Carl James
Professor, Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community & Diaspora
PhD - York University, Toronto
Location(s) / Contact Info:
3153, Technology Enhanced Learning - TEL
Keele Campus
Phone: 416-736-2100 Ext. 20279
Email: cjames@edu.yorku.ca
Available to supervise graduate studentsBiography
Carl E. James holds the Jean Augustine Chair in Education, Community and Diaspora in the Faculty of Education at York University and is the Senior Advisor on Equity and Representation in the Office o the Vice President of Equity, People and Culture. He is Professor in the Faculty of Education and holds cross-appointments in the Graduate Programs in Sociology, Social and Political Thought, and Social Work. He is also served as Affirmative Action, Equity and Inclusivity Officer (206-2020); was the Director of the York Centre on Education & Community (2008-2016) which he founded, and Director of the Graduate Program in Sociology (2007-2008).
James is widely recognized for his research contributions in the areas of intersectionality of race with ethnicity, gender, class and citizenship as they shape identification/identity; the ways in which accessible and equitable opportunities in education and employment account for the lived experiences of marginalized community members; and the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students. In advocating on education for change, James documents the struggles, contradictions and paradoxes in the experiences of racialized students at all levels of the education system. In doing so, he seeks to address and move us beyond the essentialist, generalized and homogenizing discourses that account for the representation and achievements of racialized people – particularly Black Canadians -- in educational institutions, workplaces, and society generally.
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada – Academy of Social Sciences (2012), James’ outstanding work and leadership in equity and social justice is also demonstrated in the number of distinguished visiting lecturer positions he has held in universities in Canada, Australia, and Sweden. His contributions to social equity and anti-racism education have been recognized through his many awards – including the Outstanding Contribution Award, Canadian Sociological Association (CSA, 2020), Research Leadership, York University; and an Honorary Doctorate (2006) from Uppsala University, Sweden, where he was a visiting Course Director from 1997-2013 in the Teacher Training Department. A youth and community worker in his early career, he is known for his involvement in community and mentorship of students and colleagues – commitments for which he has received many awards, among them: Graduate Faculty Teaching Award (2017), York University; Black History Month Recognition, City of Markham (2014); Harry Jerome Professional Excellence Award, Black Business & Professional Association (2013); African Canadian Achievement Award (Education), Pride News Magazine (2009); William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations, City of Toronto (2008), New Pioneer Award, Skills for Change (2006).
James' publications include: “Colour Matters”: Essays on the Experiences, Education and Pursuits of Black Youth (2021); Seeing Ourselves: Exploring Race, Ethnicity and Identity (2010) – his foundational text which is now in its Fourth Edition; The Equity Myth: Racialization and Indigeneity at Canadian Universities – authored with F. Henry, E. Dua, A. Kobayashi, P. Li, H. Ramos, M.S. Smith (2017); Life at the Intersection: Community, Class and Schooling (2012) – on the Jane and Finch community; Jamaica in the Canadian Experience: A Multiculturalizing Presence – co-authored with Andrea Davis (2012); and Race in Play: The Socio-Cultural Worlds of Student Athletes (2005). One of James’ most frequently cited works on issues of inequities in education in Ontario is: Towards Race Equity in Education: The Schooling of Black students in the GTA co-authored with Tana Turner (2017). http://edu.yorku.ca/files/2017/04/Towards-Race-Equity-in-Education-April-2017.pdf
Scholarly Interests
Educational and occupational access and equity for marginalized youth; the implications of suburban “urbanization” for young people; the complementary and contradictory nature of sports in the schooling and educational attainments of racialized students; community-centered approaches to learning, identification/identity pertaining to race, ethnicity, gender, class, and immigrant status.
Research Areas
Faculty & School/Dept
- -
- Faculty of Graduate Studies, Education - Post-secondary education
Courses Taught
- Education in Urban Contexts (GS/EDUC 5440)
Selected Publications
- James, C.E. (2012). Students "at risk": Stereotyping and the Schooling of Black Boys.. Urban Education, 47 (2), 464-494.
- James, C.E. (2012). Troubling Role Models: Seeing Racialization in the Discourse Relating to 'Corrective Agents' for Black Males Troubled Masculinities: Re-Imagining Urban Men (pp. 77-93). Toronto,, Ontario: University of Toronto Press
- James, C.E. & Davis, Andrea (2012). Jamaica in the Canadian Experience: A Multiculturalizing Presence. Halifax, , Nova Scotia: Fernwwod Educational Publishing
- James, C.E. (2011). Multicultural Education in a Color-Blind Society. In Carl A. Grant & Agostino Portera Intercultural and Multicultural Education: Enhancing Global Connectedness (pp. 191-210). New York,, NY State: Routledge
- James, C.E. (2011). Why is the School Basketball Team Predominantly Black? And What That Says About Educators' Role in 'Leveling the Playing Field.' Handbook of Research in Social Foundations of Education (pp. 450-459). New York,, NY State: Routledge
- James, C.E. (2010). Seeing Ourselves: Exploring Race, Ethnicity and Culture (4 ed.). Toronto,, ON, Canada: Toronto Educational Publishing, Inc
- James, C.E. (2009). Media Accounts of the Integration and Settlement of 'Island' Immigrants in Anglophone Caribbean States. Journal of Eastern Caribbean Studies, 34 (1), 41-69.
- James, C.E. & Taylor, Leanne (2008). "Education Will Get You to the Station": Marginalized Students' Experiences and Perceptions of Merit in Accessing University. Canadian Journal of Education, 31 (3), 567-590.
- James, C.E. (2007). Les Canadiens d'origine caribeeane a Toronto: Analyse des freins au reve migratoire. (Caribben-Canadians in Toronto: An Examination of the Obstacles to their Migration Dreams). Dynamiques migratories de la Caraibe, Geode Caraibe - publication of L'Universite de la Guyane et des Antilles, Martinique, 158-168.
- James, C.E. (2005). "I Feel like a Trini": Narrative of a Generation-and-a-Half Canadian. In Vijay Agnew Diaspora, Memory and Identity: A Search for Home (pp. 230-253). Toronto,, Ontario: University of Toronto Press
- James, C.E. (2005). Race in Play: Understanding the Socio-Cultural Worlds of Student Athletes. Toronto,, Ontario: Canadian Scholars' Press
- James, C.E. Life at the intersection: Community, Class and Schooling. Halifax,, Nova Scotia: Fernwood Educational Publishing
Research Projects
Proactive: Supporting Children & Youth Mental Health and Wellbeing in Schools & Community
Role: Co-Investigator
Amount funded: $27979
Year Funded: 2012
Funded by: Department of Justice & Ministry of Child & Youth Service
Building and Mobilizing Knowledge on Race and Colonialism in Canada
Role: Other...
Amount funded: $238000
Year Funded: 2012
Duration: 2
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Youth, mental health and the justice system: An educational concern
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $9633.26
Year Funded: 2011
Funded by: Department of Justice Canada
Youth and Community Development: a Transitional Approach to Youth Violence
Role: Collaborator
Amount funded: $174053
Year Funded: 2011
Duration: 2
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
The Africentric Alternative School Experience
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $60000
Year Funded: 2011
Duration: 3
Funded by: Toronto District School Board
Supporting Learners, Enhancing Success through Communities of Learning
Role: Collaborator
Amount funded: $98760
Year Funded: 2011
Duration: 3
Funded by: Academic Innovation Fund
Promoting the academic literacy development of generation 1.5 English Language Learners: A proactive agenda
Role: Collaborator
Amount funded: $71716
Year Funded: 2011
Duration: 2
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Jamaica-Canada Connections (an Anthology)
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $9900
Year Funded: 2011
Funded by: International Development Research Centre
Sharing Experiences: Conversations in Urban/Suburban Education and Community
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $100000
Year Funded: 2010
Duration: 2
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Racialization, Reacism and the University
Role: Co-Investigator
Amount funded: $1444999
Year Funded: 2010
Duration: 3
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Literature for all: Promoting inclusive education
Role: Co-Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $95664
Year Funded: 2010
Funded by: Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC)
Assessment of the effectiveness of TPSB youth progam initiatives
Role: Principal Investigator
Amount funded: $69399
Year Funded: 2009
Funded by: Toronto Police Services Board
Awards
- Fellow, Royal Society of Canada - 2012
- African Canadian Achievement Award, Pride News Magazine - 2009
- Honorary Doctor of Laws, Uppsala University - 2006
- New Pioneer Award, Skills for Change - 2006
- William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations, City of Toronto - 2008
Professional Affiliations
- Race, Ethnicity and Education
- Journal of Contemporary Issues in Education
- Journal of Critical Race Inquiry
Partnerships/Initiatives/Centres
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