By Emily Putnam

杏吧原创 is thrilled to welcome 2023-2024 Fulbright Distinguished Chair Dr. Michele Lewis, hosted by the Feminist Institute of Social Transformation (FIST). Hailing from Winston-Salem State University in North Carolina, USA, Lewis brings a wealth of expertise as a dynamic professor and psychologist.

For her time at 杏吧原创, Lewis is motivated to continue her barrier-breaking work that elevates and centres non-western frameworks in psychology, delving into cross-cultural experiences, and exploring the realm of cultural neuroscience among marginalized communities.

Lewis鈥� work extends beyond writing for only academic audiences, contributing to the monthly blog “鈥� for Psychology Today.

In her role as a Fulbright Scholar, Lewis is set to embark on the second phase of an impactful initiative known as ‘Emotional Emancipation Circles.’ After recognizing a significant gap in research and inclusion for those with intersecting identities, she committed herself to casting light on this neglected area of study by bringing 10 Canadians and 10 Americans together virtually. The group will meet once a week for eight weeks in total, using a curriculum co-developed by the and .

The Circles are not therapy, but rather safe spaces for people of African descent who also identify as 2SLGBTQ+ to connect, discuss their experiences, and work towards wellness and authentic expression. 鈥淚 want them to be as broadly inclusive of people of African descent as possible,鈥� says Lewis, 鈥渁nd I don鈥檛 think that there鈥檚 been any targeted work applying them with people who might be identified as of the Black queer intersecting identity.鈥�

With a strong belief in the practical application of academic research to improve the lives of everyday people, Lewis is resolute in her goal to produce work that offers tangible and relatable resources. She aims to use research and insight gained from the Circles to create an extension of her previous co-authored book published in 2012, titled 鈥�.鈥�

Lewis鈥� fervor for psychology is rooted in her ever-present curiosity to understand the nuances and intricacies of the motivation of humans, coupled with an equally passionate intrigue by the workings of human cognition.

Since arriving at 杏吧原创, Lewis has taken note of the university’s rich academic environment.

鈥淚t seems like almost every day there鈥檚 some kind of public lecture. It鈥檚 so easy to remain intellectually stimulated at 杏吧原创.鈥�

Pointing to the pivotal interdisciplinary aspect of her own work, Lewis is quick to underscore the importance of maintaining an open-minded approach to current and aspiring psychology students.

Having arrived in Ottawa in August of this year, Lewis found herself in a city she had not visited before. However, her two-decade-long experience of living in Washington, D.C. is proving instrumental in providing her with a contextual understanding of residing in a national capital. “I kind of had some idea of what to expect with respect to a lot of government workers and tourism, and a wide variety of types of people from different nationalities who have come here for various reasons,鈥� explains Lewis.

One aspect of Canadian life where Lewis acknowledges her lack of experience is the winter climate. 鈥淓very person I鈥檝e met who is Canadian, I鈥檝e asked them, what will I need to do? When is it going to happen?鈥�

鈥淚鈥檓 waiting for it to come, and [so far] the weather has been perfect, but everyone says to just wait for December.鈥�

In her free time, Lewis has been watching the ABC series 鈥樷�� to enjoy weekly bonding time with her sister; she is also an avid decorator of whichever space she is occupying at the time. This is evidenced by her office in Dunton Tower, which is already looking vibrant, boasting an array of plants, and a unique chair that is a conversation piece in the office.

Lewis says she looks forward to a future where her work can contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of human beings that is also culturally broader, noting, 鈥淚t鈥檚 past time for interest in the human spirit to be reintegrated with psychology. I think it was Toni Morrison that said: ‘sometimes if a book doesn’t exist that you want to read, you have to write it.鈥� That鈥檚, in part, what motivated my current Fulbright project.鈥�

The post Fulbright Scholar Michele Lewis Bridging Gaps in 2SLGBTQ+ Black Psychology Research appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.

Professor Dan Irving researches trans people and communities as they navigate the Canadian labour force

This past year, the Liberal Government led by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced federal legislation aimed to secure human rights and legal protection for transgendered people in Canada. states that the Canadian Human Rights Act be altered to 鈥渁dd gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination.鈥� The Bill also amends the Criminal Code to increase protection against hate speech and propaganda targeting varied manifestations of gender identity.

It is important to note that this is the seventh time that a similarly worded bill has been introduced in Canada鈥檚 Parliament, the previous six attempts having been unsuccessful.

Although C-16 currently remains in the Senate, the speed in which it passed through the House of Commons should function as a symbolic step forward in Canada鈥檚 recognition of the profound issues faced by the Canadian community of lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer/ questioning (LBGTQ) people.

This recent federal movement towards legislative equality has much to do with the authentic change affecting knowledge cultivated by researchers, activists, and scholars including Professor Dan Irving of the Human Rights and Sexuality Studies programs in the Institute of Interdisciplinary Studies and the Pauline Jewett Institute, Women’s and Gender Studies.

Specifically, Professor Irving鈥檚 qualitative research focuses on transgender unemployment and underemployment in urban pockets across Canada. His current project, which will culminate in a forthcoming book, evaluates and decrypts the major issues, and the often dire realities that many trans people face while trying to obtain and maintain work.

Irving uses interviewing as a primary research tool to understand and reveal the ways that perceived conceptions of gender normativity influence those who are likely (and those who are not likely) to be recognized as employable in a service relation-based economy.

鈥淔or the book, I weave narratives of gender non-conformity and how these anecdotes relate to the modern-day workforce,鈥� said Irving. 鈥淲hat I see again and again is the phenomenon of job ghettoization for trans people. That is to say, they are typically either struggling to obtain employment or being segregated and oppressed in the workforce.鈥�

Irving goes on to explain that the 鈥渓abour market depends so much on ideas of effective labour.鈥�

鈥淲orkers are called upon to use their entire bodies and minds within a service relation-based economy鈥� an economy geared to create positive feelings among clients and customers.鈥�

鈥淭he ability to do this 鈥榚ffectively鈥� in the minds of employers, is based on notions of gender and sexuality normativity, whiteness and perceptions of ableness.鈥�

鈥淚f you don鈥檛 meet these standards, you get classified as threatening, and thus ineffective, making, acquiring, and, or maintaining employment a particularly daunting task, regardless of your qualifications.鈥�

Irving reminisced about one of his interviewees, an enthusiastic trans woman with a nursing degree who could not get a job. Although she possessed all the credentials and was passionate and ambitious, she was stuck in a loop of working entry-level positions. 鈥淚t鈥檚 tragic. She crackled with energy and competency,鈥� said Irving. 鈥淟ike so many others, the fact that she couldn鈥檛 get work had a profound impact on her self-worth.鈥�

Logging the underlying moral economy of this all, Irving further explainedthat employability is a lens through which many people deduce much of their personal sense of dignity. 鈥淭rans people lose jobs for reasons that have nothing to do with their skillsets.鈥�

鈥淥nce this happens to a person a few times in their life, they no longer view themselves as employable and have no expectation of suitable employment. Their identity becomes ensnarled in this perception of not being good enough.鈥� Of course, all of this leaves trans people with little choice but to acquire their money through criminalized activities鈥攗ndertakings which tend to expedite disenfranchise – ment and marginalization.

When speaking with Irving, it is quickly evident that he realizes the moral component of his work. With this self-awareness, he explained that he operates as a research activist on two registers. 鈥淚 always push for more work to get done and to make sure that it is sustainable. It is undeniably interdisciplinary research, and we have to understand that there are many factors in need of consideration. How do we mediate race, gender, class, and exploitation? What I鈥檓 studying can be tragic, and there are so many moving parts, so we need to generate reports that o ffer clear direction.鈥�

鈥淪econd, we need to investigate the root of all marginalization. We need to force ourselves to confront the illusions fostered by capitalism.鈥�

Professor Irving is a self-described Marxist, who became 鈥減oliticized鈥� in his late teens. As he transitioned in the early 2000s, Irving began to think a lot about questions surrounding the identity politics intrinsic to life as a trans person. Irving also nurtured his personal politicization by studying and deciphering how societal constructs shape our greater understanding of where we all fit. As might be expected, Irving had always yearned to be an agent of change. 鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be a lawyer, but after some university experience as an undergraduate (and total geek), I knew that academia was the profession I wanted to pursue.鈥�

鈥淎t the time, I was witnessing this amazing galvanization in the trans community around identity, and I wanted to be an ally. So, I wrote my dissertation at York which focused on how organizations approach trans identity on three sites of political intervention鈥攖he union movement, feminist activism, specifically homeless and Violence Against Women shelters, and LGBT rights organizations.鈥�

鈥淪oon after I finished my Ph.D., I got a call from 杏吧原创鈥攎y first professional interview鈥攁nd I was offered a professorship.鈥�

In fact, Irving was 杏吧原创 University鈥檚 very first hire in the Sexuality Studies program. The irony of Irving鈥檚 rapid professional success is not lost on him. 鈥淵ou know, I feel like I have the best job in the world and recognize my personal privilege and influence, so I have to be cognizant and sensitive as I approach people who are less fortunate.鈥�

As a trans person himself, Irving can share many of his own vulnerabilities with the community he studies, which he believes is essential. 鈥淚 can relate to other鈥檚 fears, history, personal trials and issues through our shared identity. Typically, this gains me a degree of trust.鈥�

鈥淚t also helps that I鈥檝e been doing this for awhile, so I am something of a known entity in Ottawa and Toronto. I鈥檝e always taken a very honest approach, and I think that my reputation often precedes me.鈥�

Through his years of experience, Irving is still regularly surprised to learn of the resiliency of his interviewees. Although some trans people without work inevitably end up working in illicit (and often dangerous) trades, others establish alternative economies. Irving has met people who, in the absence of an employer, have created volunteer phone hotlines and embarked on careers as independent artists. Meanwhile, others embrace self-care through activities such as fitness, attending support meetings, and offering to counsel to others.

As he reflected on the hundreds of hours he鈥檚 spent interviewing members of trans communities, Professor Irving stated with conviction that 鈥渢rans people are the storytellers of our society.鈥�

鈥淵ou meet these marginalized individuals who are often impoverished, dealing with mental health issues, and face obstacles most will never confront in their lifetime, and still, their spirit shines through.鈥�

While the Canadian Government continues to debate Bill C-16, through his research, Irving and his interviewees give voice for the often unspoken and unspeakable feelings that particular bodies are worthless or worth less than others in the labour market鈥攁n exclusion that has a debilitating emotional impact on trans people and communities. To secure real societal change, Irving believes this effort needs to be collaborative.

鈥淚n my role as a trans scholar, I鈥檓 privileged in that I鈥檝e been given access to spaces of privilege that many do not have. Although I鈥檝e been granted access, I鈥檓 simply a bridge to trans community activists who lead the way forward despite the fact that they鈥檙e cast into social locations that are severely marginalized and compromised. They are the central figures in action on Bill C-16. These types of progressive movements forward are propelled by the tenacity and relentless pursuit of social justice taken on by trans community members.鈥�

Professor Dan Irving鈥檚 forthcoming book, (Title TBA) will be released through Canadian Scholar鈥檚 Press. It is part of a three book series which Irving edits entitled 鈥淪tudies in Trans* and Two Spirit Community Engagement鈥�.

• A survey lead by Trans Pulse Project in 2010 disclosed that out of the almost 500 transgender respondents in Ontario, 20% reported having been physically or sexually assaulted, though not all of them reported the assaults to police.
• The respondent-driven sampling survey found 13% reported being fired and 18% refused a job because they were transgender.
• In 2016, about 299 trans deaths were recorded worldwide, including 23 in the United States. This is the second highest number since such records began in 2008.

Professor Dan Irving was a fall 2016 lecturer for FASS鈥� ongoing CU in the City series. His talk was titled Depressed Economies: Transgender Un/deremployment. Learn more about CU in the City.

The post The Storytellers of Our Society appeared first on Faculty of Arts & Social Sciences.