Search Results (118)

Leadership plays a critical role in promoting equitable and high-quality early care and education (ECE) environments. Within this context, leaders of color bring unique perspectives and experiences that support ECE teachers, children, and families with diverse backgrounds. Despite their importance, there is limited research focusing on the professional experiences and well-being of ECE leaders of color. Drawing on Critical Race Theory (CRT), the current study aims to fill the gap by exploring the well-being, challenges, and strengths of ECE leaders of color. Using applied thematic analysis, we analyzed interview data from 17 leaders of color working in center-based ECE settings. Five themes were identified: (1) Multidimensional and interconnected well-being, (2) structural and racialized challenges in leadership roles and career pathways, (3) strengths and assets drawn from leaders of color’s identities and experiences, (4) interconnections between strengths and burdens, and (5) suggestions for well-being and work conditions improvement. The findings suggest that improving the well-being and work conditions of ECE leaders of color requires both individual and structural support, including more targeted well-being resources, culturally sustaining organizational practices and climate, leadership preparation and development support, and more stable policy environments. Full article

This paper revisits assimilation theory—developed to explain immigrant incorporation into U.S. society—and advances a reformulation centered on reciprocal assimilation. Classical models describe a linear convergence toward dominant Anglo-American norms, while segmented assimilation highlights multiple pathways shaped by context, race, and class. Both, however, tend to frame incorporation as a directional process in which minority groups adapt to dominant institutions. Drawing on contemporary autism scholarship, this paper brings assimilation theory into dialogue with neurodiversity to examine how its core assumptions extend beyond immigrant contexts. Using autism as a critical case, we show that social adaptation often occurs through camouflaging (masking, compensation, and behavioral adjustment), producing outward conformity without changing underlying neurological differences and often carrying psychological costs. These dynamics suggest that inclusion is frequently conditional on sustained performance of normative behavior rather than true structural incorporation. We identify an underlying assumption of universal assimilability within assimilation research and show how engaging with disability calls for a broader conception of incorporation. In response, we propose reciprocal assimilation as a framework in which adaptation emerges through dynamic interaction among individuals, institutions, and social structures. Integrating life-course concepts—turning points, cumulative (dis)advantage, agency, and social bonds—we illustrate how participation trajectories are shaped by accessibility, accommodations, stigma, and support over time. We conclude that a reciprocal model shifts emphasis from cultural convergence to meaningful participation, offering a more flexible framework for understanding incorporation across diverse populations, with implications for research, measurement, and policy. Full article

This critical review interrogates how contemporary diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) reforms in STEM education engage the deeper project of epistemic decolonisation. Framed by critical race theory, feminist science studies, and decolonial scholarship, it asks whether inclusion agendas move beyond representational expansion to disrupt Eurocentric hierarchies of legitimacy; which pedagogical and curricular innovations enact pluriversal STEM; and what institutional conditions constrain transformation. A multi-stage search of Scopus, Web of Science, ERIC, Google Scholar, and grey literature (2010–2025) yielded 152 records; PRISMA-informed screening produced 80 sources for interpretive thematic synthesis. Findings show that DEI initiatives have increased access and participation, yet typically preserve assumptions of scientific neutrality and universalism, leaving epistemic injustice largely intact. In contrast, decolonial innovations, such as two-eyed seeing, culturally sustaining and place-based pedagogies, history, philosophy, and sociology of science integration, and project-based learning grounded in indigenous knowledge systems, reposition learners and communities as co-producers of knowledge and reframe science as situated and relational. However, these practices remain peripheral due to assessment regimes, accreditation pressures, funding and tenure incentives, disciplinary gatekeeping, and limited educator preparation. The review argues that meaningful reform requires structural reconfiguration of curricula, evaluation, and institutional reward systems to recognise multiple epistemologies, cultivate ethical relationality, and enable sustained community partnership. Full article

The call to decolonize our teaching, research, and universities is gaining momentum, and change begins with our everyday actions. In this concept paper, I advance critical reflective praxis—grounded in critical race theory, decolonial thought, and Indigenous studies—as a heuristic for identifying and challenging colonialism, Eurocentrism, racism, and other biases and systems of power across the entire research process, and for moving beyond critique into praxis. I also advance research as a site of praxis, and I argue for reconceptualizing praxis as praxis-in-motion, and for diagnostically evaluating praxis rather than assuming it is inherently ethical. To exemplify the process of critical reflective praxis, I evaluate a travel-based study I conducted about urban health and sustainable development in northeast Thailand that utilized the Moving Worlds Framework (also known as the travelogue methodology), a critical and decolonial approach to research that positions travel as a dynamic condition of knowledge production. In this evaluation, critical reflective praxis is operationalized as a whole-of-process intervention, embedding critical analysis, reflexivity, accountability, and praxis throughout the research process, based on social justice perspectives. My analysis demonstrates how bias can infiltrate research planning, design, methods, representation, and publication, even within decolonial methodological approaches. Critical reflective praxis is proposed as an evaluative and diagnostic tool for evaluating research and praxis. Full article

Respiratory Syncytial Virus infection is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality in infants. Maternal vaccination with the bivalent vaccine Abrysvo^® in the third trimester (24–36 weeks) is an effective strategy to prevent severe respiratory illnesses in newborns. However, the introduction of this new technology faces structural obstacles that amplify inequalities. This rapid literature review sought to map and synthesize evidence on inequalities and inequities in adherence and accessibility to maternal vaccination among Black pregnant women. A rapid literature review was conducted using a mixed-methods approach (narrative synthesis and thematic analysis), following guidelines adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses and the Cochrane Handbook. The research question was structured using the acronym Population/Problem, Exposure, Comparison, and Outcome, focusing on Black pregnant women, maternal vaccination, comparison with other groups, and barriers/determinants. The search was conducted in databases such as PubMed (via Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online), Scopus and Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, covering studies published between 2022 and 2025 that presented disaggregated analysis by race. The analysis and interpretation of the findings were guided by Critical Race Theory. The analysis of the twelve included studies (mainly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and Brazil) revealed systematic and robust disparities. Black pregnant women had lower vaccination coverage and were less likely to receive timely recommendations compared to White pregnant women. The barriers identified include: institutional distrust (resulting from structural racism), poor access to prenatal care, inadequate communication, and socioeconomic factors. Inequities are structural and multifactorial phenomena. To ensure that the benefits of the vaccine are distributed equitably, strategies such as anti-racist training for healthcare teams, active vaccination outreach, and continuous monitoring of data disaggregated by race are essential. Full article

Grounded in a Critical Race Theory framework, this study explores the racial microaggressions experienced by Faculty of Color at one four-year university in California during what Bell would call a “peak of progress” for racial justice—where equity and inclusivity took center stage in the institutional agenda. We engaged a Critical Race Feminista Methodology, using group pláticas to gather stories of Faculty of Color from diverse racial and generational backgrounds to understand how they experienced everyday racism within the context of racial realism—the acknowledgement of the permanence of racism in U.S. society. Our findings revealed that despite the institutional focus on equity, Faculty of Color experiences with racial microaggressions were connected by threaded histories of imposed racial hierarchies, marginalization, and structural inequities. Faculty of Color across age, gender, and rank described the everyday racism that impacted academic trajectories and personal lives across time, from the late 1990s for the most senior faculty to the present for the most junior. However, we also found that faculty responded to those microaggressions through racial microaffirmations—the everyday ways People of Color affirm each other’s dignity, integrity, and shared humanity that make them feel seen and supported. Indeed, we found that Faculty of Color engaged powerful strategies of racial microaffirmations with each other across generations that supported their well-being and their careers. Full article

This study examines the relationship between institutional resource allocation to Multicultural Student Programs and Services (MSPS) and the retention rates of students of color at public higher education institutions as operationalized by the Unit Power held by MSPS leaders. Situated in the socio-political context influenced by the Black Lives Matter movement and rising anti-diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) legislation, the research seeks to understand if targeted investments in MSPS meaningfully enhance retention for Asian, Black, Hispanic, and Multiracial students. Using Quantitative Critical Race Theory (QuantCrit), the study employs correlation and multiple regression analyses to assess the effectiveness of MSPS expenditures. Results demonstrate that institutional investment in MSPS is positively associated with higher one-year retention rates for students of color. Additionally, the research highlights the critical role of MSPS administrators’ unit power, characterized by their environmental influence, institutional authority, and negotiation capabilities, in securing necessary funding. These findings contextualize the financial decisions institutions face amidst legislative pressures questioning the validity of diversity initiatives. This study contributes to the existing literature by demonstrating how resource allocation strategies directly impact equity and retention outcomes, advocating for strategic, data-driven investments in MSPS as essential components for institutional effectiveness, credibility, and sustainable diversity practices. Full article

Within the Canadian context, the academic trajectory of Black males is typically discussed in terms of failure or disengagement, with comparatively little attention paid to those who persist and succeed in post-secondary education (PSE). This paper examines the factors that enhance African Canadian males’ pursuit of PSE in Ontario and explores how their understandings of race, racism, and PBRI shape their academic trajectories. Drawing on Critical Race Theory and a Positive Black Racial Identity (PBRI) framework, the study analyzes phone interviews with 18 Black male post-secondary students drawn from a larger qualitative project on Black student success involving 56 participants. Findings highlight how PBRI, culturally grounded mentorship, and community-based support function as protective factors that foster academic persistence, advocacy, and a redefinition of success beyond deficit-based narratives. The paper argues that Black male success in PSE must be understood not as exceptional but as evidence of agency and resistance within structurally inequitable institutions, and it concludes with implications for curriculum, mentorship, and institutional policy in Canadian higher education. Full article

This study explored the experiences, perspectives and confidence of teaching and research staff of discussing race and ethnicity, and associated equalities matters, at a post-1992 university in North West England, UK. In particular, it studied whether colleagues, who were largely white, had the understanding and personal skills to deliver on race equity in teaching and learning in a Higher Education Institution (HEI). Further, it examined whether there was a disconnect between the intention of an HEI working towards the Race Equality Charter (REC) mark and the detrimental effects this may have on its minoritised ethnic staff. The study was based on focus groups and interviews of 43 academic staff as participants using Critical Race Theory (CRT) and Intersectionality as the theoretical lens. These address discrepancies between institutional declarations and realities within higher education, which is important, as HEIs are increasingly positioning themselves as committed to diversity and equity, while the practical implementation often remains inconsistent. The findings demonstrate that the white participants were not confident, competent or pro-active enough to effect any meaningful change in race equity. At the same time, the minoritised ethnic participants often felt the burden of having to relive the trauma and pain of racism and take the lead in any race equity initiatives. In sum, the study demonstrates that HEI initiatives that purport to tackle systemic racism through decolonisation and the REC mark have little chance of effecting institutional change if the staff do not have the confidence, competence and necessary skills to make it happen. Full article

Muslims are the fastest growing religious minority in Canada. In Ontario, Muslim students account for over 20% of the total student body in some school boards. Research suggests that widespread anti-Muslim racism has been perpetrated by teachers in Ontario schools. Though numerous studies have examined the experiences of Muslim students and educators in public schools across Canada, little research has explored the experiences of students enrolled in teacher education programs (i.e., preservice teachers) and their preparedness for challenging anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian racism in Ontario schools. This study explores challenges, biases, and prejudices that Muslim students, Muslim educators, as well as students and teachers that sympathize with Palestinian solidarity face within Ontario public schools from the perspectives of preservice teachers who are in the process of beginning their careers as educators. Through a critical ethnographic approach, this study engaged in 32 semi-structured interviews with preservice teachers across 5 university teacher training programs in Southern Ontario. Participants in this study discussed Islamophobic experiences centred on archetypal perceptions of Muslim male students being discursively constructed as sexist and misogynistic and the policing and surveillance of Muslim prayer spaces and rituals. Anti-Palestinian racism manifested when students and educators’ solidarity with Palestinian rights were policed and silenced, as well as when students and educators felt compelled to self-censor their sympathies for Palestine. This study provides timely and critical insights related to the challenges faced by Ontario teacher training programs in light of growing religious and ethnic plurality in public schools and suggests approaches and strategies to address these obstacles. Full article

This systematic literature review provides an extensive synthesis of the empirical, theoretical, and policy research on Black students with disabilities in higher education in Canada and the United States. Grounded in the Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses approach, this study incorporates the perspectives of critical race theory, Black feminist thought, disability studies in education, and disability critical race theory to examine racism and ableism as mutual, structuralizing forces. The results indicate that Black students with disabilities experience a spectrum of systemic marginalization across the stages of education, including racialized academic tracking, Eurocentric and inaccessible curriculum, unequal accommodation practices and microaggressions. These barriers are intensified by financial precarity, mental health inequities, and a radical absence of representation in faculty and institutional administrations. The results suggest that institutional approaches frequently isolate race and disability, culminating in policies that overlook intersectional harm. This study concludes that transformative changes must extend beyond compliance-driven diversity and access programs to encompass justice-driven intersectional reforms in pedagogy, policy, funding, and institutional culture. The findings underscore the need to prioritize Black students with disabilities when redesigning higher education systems to foster substantive equity and inclusion. Full article

Situated within the field of modern Chinese political history, this study investigates the Late Qing New Policies (1901–1911) as a pivotal transition from a traditional tributary empire to a modern multi-ethnic nation-state. A critical limitation in current scholarship is the tendency to reduce these reforms to mere expedients for dynastic preservation, thereby overlooking the complex mechanisms by which they fundamentally reconstructed national identity and interethnic power structures amidst the “triple crisis” of territory, sovereignty, and nationality. To address this, the article employs a comprehensive historical analysis to explore how institutional restructuring in administration, military, and ideology catalyzed the transformation from imperial autocracy toward a “responsible government” framework. The research is distinguished by its innovative application of Anthony D. Smith’s theories of “ethnic” versus “civic” nationalism to deconstruct the “myth-symbol complex” of the Chinese nation, bridging the theoretical divide between the “New Qing History” paradigm and empirical modernization narratives. Findings demonstrate that while the Manchu leadership aimed to secure formal primacy, the practical implementation of reforms engendered a de facto Han-supported power structure, compelling the reconceptualization of the state as a “multi-ethnic constitutional monarchy” and establishing the institutional logic for the “Five Races Under One Union” model. Consequently, this study offers significant academic value by redefining the New Policies as the foundational phase of modern China, providing a crucial theoretical framework for understanding the continuity of China’s multi-ethnic statehood and national identity beyond the dynastic collapse. Full article

Background/Objective: Feminist theories and feminist economics have contributed to making visible the structural relevance of care work in sustaining capitalist societies and social reproduction, arguing that care must be addressed as a political phenomenon rather than a merely domestic issue. This perspective is particularly pertinent in contemporary healthcare, where chronic care represents one of the major public health challenges in a context of population ageing and increasing prevalence of chronic diseases. The aim is to contribute to a critical understanding that can support the development of public policies recognizing care as a fundamental pillar of socio-healthcare provision and as a matter of collective responsibility. Methods: A narrative literature review with a critical feminist approach was conducted using PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science. Results: A total of 299 records were identified, of which 30 studies were included following screening and eligibility assessment. Care is an essential element for sustaining life, although it has historically been rendered invisible, feminized, and relegated to the private sphere. Chronicity requires simultaneous consideration of the material dimension of care (as work), the subjective dimension (including emotional bonds and moral responsibility), and the political dimension (shaped by power relations). Global care chains reveal persistent inequalities related to gender, class, and race. Conclusions: Care is a structural, political, and transnational category that sustains life and healthcare systems. In the field of chronic care, the recognition, redistribution, and socialization of care are essential for achieving social justice and for safeguarding the dignity of both caregivers—predominantly women—and care recipients. Full article

This paper presents a simulation framework for analysing race car overtaking manoeuvres under aerodynamic wake effects using optimal control theory. The proposed formulation integrates wake-dependent aerodynamic disturbances into a spatial-domain optimal control problem, enabling simultaneous optimisation of racing line and control inputs. A planar vehicle model representative of a modern FIA Formula 3 car is employed and calibrated using real telemetry data obtained from Campos Racing. Wake effects are modelled as distance- and offset-dependent aerodynamic loss factors that influence drag, downforce, and aerodynamic balance of the following vehicle. The framework is implemented using the Dymos optimal control library and applied to single-car and two-car overtaking scenarios on a closed circuit. Simulation results demonstrate that wake effects significantly modify optimal braking points, corner entry trajectories, and corner-exit strategies. Moreover, we show that optimal overtaking requires deliberate lateral deviations from the wake core to recover downforce and traction. The study highlights the importance of incorporating aerodynamic interaction effects into trajectory optimisation when analysing performance-critical motorsport manoeuvres. Full article

Background: Black and racialized immigrants with disabilities in Canada face overlapping systems of exclusion rooted in racism, ableism, and migration status. Yet, their experiences within health and rehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic remain largely undocumented. This study explores how structural inequities shaped access to healthcare, rehabilitation, information, and community supports in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area (GTHA). Methods: Using narrative inquiry, ten in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who identified as Black or racialized, disabled, and having immigrated to Canada within the last 10 years. Narratives were analyzed through reflexive thematic analysis to identify how systems, relationships, and policies interacted to shape daily life, health and rehabilitation navigation during the pandemic. Results: Participants described systemic barriers in health and rehabilitation systems, experiences of “othering” and conditional belonging, and the critical role of informal and faith-based networks in navigating inaccessible services. Pandemic policies often intensified existing inequities. Conclusions: Findings underscore the need for intersectional health and rehabilitation planning that centers the voices of Black and racialized disabled immigrants. Addressing systemic racism and ableism is essential for equitable preparedness in future public health emergencies. Full article