Unmasking Academia : Institutional Inequities Laid Bare During COVID-19

As a global crisis, COVID-19 was a moment of reckoning for the academy. Unmasking Academia uses the pandemic as a catalyst for reflection on the intensification and intersectional impacts of white supremacy, colonialism, xenophobia, homophobia, transphobia, sexism, and misogyny in higher education. Highlighting the expertise of historically excluded and currently underrepresented faculty and students, the collection draws attention to the ineffectiveness of performative university equity policies and the need to address the increasing labour demands of equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) on those who are most impacted by exclusionary institutional policies and practices. Using methodologies such as auto-ethnography, policy analysis, and Indigenous ways of knowing, the authors chart new pathways toward social justice and meaningful institutional transformation. By investigating post-secondary institutions’ superficial commitment to EDI, the authors are able to offer critique and also suggest strategies for change. Unmasking Academia provides critical insights on survival and resistance along with recommendations for making higher education an equitable and just space. Provocative and incisive, the book is a rich resource for policy administrators, researchers, and teachers, and, indeed, for all involved in education.

Contributors: Ayesha Akram, Pallavi Banerjee, Sepideh Borzoo, Enakshi Dua, Isabel Fandino, Leah K. Hamilton, Carl E. James, Hee-Jung S. Joo, Erin Keating, Gabrielle Ellen Weasel Head, Corinne L. Mason, Nardos Omer, Fawziah Rabiah-Mohammed, Irene Shankar, Carieta Thomas, Ethel Tungohan.