Past Event! Note: this event has already taken place.
Where is antisemitism in EDI discourses in Canadian Higher Education? How did we get here, and how can we move forward?
March 20, 2024 at 4:00 PM to 5:30 PM
| Location: | 115 Paterson Hall |
Please join us for coffee and a conversation with Professor Lilach Marom:
Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonizing (EDI/D) became a pertinent issue for Canadian higher education in trying to redress the ongoing effects of historical exclusion and marginalization of people of equity-seeking groups. Overall, Canadian universities are becoming more active in promoting EDI, yet there is little attention or development in antisemitism policy and action plans in Canadian universities. Academics who bring up antisemitism in their work on anti-racism are often told this is not part of the EDI agenda. This talk suggests that this omission is not accidental. Prevalent conceptions of race (grounded in whiteness) and decolonizing (grounded in settler-colonialism) in EDI/D discourses are insufficient in addressing the historical, institutional, ideological, and cultural underpinnings of antisemitism. Acting against antisemitism does not mean justifying Israeli state politics or shielding Israel from critique. As stipulated in the IHRA, criticism of Israel is not antisemitism. Yet, the complexity in distinguishing between antisemitism, anti-Zionism, and political pressures from the left and the right might discourage universities from incorporating antisemitism in EDI/D policies and action plans. This became urgently apparent following the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 and the conflict that followed. Questions of how universities address antisemitism have real world consequences for Jewish students, faculty, and staff who are facing hostility on campus because of their Jewish identity. The talk will unpack the reasons for this omission and suggest ways to move forward.
Lilach Marom is an assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia, Canada. Her research draws on critical theories to highlight issues of equity, anti-racism, and inclusion in education. It focuses on structural and institutional barriers to access and success in higher education, with a particular focus on teacher education. Lilach has worked as an educator with diverse students and communities in multiple contexts. Her research has appeared in publications such as Race Ethnicity and Education (2019), Critical Studies in Education (2019), Globalization, Societies and Education (2021), and Higher Education (2022).
Please RSVP so that we can plan for coffee and kosher snacks: