Nominated by member scholarly associations of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, the 2021 Congress Graduate Merit Awards recognize exceptional graduate students who will be presenting their work at the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Throughout Congress, we are profiling 2021 award recipients. Read on to learn more about the outstanding research of our graduate community, and join the conversation on Twitter using #CGMAProfiles.
Heather Stewart
PhD candidate in Philosophy, Western University
Endorsed by the Canadian Philosophical Association (CPA)
I am currently a PhD candidate in Philosophy at Western University. My main areas are ethics (especially bioethics) and feminist philosophy. I work on harmful speech, especially the phenomenon of microaggressions, and their implications for our moral lives.
At which conference will you be presenting?
I will be presenting at the Canadian Philosophical Association, and I am thrilled about the program that has been put together – there are some really interesting and exciting sessions! My talk is titled We’re Here, We’re... Queer? On the Enduring Harms of Bisexual Erasure.
How would you describe the research you will be presenting at Congress 2021?
I am interested in the problematic ways in which bisexual identified people (the “B”s in the LGBTQ+ acronym) get erased from queer life and community, and have their identities and experiences rendered misunderstood or invisible. I try to pinpoint some of the problematic epistemic (pertaining to knowledge) and linguistic (pertaining to speech) practices which contribute to or reinforce this erasure. I also think about the implications of such erase for bi-identified people: harms to their senses of self, comprised opportunities for self-definition, and a diminished sense of belonging (in queer spaces and society more generally).
"When thinking about the types of erasure that bi-identified people experience, I try to do so with a recognition that such erasure is compounded for those who also experience compromised visibility, recognition, or respect in other domains, e.g., on account of anti-Black racism or histories of colonialism."
How does the research you will be presenting connect with the Congress 2021 theme, “Northern Relations” and/or the conversations Congress 2021 is continuing under last year's Congress theme (cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), “Bridging Divides: Confronting Colonialism and Anti-Black Racism”?
I take an intersectional approach to my thinking about queer identity and experience. In other words, I think about the experiences of those with identities that exist at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities (e.g., on the basis of race and gender in addition to sexual orientation). The bi+ tent is a big and diverse one – many bi-identified people are women, people of color, trans and non-binary people. When thinking about the types of erasure that bi-identified people experience, I try to do so with a recognition that such erasure is compounded for those who also experience compromised visibility, recognition, or respect in other domains, e.g., on account of anti-Black racism or histories of colonialism. For people who are multiply-marginalized in such ways, the ability to self-define one’s sexuality – and to have one’s sexual orientation received, recognized, understood, and respected – can represent an even greater challenge. So, I see this work as being connected to the theme of trying to bridge divides for marginalized groups, especially people who exist at various social margins simultaneously.
What is your favourite part of the Congress experience?
In the pre-pandemic times, my favorite thing about Congress was being able to see people from across Canada that I don’t normally get to connect with! A few years back, when Congress was in Montreal, I had such an incredible time connecting with scholars from across the country. Another thing I value about participating in Congress is how kind and charitable everyone is; at presentations people tend to ask constructive questions and lend support, instead of tearing other scholars down (as you see happen at some conference). I think the general atmosphere is a fairly friendly and supportive one, at least in my experiences at Congress (acknowledging that others could have different experiences).
Share your hopes for Congress 2021.
I hope that Congress translates well to the online platform and that some of what I mentioned above (the ability to connect with scholars and friends you rarely get to see) is able to be reproduced online, at least to some extent. I am so happy that the CPA is going ahead this year. I think everyone is longing for some engagement and intellectual community with their academic peers. I am very pleased with the program Kate Norlock and others at the CPA have put together, and I look forward to having some fruitful philosophical discussions on many different topics!
Carlo Handy Charles
PhD candidate, McMaster University and Université des Antilles
Nominated by the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA)
My name is Carlo Handy Charles. I am a PhD Candidate in Sociology at McMaster University and in Geography at the LC2S-CNRS at the Université des Antilles. I am a fellow at the French Collaborative Institute on Migrations at the CNRS-Collège de France (Paris). I am also a 2019 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation scholar and a 2020 Vanier Canada Graduate Scholar. My research areas include international migration, diaspora studies, gender and sexualities, as well as race and ethnicity.
Presentation at Congress 2021
The Negotiation of Homosexual Identity in Haitian Transnational Spaces 2. Haitian migrants in Venezuela: A transnational social field in action
How would you describe the research you will be presenting at Congress 2021?
The two papers I will be presenting at the Congress 2021 examine how existing socio-cultural norms in Canada and the United States, as well as the current socio-economic context of Venezuela impact how Haitian immigrants integrate into these societies. More specifically, I will show how gendered and sexual norms in Canada and the U.S. as well as the economic and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela shape the opportunities and difficulties that Haitians face to socially and economically integrate in these host countries while maintaining various types of relationships with their families and friends back home. In Canada and the U.S., the findings suggest that some Haitian migrants find significant discrepancies in gender and sexual norms between their host societies and their homeland, which they have to constantly negotiate while navigating family and community relationships in their host and home countries. In Venezuela, the findings show that, given the socio-political instability, and the economic and humanitarian crisis that Venezuela has faced in the past twelve years, Haitians have used Venezuela as a transit space in their South-South migration to Brazil, Chile, and French Guiana, among other destinations.
How does the research you will be presenting connect with the Congress 2021 theme, “Northern Relations” and/or the conversations Congress 2021 is continuing under last year's Congress theme (cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), “Bridging Divides: Confronting Colonialism and Anti-Black Racism”?
Both papers connect with the conversations Congress 2021 is continuing under last years’ Congress theme by analyzing how anti-Black racism, as well as a number of other systems of inequality, such as gender and sexualities, international relations, international division of labour, global capitalism, and the international refugee system shape Black migrants’ lives and experiences from migrating from Haiti to integrating into Canadian, U.S., and Venezuelan societies. Both papers analyze how anti-Black racism intersects with a number of other inequities to shape, in specific ways, the experiences of Black people in the Global North and the Global South.
Share your hopes for Congress 2021.
I hope Congress 2021 will be a place where we can tackle head-on the numerous inequities that shape our world. I also hope that, despite our differences, we will work together to provide the most adapted solutions to the pressing issues that face our societies beyond merely ‘talking’ about them.
David Baidoo-Anu
PhD student, Faculty of Education, Queen’s University
Endorsed by the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE)
An international student from Ghana, David’s research focuses on classroom assessment cultures. Particularly, exploring K-12 teachers approaches to assessment and influence of large-scale assessment on classroom practices and students’ learning.
Presentation at Congress 2021
Understanding School Principals' Conceptions Of Assessment And Grading Practices
How would you describe the research you will be presenting at Congress 2021?
School principals play a key leadership role in school effectiveness and student success. However, principals’ understanding of assessment and grading has received relatively little attention globally. Understanding principals’ assessment conceptions in relation to their grading practices is critical to support consistent assessment and grading practices in schools, particularly in an examination-oriented culture in China. In examination-oriented culture, principals conceived summative (accountability) and formative assessment (improvement) as inseparable. As a result, assessment that does not significantly contribute to accountability will not be viewed as contributing to improvement of teaching and learning.
Principals who are concerned with high-stake use of students’ grade (e.g., accountability) may be more likely to conceive assessments as irrelevant. They may be more likely to agree with the practice of inflating students grades to avoid consequences of grade use. To help school principals appropriately use and report assessment and grades, there should be an accountability framework that re-positions assessment and grading practices in an examination-oriented culture to support and improve student success.
"Understanding principals’ assessment conceptions in relation to their grading practices is critical to support consistent assessment and grading practices in schools."
Share your hopes for Congress 2021.
It was a terrible experience for me as a first timer when 2020 conference was rightly cancelled due to COVID-19. Notwithstanding, I am excited that there is an opportunity to attend and present virtually at 2021 CSSE conference. I hope to meet and listen to latest research findings of colleagues and senior scholars who are equally researching in my area of interest. Though virtually, I also hope to connect and network with researchers who are doing amazing work in my field.
Dylan Ludwig
PhD candidate, Department of Philosophy, York University
Endorsed by the Canadian Philosophical Association (CPA)
Primary research area
My research focusses on the nature and function of different conscious experiences, and specifically its role in visual processing, emotional evaluation and the mitigation of social bias.
Presentation at Congress 2021
The First Person Perspective is not a defining feature of consciousness
How would you describe the research you will be presenting at Congress 2021?
In my talk, I describe how researchers ought to go about isolating the defining features of conscious experience, and then argue that one common candidate, namely the First Person Perspective, turns out to not be a viable “marker” of consciousness.
Share your hopes for Congress 2021.
I hope that, despite the physical distance, the congress continues to bring us together through the shared goals of our intellectual pursuits.
Olivia Peters
Doctoral student, Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Guelph
Endorsed by the Canadian Sociological Association (CSA)
My primary area of research is sociological criminology with a focus on intimate partner stalking, violence, and crime prevention. My research interests include risk, research ethics, medical sociology, and vulnerable populations.
Presentation at Congress 2021
Power Relations in Knowledge Production: Considering the Role of the Researcher in Fostering Sincere Solidarity
"Power structures of knowledge production are created and recreated through the academic institution."
How would you describe the research you will be presenting at Congress 2021?
The presentation provides a theoretical discussion of power relations and ethical scholarship when working with Indigenous communities. Power structures of knowledge production are created and recreated through the academic institution. This research considers the position of the institution and the academic in relation to research with historically marginalized communities. Reflecting on my experience working with Indigenous populations in Canada, I provide recommendations for how to address solidarity and ethical scholarship when working with diverse and vulnerable communities and discuss how researchers can disrupt hierarchical power relations through centering community knowledge in the research process.
"This paper presents a personal confrontation with my own experiences working with Indigenous communities in Canada, questioning who holds authority over how Indigenous knowledge is (re)produced in academic work."
How does the research you will be presenting connect with the Congress 2021 theme, “Northern Relations” and/or the conversations Congress 2021 is continuing under last year's Congress theme (cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic), “Bridging Divides: Confronting Colonialism and Anti-Black Racism”?
Historically, there has been a tumultuous relationship between Indigenous populations and university institutions. Through reflexivity, this research discusses the importance of addressing how Indigenous communities are often overresearched and underserved. In doing so, I discuss the researcher’s role in confronting colonial power structures of knowledge production. This paper presents a personal confrontation with my own experiences working with Indigenous communities in Canada, questioning who holds authority over how Indigenous knowledge is (re)produced in academic work. I proport that disingenuous solidarity can be identified by vulnerable communities with whom this solidarity is sought. Whether solidarity is sincere should be determined, in part, by the communities with whom the institution seeks solidarity.
Share your hopes for Congress 2021.
I am hopeful that we can meaningfully connect with researchers across disciplines and work to further conversations around social injustice and marginalized communities. I am particularly looking forward to connecting with those who share an interest in theorizing about research ethics, methodologies, and relationships.
These profiles have been condensed for length and clarity.