The Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality & Social Justice (GRSJ) at the University of British Columbia would like to express its shock and dismay and urge York University to reconsider its decision to suspend admissions to eighteen programs, including Gender and Women’s Studies, Jewish Studies and Indigenous Studies programs.
At a time when transphobic, anti-Black, anti-Indigenous, Islamophobic, racist, homophobic, anti-Semitic, and misogynistic violence and hate are on the rise, these programs are more vital than ever, not just for educating a democratic populace but also for their research in service of a more just world. Now is the time to increase, not decrease, support to these programs.
We urge York University Administration to strengthen and enhance its commitment to Indigenous, intersectional and decolonial feminist pedagogy and programs. As York University was founded to prioritize liberal education, it is especially disappointing to see the University cut the very programs at the core of such an education.
Women’s, Gender, Social Justice (WGSJ) Statements
Founded in 1982, WGSJ (formerly known as Women’s and Gender et Recherchés féministes) is a Canada-wide association devoted to feminist scholarship and social justice.
GRSJ would also like to amplify the statements of support published by the WGSJ on February 19 and February 21. You can read these statement through the links below:
