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Dear All, Apologies if you receive duplicate emails.

I am writing to invite you to submit abstracts to our forthcoming conference. Please see below, check our website for updates, post the attachments and forward to anyone who might be interested.
Many thanks and best wishes
Tarnjit

Our Journeys Conference 2011

On October 1st, 2011, SAFAR – This Institute of Sikh Feminist Research will host a one-day conference entitled Our Journeys Conference 2011 at The Centre for Women’s Studies in Education (CWSE), Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE), University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Scope of the Conference
The Our Journeys Conference 2011 will explore and challenge past and current constructions concerning Sikhi and gender. With an interdisciplinary approach, this conference intends to examine gendered relations within Sikhi as well as Sikh philosophy regarding social life, gender relations, sexualities, racialized and gendered practices, institutions, cultural productions, theoretical concepts and frameworks, and understanding the application of Sikh philosophy rooted in the past, present and possible insights regarding the future of Sikh thought.

Although academic in scope and orientation, Our Journeys Conference 2011 is deliberately organized to be accessible to a diverse audience and range of interests. The conference will explore the topic of Sikh journeys from a variety of perspectives and disciplines. It is intended to provide a space for the articulation of Sikh feminist visions; intellectual and cultural inquiries; critical reflections on Sikhi and gender; and various modes of Sikh feminist thought, in Punjab, India and in the Diaspora.

Keynote speaker: The renowned Sikh scholar and feminist theologian Prof. Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh author of The Feminine Principle in the Sikh Vision of theTranscendent, The Birth of the Khalsa: A Feminist Re-memory of Sikh Identity and Sikhism: an Introduction, is the keynote speaker.

Call for Abstracts

Submissions from academics, educators, students, activists, community and independent researchers, those who work in or research this area are welcome. Topics can include (but are not limited to): race, nationhood, class, culture, ability, ecology, politics, theologies, social relations, psychology, sexuality, feminist scholarship, genealogy, transnational and geopolitical topics relating to Sikhism and gender, Sikh the[a]logy, the feminine perspective in the Sikh canon, gender in Sikh institutions, historical Sikh women, gender in social and political history, patriarchy in Sikh communities, Sikh women role models, Sikh liberation theology, Sikhism and social justice, Sikh feminist research methodology, and connecting Sikh theology to activism.

Submission guidelines: Deadline for submission of a 300 word abstract (including citations) is July 1st, 2011. Submissions are to be made on-line, please check the website for updates (www.sikhfeministresearch.org). Successful candidates will be informed by July 31st, 2011. Authors are requested to follow, either APA, MLA or Chicago style guidelines. Abstract submissions should include title, author(s), affiliation(s) and key words. Ethical responsibility: authors are required to follow the ethical guidelines of the Tri-Council Policy Statement and their research institutions when conducting any research. Authors of abstracts accepted for oral presentations are expected to submit manuscripts of their completed papers by October 1st, 2011 for publication in a special issue of the peer-reviewed, academic on-line journal: Sikh Feminist Review. These manuscripts shall undergo a double blind peer review process (details can be found at www.sikhfeministresearch.org). If you have a!
ny questions please contact the editorial board of SAFAR at editorial@sikhfeministresearch.org.

Thank you for considering participation in the Our Journeys Conference, we look forward to seeing you in the fall!

SAFAR – The Sikh Feminist Research Institute – is a not-for-profit dedicated to Sikh feminist scholarship and research. Please visit our website www.sikhfeministresearch.org

Kenneth Whyte, publisher and editor-in-chief, Maclean’s,
Cathrin Bradbury, editor-in-chief and general manager, Maclean’s Intelligence Unit,
Mary Dwyer, senior editor, University Rankings,
Philippe Gohier, acting managing editor, Macleans.ca,
Carson Jerema, editor, OnCampus,
Nicholas Kohler, senior writer,
Stephanie Findlay, intern,

and

John A. Honderich, chair, Torstar Corp.,
John D. Cruickshank, publisher, Toronto Star,
Michael Cooke, editor,
Kathy English, public editor,
Louise Brown, education reporter

AN OPEN LETTER

A Call to Eliminate Anti-Asian Racism
November 22, 2010

We, the undersigned, believe that the “Too Asian”? article in the Maclean’s magazine and the “Asian students suffering for success” article in the Toronto Star newspaper, published on November 10, 2010, worked to racially profile and stereotype Asian Canadians as perpetual foreigners in Canada. These articles served to reinforce anti-Asian resentment and antagonism by raising anxieties over Canada’s changing demographics and the emergence of China and India as global powers. Both media outlets generated binary “us” versus “them” distinctions between white and Asian Canadians, consequently inciting racial antipathy and division, instead of fostering a constructive dialogue on diversity and integration.

The articles symbolize the failure of Maclean’s and the Toronto Star to uphold their journalistic and corporate social responsibility. The damaging impact of racial stereotyping and antagonism is far-reaching, not just in the realms of media, business, education, workplace, and the society at large, but also to the targeted ethno-cultural individuals and communities.

Maclean’s and the Toronto Star recycled historical and ongoing depictions of Asians as “yellow and brown perils” that threaten the Canadian social order. These media depictions remind us of past anti-Asian government legislation, programs, and public thinking. The Head Tax and Immigration Exclusion laws, the Continuous Journey regulations, and the World War II Internment targeted the Chinese, South Asian, and Japanese Canadian communities, respectively. In 1979 the CTV television news series W5 portrayed Canadian citizens and permanent residents of Asian descent as “foreigners,” allegedly taking over Canadian educational institutions. We see Maclean’s and the Toronto Star as reinforcing a long and deeply ingrained history of anti-Asian racial anxiety that has led to bigoted profiling and discrimination of Asian Canadians.

The media’s racial distinction of “us” versus “them” works within a troubling understanding of Canada in which white people or those of European descent are considered the sole rightful citizens and beneficiaries of the nation. Such an understanding makes it difficult to conceive of Canadian universities as educational institutions where Asians as well as Aboriginal peoples and other communities of colour, such as African, Caribbean, Latin American, and Middle Eastern peoples, can also belong. Racialized individuals and communities face challenges to their claims of belonging when certain institutions and entitlements are already deemed as not for them.

The media often portray Asian Canadians in homogeneous ways and fail to account for diversity within the group. They do not distinguish among Asians who are Canadian-born, naturalized citizens, newcomer immigrants, or international students. They neglect to consider the varying educational circumstances of Asian Canadians based on income, class, gender, religion, and language. They lump all Asian Canadians together regardless of their ancestral background, whether they are from China, India, Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, Vietnam, or Sri Lanka. Since Maclean’s and the Toronto Star depicted Asian Canadians as a homogeneous model minority, they failed to acknowledge the various structural roots of the academic and social struggles that many Asian Canadian students experience. They also missed seeing how community groups are addressing barriers that hinder their goals and pathways for genuine settlement, integration, and well-being in this country.

Although Asian Canadians have been and continue to be discriminated against by racist media portrayals, government policies, and some public opinion, they also have been actively recruited for their labour and capital. Their labour has been crucial to the development of this nation, ranging from the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway 125 years ago to the recruitment of temporary workers and live-in caregivers of children and the elderly over the last 25 years. Their financial resources have been keenly sought after, as they are considered economic migrants who could bring investment and entrepreneurial capital, and as international students whose high tuition fees augment the inadequate funding of public education. Many Canadian universities aggressively reach out to and recruit students from Asia.

As such, Asian Canadians are trapped in a perpetual racist contradiction: they are both wanted and unwanted in this country. So long as they provide labour, capital, and expertise to the Canadian economy, they are wanted. However, when they assert their entitlement to human rights, genuine integration, and even education in Canada, their sense of belonging is challenged.

Since the media – as well as educational institutions – have perpetrated racial stereotyping, oppression, and antagonism, they need to change their policies and practices in order to help realize the promise of a truly multicultural Canada.

Therefore, we demand that Macleans’ and the Toronto Star:
• must issue a comprehensive and unqualified public apology to Asian Canadians;
• must engage in public consultations to address racial profiling and stereotyping via their media outlets;
• must implement measurable corporate and editorial anti-racism policies in consultation with relevant community constituents, and must publish the results of their policies annually;
• and, must implement employment equity programs to diversify their corporate and editorial boards and frontline personnel.

We also demand that Canadian institutions of higher education:
• must develop academic programs and courses that explicitly address racism in Canada and the historical and contemporary experiences, representations, and contributions of Asian Canadians;
• must undertake and publish campus climate surveys of racialized students, staff, and faculty;
• and, must establish advocacy and support offices for racialized students, staff, and faculty.

We sign this open letter in solidarity with principles and struggles to eliminate anti-Asian racism.

Sincerely,

The Canadian coalition of concerned community partners to eliminate anti-Asian racism

University of Toronto Students’ Union
Danielle Sandhu, danielle@utsu.ca, and Maria Galvez, maria@utsu.ca

Ryerson Students’ Union

Komagata Maru Heritage Foundation
Harbhajan Gill, komagatamaru@hotmail.com

National Association of Japanese Canadians – Human Rights Committee
Ken Noma, ikuei@sympatico.ca

National Association of Japanese Canadians – Toronto Chapter
Charlotte Chiba, charlotte.chiba@ontario.ca

Philippine Women Centre of Ontario
Joy Sioson, pwc-on@magkaisacentre.org

SIKLAB Ontario

Filipino Canadian Youth Alliance / Ugnayan ng Kabataang Pilipino sa Canada
Kim Abis, kim.abis@gmail.com

Youth Coalition Against Maclean’s
Florence Li, florenceccncto@gmail.com

Asian Canadian Labour Alliance – Ontario Chapter
Anna Liu, aliu@aclaontario.ca, and Chris Ramsaroop, ramsaroopchris@gmail.com

Asian Canadian Labour Alliance – British Columbia Chapter
Lorene Oikawa, lorene.oikawa@bcgeu.ca

Coalition of Black Trade Unionists – Ontario Chapter
Janice Gairey, jgairey@ofl.ca

Latin American Trade Union Coalition
Edgar Godoy, g.edgarsaul@gmail.com

Ontario Council of Agencies Serving Immigrants
Debbie Douglas, ddouglas@ocasi.org

Community Alliance for Social Justice
Rick Esguerra, rick.esguerra@gmail.com

The Left Institute
Frank Saptel info@theleftinstitute.ca

International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers
Dave Ritchie info@iamaw.ca

Canadian Auto Workers