Picture this. Three white graduate students are earnestly discussing the future of post-colonial studies. It’s
happening at a symposium to honour a white English professor—a
pioneer in studying the work of non-white writers from former colonies
such as Jamaica, Kenya and India. During the question period, a black
PhD student points out he’s the only non-white person in the room. He
observes that perhaps the next generation of post-colonial experts
should teach in predominantly non-white high schools. Maybe that would
bring the day closer, he says, when a group of academics talking about
the work of non-white writers might actually include some non-whites.
“After a lengthy, uncomfortable silence, one of the panellists nodded
his head and agreed with me, sort of, but without any concrete
engagement with what I’d said. Then the discussion went on as if I’d
not spoken.”
That revealing story comes from a new book about why Canadian
universities urgently need to hire more non-white professors,
especially in disciplines such as English, history and philosophy where
questions of race and identity are extensively studied and debated. The
book, You Must Be a Basketball Player was written by Anthony
Stewart, an English professor at Dalhousie. Stewart, who is black and
six feet, six inches tall, says if he had a dollar for every time he’s
mistaken for a basketball player, he might not need to work at all. He
tells of being introduced to a recently retired Nova Scotia judge. “As
we shook hands, the judge said, ‘You must be a basketball player.'”
Stewart writes that people were embarrassed “because the judge was
caught making a snap judgment based on appearance.”
Stewart tells another story about being on an aircraft in the
southern US. The young white man seated next to him sported a shaved
head, wore tattered jeans and a t-shirt, spoke with an English accent
and seemed uncomfortable. “He kept fidgeting and reaching for his head
with both hands.” Stewart was uncomfortable too since he was sure the
young man was “a genuine British skinhead.” After the plane landed,
Stewart mentioned to another passenger he was in Florida to attend an
academic conference. The “skinhead” looked up in surprise and said he
was attending it, too. It turned out he was a senior lecturer in Art
and Design at Manchester University.
Stewart makes it clear that our habit of “judging books by their
covers” is one likely reason why there are so few non-white professors
at Canadian universities. Stewart himself is Dal’s only black English
professor and one of only a handful in the faculty of arts and science.
He argues that the university’s employment equity policies have failed
to promote the hiring of more non-white professors. One reason for this
failure, he argues, is that the policies are cast in negative terms. By
seeking to redress past wrongs, the equity policies implicitly blame
whites for centuries of racial oppression. “No one wants to be blamed
for wrongs they themselves did not personally commit, even if they
benefit from the legacy of those wrongs,” he writes. The taint of blame
generates feelings of guilt, habits of resistance and an unwillingness
to acknowledge that the overwhelming whiteness of university faculties
is even a problem. At the same time, Stewart writes, employment equity
policies stigmatize non-whites by placing them in a group that needs to
“helped” by the white majority.
Instead, he advocates drafting activist hiring policies that
recognize the obvious benefits of racial integration. He imagines, for
example, how much richer university discussions of post-colonial
literature would be if they included non-white professors. And how much
all students would benefit from an education that better prepared them
for the realities of an increasingly multicultural society. “What I
argue for is balance,” Stewart writes “so that the everyday discussions
of race within the (academic) profession…are substantially influenced
by people for whom race is an everyday lived experience.”
Anthony Stewart will be launching his book at 7pm on
May 14 at the Halifax North Memorial Public Library. Send your thoughts
on the topic to brucew@thecoast.ca.
This article appears in May 7-13, 2009.
Once again. Forget about skin color. Skin color does not dictate experiance. hire whom is qualified, leave skin color out of it. If I am black or white, I prefer to be known for my name, rather than my skin color. Lets make racism history, lets stop noticing race. period.
vvv
This colorblind foolishness has got to stop. The colour of a person’s skin is a part of who they are. We cannot deny a person’s skin colour and we shouldn’t! Many white people are uncomfortable with different skin colors. It’s like an elephant in the room and they either try to ignore the difference or feel it needs to be addressed and then make that person of color feel like an outsider or “other”.
There needs to be MORE racial diversity. People like to be mirrored. We like to see who we are reflected back to us as we go about our daily lives, when we watch television, when we read books, when we learn. People of colour get white reflected back to them everywhere.
As stated in the article, when the black PhD student made an observation about the lack of other people of colour present (during a discussion about post-colonial studies!), he received very little response. White people colonized people of color all over the world, and now white people teach post-colonial studies….that student’s experience is just one reason why there should be more diversity in the Humanities and in university faculty in general.
I look forward to reading Mr. Stewart’s book and wish him much success.
While I agree with Stewart in general, hiring potential educators over another just because they’re a visible minority and we need more “balance” is the wrong answer. It should ultimately be based on what they have to offer to the table regardless of the colour of their skin…
While I agree that we need more “visible minority” professors, the hiring of professors for the sake of hiring visible minorities is wrong. Just because a person is Afro-Canadian does not mean that they should have a better chance of someone who has studied it for years and is a certified expert in the matter. Isn’t that what affirmative action has taught us? Treat people by their qualities, not by the colour of their skin? Or is it a situation where it’s okay to have that old double standard?
Well, the idea of “balance” is an important one in social democracies. For example, Anthony Stewart points out in his book that law and tradition call for “balance” in the appointment of judges to the Supreme Court of Canada. As the Supreme Court’s website states: “Of the nine [judges], the Supreme Court Act requires that three be appointed from Quebec. Traditionally, the federal government appoints three judges from Ontario, two from the West, and one from Atlantic Canada.”
Since 1982, there has also been a tradition of appointing female judges to the Supreme Court. At present, four of the nine are women.
Well, when a vacancy comes up, why not simply appoint the “best” judge available based on “what they have to offer to the table” regardless of place of residence or sex? Obviously, the benefits of regional representation and expertise in the French Civil Code which governs Quebec, outweigh the notion that the government should find the “best” judge and ignore all other considerations. And obviously, women bring unique perspectives of their own to the Court. (In fact, one could argue convincingly that the Supreme Court is a much stronger institution now that women are routinely appointed to it. Can you imagine for example, a male-only court hearing appeals involving abortion, child custody or marital property rights cases for example?)
Besides, who and what determines the standards that govern who is “best” or who brings what to the table. Obviously, Supreme Court judges (and university professors) require certain minimum qualifications. Stewart is in no way arguing that unqualified applicants should be appointed just because they’re non-white. He is arguing however, that considerations of “balance” are just as important in universities as they are to the Supreme Court and the many other institutions, such as the Senate and the federal cabinet where “balance” is routinely sought.
And Bastard Fish, you need to be careful about using the term “visible minority.” Non-white residents will soon outnumber white ones in Canada’s biggest cities — if they don’t outnumber them already. Then, the white population will be the visible minority. As I say in my editorial, the benefits of “balance” are obvious in our increasingly multicultural society. Non-whites obviously have a lot to “offer to the table” and our universities are much weaker institutions for not having recognized this.
Balance is a subjective term, Bruce. Also, I’d like to add that what Mr. Stewart is suggesting uproots what this current generation has learned for the past 20 years and the Supreme Court situation was legislated from what I understand. I’m not saying it’s not possible nor am I disputing the merits of it; it’s just another thing we’ll need to get used to and it’s going to take some time before it’s adopted.
I’m not 100 percent sure what you’re saying Dr. Fever about the uprooting of “what this current generation has learned for the past 20 years.”
It is pretty clear that university faculties do not reflect Canada’s multicultural reality even in disciplines that routinely study and debate issues related to race and identity. That is what Anthony Stewart means by lack of balance. His point is that more racially and culturally diverse university faculties would benefit society as a whole. Who better to study and discuss issues of race for example, than people for whom it is a daily reality?
The appointment of women as Supreme Court judges is not legislated. It has become a tradition that strengthens the Court’s ability to weigh issues that affect us all and not just the “visible minority” of privileged white men who, until 1982, had the Court to themselves. It seems to me that we got used to having female judges very quickly. Why should it take so long to get used to having racial and cultural diversity in universities?
Bruce, I used the term ‘visible minority’ in relationship to Halifax, not all of Canada, but since this issue is nation wide I’ll take your point.
The only thing I don’t want to see is situations like this: http://www.kentucky.com/216/story/766312.h… …where forced ‘balance’ has led to unproductive results. The supreme court’s system works because of their visibility and transparency, but apply the same rules to much lower, more closed off and more numerous positions and the ‘balance’ ideal can go out of hand.
Good comment Bird
Rafiki & Dr. Fever: it’s clear that you need to get a little more informed about the lack equity in opportunity. We do not all have the same chances in life – many minorities and disadvantaged groups face obstacles to getting “qualified” in the first place. Regardless, Dr. Stewart is talking about creating diversity AMONG the already qualified professors, not giving black undergrad students the job over tenured white professors just because of their skin colour. I’ve had the good fortune to take a class with Dr. Stewart – he’s not only brilliant but personally delightful and I too am looking forward to reading his book.
Soupy, I’m well aware of how difficult it can be for certain minorities. My point is this: aren’t we supposed to forget the whole skin colour issue? What is being suggested is quite different. I’m all for equity and fairness in all workplaces and in learning, but not at the cost of what is seemingly a double standard.
The black population in Canada is 2.2%, so it would stand to reason that the percentage of black professors should be about the same, no more, no less.
Dr. Stewart’s book also addresses the fact that many non-whites do not pursue their studies in the humanities because they do not see people who “look” like them at the front of English, history, or philosophy classes. The lead of Wark’s article gets my frustration with post-colonial studies bang on. As Hiromi Goto once said, “People talk race this, ethnic that. It’s easy to be theoretical if the words are coming from a face that has little or no pigmentation.” However, it’s just a commonality amongst my family, friends and where I grew up, that people who look like us, do not go to university to study literature, history, or philosophy. Older generations, like my father (South Asian descent) find very little value in doing so. People who look like us study engineering or biology and this is because we’ve seen other people like us in these fields, so we know they are “safe”. It’s just a lot more common to find Asian/South Asian engineers and accountants than finding Asian/South Asian humanities professors. And this is really problematic because we’re essentially designating roles for us to fulfill, and it’s extremely limiting. And this causes stereotypes. Especially in Halifax, if someone saw me on the street, it’d just be assumed that I spoke accented English and was in a science or engineering program at one of the schools. So I’ve gotten a lot of surprised looks! My white friend, who is an engineering student, is a minority in his classes, while I am a minority in my English classes. It’s just way things are, unfortunately. And this idea of “who can do what” is fostered through generations. Reading Dr. Stewart’s book made me think about all this.