Research Themes

Professor Jooyoung Lee recently appeared on the University of Toronto podcast, The New Normal, to discuss anti-Asian racism. The episode is the first of a two-part series called: Scapegoat. In addition to Professor Lee, the host Maydianne Andrade, also spoke to Diana Fu of Political Science. Professor Yooyoung Lee is an Associate Professor of Sociology … Read More

Professor Clayton Childress recently published an article in “Public Books,” an online publication dedicated to bringing “scholarly depth to discussions of contemporary ideas, culture, and politics.” Professor Childress’ piece discusses two books, Álvaro Santana-Acuña’s Ascent to Glory: How One Hundred Years of Solitude Was Written and Became a Global Classic and Maryann Erigha’s The Hollywood … Read More

Ph.D. student Rebecca Lennox recently published ‘“There’s Girls Who Can Fight, and There’s Girls Who Are Innocent”: Gendered Safekeeping as Virtue Maintenance Work’ in Violence Against Women. Drawing on in-depth interviews with women residents of Greater Vancouver, British Columbia, the article investigates safety behaviours commonly practiced by women in public places, such as avoiding unlit … Read More

Professor Nicholas Spence’s research team recently published ‘The COVID-19 Pandemic: Informing Policy Decision-Making for a Vulnerable Population’ in the International Indigenous Policy Journal (IIPJ).  This article examines the Canadian Covid-19 response during wave one and hopes to guide policy decision-making as it affects our most vulnerable populations. The article states that rates of infection and … Read More

Much of Professor Jooyoung Lee’s research focuses on gun violence and how it impacts communities and marginalized groups.  With the horrific shooting events in Atlanta, Jooyoung shares his insights with several media outlets. The Washington Post article “Shootings in Atlanta put focus on year of heightened anti-Asian violence in the West” discusses the alarming rise … Read More

Professor Scott Schieman was recently quoted on the BBC website in an article entitled, “Why remote work has eroded trust among colleagues”.  The article outlines how the ongoing remote work arrangements caused by the pandemic has led to a lack of trust between managers and employees.  The article explains that the lack of social interactions … Read More

Professor David Pettinicchio’s new co-authored article “Partisanship fuels what people with disabilities think about COVID-19 response” was featured in the National Post.  Professor Pettinichio and Professor Michelle Maroto conducted a national survey of people with chronic health conditions and disabilities during the pandemic examining the added stress and isolation it has caused the marginalized group. … Read More

Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah recently discussed the role of police on CBC Radio One.  Professor Owuwu-Bempah believes that Canadians need to rethink the role of police and would like to see a detasking of police duties.  There needs to be a full understanding of what Toronto police do on a daily basis and the resources required … Read More

Professor David Pettinicchio’s new article “COVID-19 affects the mental health of those already most vulnerable in society” was featured in the Toronto Star.  Professor Pettinicchio examines the negative impacts from COVID-19 on those with disabilities and chronic health conditions. In June 2020 Professor Pettinicchio’s research team surveyed Canadians with disabilities and chronic health conditions about … Read More

Congratulations to Professor Tahseen Shams, recipient of the 2021 Distinguished Scholarship Award from the Pacific Sociological Association for her book “Here, There, and Elsewhere: The Making of Immigrant Identities in a Globalized World.” The Distinguished Scholarship Award is granted to sociologists from the Pacific region in recognition of major intellectual contributions embodied in a recently … Read More

Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah spoke with Vassy Kapelos on Canada National Power & Politics – CBC News about the Federal governments new legislation to relax penalties for drug offences. Professor Owusu-Bempah believes a full repeal of the controlled drugs and substances act would have been preferred to avoid criminalizing people for possession because the marginalized and … Read More

Professor Jooyoung Lee spoke with Ginella Massa on Canada Tonight – CBC News about Canada’s recent ban on targeted firearms. The Canadian government recently announced its plans to implement its voluntary gun buy back program.  Professor Lee expressed concerns over the effectiveness of this program.  He explains that voluntary gun buy back programs are often … Read More

Professor Melissa Milkie was featured in an article in the Huffington Post.  More Men Helped With Housework During The Early Days Of COVID-19. What Went Wrong? by Brittany Wong looks at how divisions of labour in the home were initially equalizing during the first wave of the ongoing pandemic but the initial increase in men’s … Read More

PhD student Ferdouse Asefi recently wrote an op-ed, Empty words and promises are not a serious attempt at reconciliation, in the Hamilton Spectator. The article outlines the numerous failures by the federal Liberal government to keep their promises to achieve reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, as well as insufficient gestures towards reconciliation by Conservative party members. From … Read More

Professor Tahseen Shams was recently featured in the first episode of Migrations: A World on the Move Podcast, titled Pandemics. In this episode, Professor Shams spoke with host Eleanor Paynter and guests Dr. Gunisha Kaur and Dr. Katie Fiorella on the topic of how the COVID-19 pandemic has shaped our understanding of borders and migration. Professor Shams … Read More

UTM’s student newspaper, The Medium, recently published a feature article profiling Jordan Foster’s research on social media. Entitled, “The Promises and Perils of Social Media,” the article discusses Jordan’s work examining the roles of influencers in perpetuating or combating patterns of social inequality. Jordan is a third year PhD student. His research focuses on culture, … Read More

Professor Jerry Flores was recently featured in the University of Toronto Magazine. The article recounts Flores’ personal experiences in education as a young marginalized person, what redirected his path towards higher education, and some of the projects he has worked on to “participate in social justice” as an academic. Professor Flores is an Assistant Professor … Read More

Professor David Pettinicchio was recently featured in an article posted on the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences website. This article provides an overview of various Canadian researchers and highlights Pettinicchio for his collaborative efforts with Professor Michelle Maroto of the University of Alberta in their research to understand the effects of COVID-19 among people … Read More

Professor Akwasi Owusu-Bempah was recently featured in a New York Times article, following up on the consequences in Canada’s legal system after two years of legalizing cannabis. This article reviewed the changes that marijuana legalization promised to make for Canadian society, and whether or not these changes were effective. Owusu-Bempah argues that the legalization did help reduce … Read More

Professors Josée Johnston and Shyon Baumann recently published an article with recent PhD graduate Merin Oleschuk (currently Assistant Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign) in the American Sociological Association’s member newsletter Footnotes. Titled “Foodie Tensions in Tough Times”, the authors review social pressures and inequalities heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic, and their effects … Read More