“Where are you from?” “What is your nationality?” “I didn’t know you were…” “I’m not racist, but…” “It’s just a joke.” “What does a white person know about racism?” “Some of my best friends are…”

James and Shadd’s enormously popular Talking About Difference (BTL, 1994) has been thoroughly revised and expanded and makes a fine introduction to dozens of key issues involving all of us in Canadian society. Some of these issues include ethnic, racial, class and social identity. All the authors provide analysis as well as personal reflections. The book also shows the rich experiences and many ways of growing up, immigrating to, and living in Canada.

Dr. Carl James is Professor in the Faculty of Education, cross-appointed in the graduate programs in Sociology and Social Work. Over the years, he has conducted research which has resulted in publications that focus on the experiences of marginalized youth, particularly African Canadians. His history of innovative professional development with educators and social service workers draws on his theoretical work with issues of identity, diversity, racialization and masculinity, and involves practitioner level dissemination of research results. His attention to the educational performance and outcomes of students in higher education is evident in his mentorship, as well as his involvement in program and curriculum change.

Dr. James’s background in sociology of education and youth studies help to frame his exploration of issues of: identity/identification in relation to race, ethnicity, class, gender and immigrant status; educational and occupational access and equity for marginalized youth; and the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students. His extensive background in youth work and community development informs his recent work on educational programs that are responsive to the particular needs, experiences, interests and aspirations of African Canadian youth living in urban contexts. He has extensive experience with critical ethnography, phenomenology, action research and government and institutional policy analysis.

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Adrienne Shadd is a historian, writer, curator, and researcher. She is the author of The Journey from Tollgate to Parkway: African Canadians in Hamilton; author-editor of the children’s books Freedom and Early Civilizations of Africa; co-author of We're Rooted Here and They Can't Pull Us Up: Essays in African Canadian Women's History; and co-editor with Carl James of Talking About Identity: Encounters in Race, Ethnicity and Language. She has curated several important exhibits, including ... and still I rise: A History of African Canadian Workers in Ontario; Black Mecca: The Story of Chatham’s Black Community; and “I’ll Use My Freedom Well,” a new exhibit at the Uncle Tom’s Cabin Historic Site in Dresden. Freedom won the Gold Medal Moonbeam Children's Book Award for Multicultural Non-Fiction. Adrienne lives in Toronto.

Adrienne Shadd's profile page