or the US, either as a grad student, teacher, or staff, who are devoted to anti-racism. It unpacks many of the ways white supremacy resides in the bones of academic structures. All universities are built on indigenous land that was rarely, if ever, ceded to white colonizers. Starting with that realization in the introduction by Sunera Thobani, the collection builds to examine different facets of colonial and racist power structures within the university.

If you can only read two chapters, read ross's and Haritaworn's. annie ross's hefty chapter "Don’t Cry, Fight! vs. Deference to the Corporate State" brims with insights on each of its many pages. ross's insights about the "omnicide" of corporations and their university brethren traces the killings of animals and plants in the quest for profit. This quest, alongside their disregard for indigenous human life, creates a need to fight the corporate state, not to seek reconciliation with it. Jin Haritaworn's "Dreaming Big in Small Spaces" is an action plan for changing the shape of the university in ways that allow for scholars of color to exist.

Much recent work has focused on how white supremacy created modern ides of gender around whiteness, and the ways that negatively affects everyone, but especially BIPOC and nonbinary people. "The State Is a Man" articulates how white feminists will often side with white supremacy in the academy against observations and arguments from faculty of color. Of the main four categories covered by common diversity efforts, gender has come the farthest, but only in the instances of white women. These women perhaps unintentionally fall into racist tropes of accusing WOC of bullying and harassing them about issues regarding race, which silences and negates the arguments being presented (for more on this, look into white tears, white fragility, etc). Similarly, Bunjun's chapter "Interrogating White Supremacy in Academia" examines how students react in similar manners to faculty teaching about the history of racism in Canada. Student evaluations compare BIPOC scholars to their white peers, and judge them as angry and harsh. Blain's "How Canadian Universities Fail Black Non-Binary Students" explains that the gender binary is a construct of the heteropatriarchy, that limits "womanness" to those who resemble normative white women. They also explore the ways black-focused university clubs can exclude queer participants, and LGBTQ+ clubs can exclude BIPOC students, leaving black nonbinary students unable to fully explore all facets of their identity.

Though I haven't talked about all the chapters, every single one is worth a close read. Most of the chapters discuss Canadian universities, but not without insights useful for those in the US academy. The collection is available in paperback and ebook for an affordable price, making it also accessible to more scholars. Bose's chapter on the economic precarity of adjunct instructors possibly positively influenced this decision; adjuncts can't afford expensive scholarly texts. I really encourage everyone to read this book, even if you are new on your anti-racist journey or skeptical of the need for going on one.

I was provided an ARC through Netgalley for a fair and honest review.

[Violet Laflamme · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was initially attracted to this collection both because of the subject matter and because I saw Jin Haritaworn's name. However, what I didn't know is how amazing it was going to be.

I think this is essential reading for anybody who seeks to understand how settler colonialism is reproduced in North America. I saw another review saying it was good for grad students, lecturers, and professors but I believe undergrad students could also benefit a lot from reading this book. Although empathizing with those teaching us is a noble goal, not for that reason. Instead, undergraduate students, particularly white cis undergraduate students, should read it in order to understand how students of all levels also play a huge role in reproducing these inequalities.

I'd recommend this to pretty much any academic with even a passing interest in neocolonial studies.

[Carol Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edited volume brings together a number of scholars from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. It was a good overview of issues for someone seeking to refamiliarize themselves with the Canadian higher education landscape. The chapter by Enakshi Dua on data was especially interesting. #NetGalleyARC

[TKP · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not one for me, unfortunately. It is a well written book but a bit too academic and dry for my tastes.