Welcome to the first edition of our newsletter from the Institute for Intersectionality Studies (IIS) at the University of Alberta.

Our mission is to foster intersectional understanding and responses to social, health, economic, cultural, and political inequities.

We work collaboratively with diverse academic and non-academic communities, multiple feminist perspectives, and in ongoing partnerships with Indigenous and decolonizing initiatives.

Read the letter from our Director, Siobhan Byrne, to learn about her vision and the institute's path ahead here.

Siobhan Byrne [she, her] (Director)

Siobhan is the inaugural Director of the Institute for Intersectionality Studies and Associate Professor of Political Science at the University of Alberta. Siobhan’s research and teaching are in the areas of feminist anti-war activism and peacebuilding in societies transitioning from conflict, with a special focus on Northern Ireland and Palestine/Israel.

Samira ElAtia [she, her] (Associate Director)

Samira ElAtia is professor of Education and the Associate Dean-Graduate Studies at the bilingual Campus Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta. Smaira specializes in the evaluation of competencies and language assessment. Her research interest focuses on issues of fairness in assessment, especially in bilingual contexts.

Adriana Rincón Villegas, PhD [she, her, ella] (Research Associate)

Adriana is a research associate at the IIS. Her research program aims to understand the gendered, racialized, and colonial narratives embedded in legal-political framings of war and transitional justice, with a focus on Latin America. Adriana teaches courses in human rights, women’s and gender studies, and political science at multiple universities across Alberta.

Ehsan Kashfi [he, him] (Administrative Assistant)

Ehsan is a PhD candidate and instructor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Alberta. His research interests include identity politics, nationalism, collective memory and discourse analysis.

We invite you to join our team and help us in our mission to support innovative intersectional research and learning. We are starting several new committees this term that will focus on our core commitments to social change, knowledge creation, education, and mentorship.

The roles, activities, and membership processes of each committee will be updated on the website in early February. You are welcome to complete the expression of interest form and/or chat with us over coffee at the meeting on February 13th, from 2 - 3:30 in Tory 12-15.

Expression of Interest Form

Coffee and Tea with IIS

Come meet the team and find out how you can get involved at IIS!

Join us on Tuesday, February 13th, from 2 - 3:30 in Tory 12-15. Siobhan will give a brief overview of IIS, share some of the projects we’ve been working on, and introduce the team.

We’ll leave lots of time for questions and casual conversation over coffee/tea. The meeting is open to all, and we encourage you to announce the event in your classes. While not mandatory, an RSVP would be appreciated to ensure we have enough coffee and chairs.

The Decolonization in Context

Next month, the Anti-Racism Lab is hosting the Decolonization in Context: USA workshop on February 6th from 10:00am-11:45pm (Pacific Time) and Canada on February 9th from 12:00pm-1:45pm (Mountain Time).

We are excited to invite you to the next sessions in our 'Decolonization in Context' workshop series, hosted by the Anti-Racism Lab. These workshops are designed to explore and understand the diverse aspects of decolonization across various global contexts.

Upcoming Workshops:

USA: February 6th, 10:00 AM - 11:45 PM (Pacific Time)

Register here for the USA workshop

Canada: February 9th, 12:00 PM - 1:45 PM (Mountain Time)

Register here for the Canada workshop

These workshops are a part of our Decolonization in Context workshop series. The next one will be Finland (March 13th), South Africa (April 10th), Brazil (May 8th), and Sweden (June: Date and Time TBA).

The Snakes and Ladders Graduate Mentoring Collective for Racialized Students has been around since 2019. We meet once a month and collectively build the programming, relationships, understanding, and professional development opportunities that serve us.

Check out our website for upcoming meetings.

WUN Symposium: New Research Directions in Global Mental Health

This event brings together researchers from diverse disciplines and national contexts to share knowledge and ignite new research ideas.

When: June 12-13, 2024
Where: University of Leeds

Conversations + Care Space

All session at 12 to 3 PM at Strathcona library

Stay tuned for access to our new Intersectionality Resources online collection at the University of Alberta library. This curated collection will be available via Talis Aspire.

On the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8th, IIS will host an online Intersectionality display at the University of Alberta Library. More details to follow.

Employment and Social Development Canada (ESDC) is seeking the services of a doctoral student to assist in qualitative research with 2SLGBTQI+ older adults to determine their unique challenges, barriers, needs and successes for aging in place. The research will explore the general themes of financial, psychosocial, housing, medical, and legal experiences of 2SLGBTQI+ older adults who are aging in place.

For more information, please visit Employment and Social Development Canada here.

Feel free to share other activities, events, and opportunities you would like us to include in the next newsletter.

We hope to see you all soon!

Siobhan, Samira, Adriana and Ehsan