Gender Studies at Queen's University
Welcome to Dr. Juliane Okot Bitek
Black Studies, Gender Studies, and English are delighted to share Juliane Okot Bitek will be joining us as Assistant Professor of Black Creative Writing! Juliane is a poet-scholar whose 100 Days, a collection of poetry on how to remember the 1994 Rwanda Genocide, won the 2017 Glenna Luschie Prize for African Poetry and the 2017 INDIEFAB Book of the Year (Poetry) award. It was also nominated for several writing prizes. Juliane's most recent writings include: "What Choices between Nightmares: Intersecting Local, Global and Intimate Stories of Pain in Peacebuilding" Peacebuilding and the Arts (Palgrave/MacMillan, 2020); "Conversations at the Crossroads: Indigenous and Black Writers Talk" Ariel: A Review of International English Literature (2020) and "Treachery as Colonial Intent: A Poetic Response Critical African Studies (2021).
The 2021-22 course timetable has been posted on SOLUS. Our Undergraduate Courses page has been updated to include all 2021-22 course offerings. Contact the Undergraduate Office if you have any questions.
Welcome to Dr. Vanessa Thompson and Dr. Daniel McNeil
Black Studies is delighted to welcome Dr. Vanessa Thompson and Dr. Daniel McNeil to Queen’s University as Queen’s National Scholars! Dr. McNeil has formally started his position and will begin teaching in the fall; Dr. Thompson begins January 2022. They will develop and extend interdisciplinary research programs that attend to abolition and solidarity building in the diaspora, cultural production, critical multiculturalism, and anti-colonial thought. Drs. Thompson and McNeil will contribute to the administration of the Minor in Black Studies and develop transnational and cross-national networks, mentorship hubs, and courses in global black studies.
In sorrow and solidarity with our Indigenous neighbours, students, staff and colleagues
The Department of Gender Studies stands in sorrow with our Indigenous neighbors, students, staff and colleagues in these terrible days. We send our sympathy to the families of the 751 Indigenous children and adults whose remains have been revealed on the grounds of the Marieval Indian Residential “School” in SK, barely one month since the discovery of the remains of the children at Tk'emlúps te Secwépemc First Nation.
Following the words from Cindy Blackstock, we call upon the government to stop fighting First Nations kids and residential school survivors in court and to stop blocking the creation of statistical reports on residential school abuse claims and the direct transfer of other records to the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation. The genocidal violence of the Canadian state and the institution of the Catholic church will not end while these basic principles go unheeded.
Those seeking support may wish to contact the Office of Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation or Four Directions, both on campus, as well as:
Support for Residential School Survivors and their Families:
24-hour crisis line for residential school survivors: 1 (866) 925-4419
First Nations & Inuit Hope for Wellness, 24/7 Help Line: 1 (855) 242-3310
The Indian Residential School Survivors Society toll free line: 1 (800) 721-0066
- Alberta: 1 (888) 495-6588
- British Columbia: 1 (877) 477-0775
- Territories: 1 (800) 464-8106
- Manitoba: 1 (866) 818-3505
- Saskatchewan: 1 (866) 250-1529
- Ontario: 1 (888) 301-6426
- Quebec: 1 (877) 583-2965
- Atlantic Provinces: 1 (866) 414-8111
Crisis Services Canada: 1-833-456-4566 or text 45645
Kids Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
Native Youth Crisis Hotline: 1-877-209-1266
Congratulations to the Class of 2021!
Statement on Islamophobia in Canada
The Department of Gender Studies would like to express its great sorrow and anger about the horrific mass murder of three generations of a Muslim family in London, ON. We have no tolerance for Islamophobia or white supremacist hatred and violence. As we mourn the lives lost to yet another despicable racist attack, we stand by all the Muslim members of our communities. We call on Queen’s University and our political leaders —municipal, provincial and federal—to develop a strategy to eradicate anti-Muslim racism, to make our campus and our society safe and welcoming for Muslims. In the words of the National Council of Canadian Muslims, let "sorrow be the ground where we stand for justice and stand for change."
For those who would like to learn more about the systemic nature of Islamophobia in Canada, and Canadians’ responses of apathy and denial, we recommend Dr. Adnan Hussain’s podcast interview with Dr. Jasmin Zine, entitled “The Canadian Islamophobia Industry.”
Gender Studies Departments in Solidarity with Palestinian Feminist Collective
The Department of Gender Studies at Queen's University is a signatory to the following statement of solidarity with Palestinian Feminist Collective.
"We stand in solidarity with the people of Palestine. We unequivocally answer and amplify the call from the Palestinian Feminist Collective for “feminists everywhere to speak up, organize, and join the struggle for Palestinian liberation.” We condemn the forced removal of Palestinians from their homes in Sheikh Jarrah, the raiding of the al-Aqsa mosque, the indiscriminate bombing of Gaza, one of the world’s most densely populated areas, and the de facto annexation of East Jerusalem, which by international law is illegally occupied territory. Israeli settlers, with the support of Israeli police and military forces, are taking over streets, invading homes, and brutalizing Palestinians. This right wing, ethnonationalist violence is often accompanied with the vile chant "Death to Arabs." We do not subscribe to a “both sides” rhetoric that erases the military, economic, media, and global power that Israel has over Palestine. This is not a “conflict” that is too “controversial and complex” to assess. Israel is using violent force, punitive bureaucracy, and the legal system to expel Palestinians from their rightful homes and to remove Palestinian people from their land. Israeli law systematically discriminates against Palestinian citizens of Israel. Illegal Israeli settlements choke and police Palestinian communities, and Palestinians are cut off from each other by a network of checkpoints, laws, settler-only highways, and a separation wall that swallows illegally occupied Palestinian land. Both Human Rights Watch and B’Tselem have concluded that Israeli policies and practices towards Palestinians amount to apartheid."
Statement on Kamloops Indian Residential School
The Department of Gender Studies stands in solidarity with Four Directions and Indigenous Communities. We send our condolences to Tk’emlúps e Secwépemc. We grieve the terrible loss of the lives of so many little ones and all they could have offered to the world. As Kandice has said, may we will be the people that those children needed. We resist settler colonialism in all its manifestations, and will do all that we can to promote justice and safety for all Indigenous peoples.
Read more about the Four Directions Indigenous Student Centre statement.
Gender Studies welcomes the Honourable Murray Sinclair to the role of Queen’s Chancellor
From the Queen's Gazette:
Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane is pleased to announce the selection of The Honourable Murray Sinclair as the 15th Chancellor of Queen’s University. Queen’s University Council finalized the selection of His Honour this afternoon, completing a search process that began in fall 2020. He will begin in the role July 1.
Chancellor-Designate Sinclair has had an extensive legal career and over several decades has established himself as a leading advocate for Indigenous peoples in Canada. He served as the first Indigenous judge in Manitoba and the second in Canada. On the national level, he led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, which documented the history of residential schools in Canada and issued 94 calls to action to promote reconciliation between Canada and Indigenous peoples. In recognition of his decades of service, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada in 2016 and served as a Senator until January 2021. He currently serves as General Counsel with Cochrane Saxberg LLP, Manitoba’s largest Indigenous law firm.
Response to verdict in the murder of George Floyd
Dear Gender Studies Community,
In case you haven’t seen it, I would like to draw your attention to Stephanie Simpson’s message (below) about the verdict in the murder of George Floyd. Gender Studies joins with the Human Rights and Equity Office to stand with Black, Indigenous and racialized peoples in demanding an end to state violence, and the creation of permanent anti-racist structural change in the justice system.
We echo the Human Rights and Equity Office in encouraging Queen’s community members to respect the terrible toll of recent events on BIPOC students, faculty and staff. We hope that BIPOC members of the Queen’s community who need support will access the services offered by the Human Rights and Equity Office, including the Black-Only Community Check Up at 4 PM today.
We offer our deep and sincere appreciation and gratitude to Stephanie and her staff at the Office of Human Rights for their work to make Queen’s more inclusive and welcoming, especially for Black students, staff and faculty.
In solidarity,
Elaine
Condemning misogyny & racism
18 March 2021
Dear Members of the Gender Studies Community,
In light of the recent murders of Sarah Everard in the UK, and 7 women, including 6 of Asian descent, in Atlanta, Elaine Power, Head of the Department of Gender Studies, has written a letter condemning violence against women and anti-Asian racism and offering contact numbers for those who may need assistance processing their anger, grief or fear, and for those who are experiencing or have experienced violence.
Department of Gender Studies Winter 2021 Newsletter
We are pleased to share the Winter 2021 issue of the Gender Studies newsletter.
This issue includes:
- WMNS/GNDS 35th anniversary event and engagement activities
- We are hiring! Faculty opportunity in Gender Studies
- Announcing the Stephanie Simpson Bursary
- Gender Studies online shop
- Video message from Terrie Easter Sheen
- Faculty & Staff News
- Student Profiles – Maha Faruqi, Faith Lollar, Danny McLaren, Katie Schmidt
- Alumni Spotlight – Sarah Brenner Miller, Rhea Hoskin, Peter Stuart, Xin Sun, Natalie Zhang
- Upcoming events – including two events in March
Announcing the 2019-2020 Gender Studies Department Awards recipients
The Department of Gender Studies is pleased to announce the winners of our 2019-2020 departmental awards! Please join us as we celebrate the recipients from afar in this video awards ceremony.
The New Black Studies Minor at Queen’s
Dr. Katherine McKittrick, Professor of Gender Studies and researcher in the areas of black studies, anti-colonial studies, cultural geographies and gender studies joins us for the first 45 minutes of this special extended edition of Campus Beat. McKittrick chats with us about the new Black Studies program at Queen’s University scheduled to launch in Fall 2021, the motivations behind the program’s development, the ins and outs of creating a brand new minor, and the importance of interdisciplinarity in Black Studies.
Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin named Canada Research Chair in Youth and African Urban Futures
Gender Studies faculty member Grace Adeniyi-Ogunyankin has been named a Canada Research Chair (CRC), a prestigious honour created to promote leading-edge research and attract the world's best researchers.
Special issue of Journal of Critical Race Inquiry now available
The editorial team at the Journal of Critical Race Inquiry (JCRI) is very pleased to announce a special issue of the Journal of Critical Race Inquiry.
Vol 7 No 2 (2020): Special Issue: Whiteness in the Age of White Rage—The Canadian Context
Announcing the Terrie Easter Sheen Graduate Award
When we think of the Department of Gender Studies (previously the Department of Women’s Studies) at Queen’s, the first person we think of is Terrie Easter Sheen. For 35 years, Terrie was the central pillar of the department, supporting its growth from a single course to a full and lively department. During her time at Queen’s, Terrie has been the consistent welcoming face of Gender Studies, and has profoundly impacted students, staff, faculty and visitors to the Department.
Our Mission
The Department of Gender Studies practices interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research, teaching, and programming that advance our commitment to social justice and social change.
We embrace an approach to gender that explores and challenges racism, capitalism, colonialism, (hetero)sexism, ableism, and other manifestations of power.
Our scholarship, activism and community work centre marginalized, alternative, and relational knowledges, span local and global contexts, and engage historical and contemporary perspectives.
Together we foster an accessible, culturally diverse, and transformative learning environment.
Career Direction
A Gender Studies education provides you with the tools to be a leader in a wide range of occupations including: human services, social work, media, non-profit organizations, private businesses, advocacy, and the arts. It also provides a solid foundation for pursuing graduate degrees in law, medicine, education, public policy, public health, in addition to any of the social science and humanities programs.
English:
Queen's University is situated on traditional Haudenosaunee and Anishinaabe territory.
Kanien'keha (Mohawk):
Ne Queen’s University e’tho nońwe nikanónhsote tsi nońwe ne Haudenasaunee tánon Anishinaabek tehatihsnónhsahere ne óhontsa.
Anishinaabemowin:
Gimaakwe Gchi-gkinoomaagegamig atemagad Naadowe miinwaa Anishinaabe aking
Queen's Encyclopedia page about the history of this land, and why it is important to acknowledge this land and its people.