Institutional, systemic discrimination was attacked root and branch as far back as seven decades ago
When Jordan Peterson recently tweeted out a copy of Home Depot’s ‘white privilege’ memorandum given to its staff, it rightly caused a stir: Yet another corporation’s diversity, equity and inclusion staff parroting a simplistic academic theory. The memo offered the usual assumption that one’s skin colour explains incomes and opportunities, or not. It includes the…
Organizational cultures are ripe for change when the familiar starts to seem odd
Imagine having never seen a handshake. You would know nothing of the different levels of importance and intimacy, when it should be done, what’s happening during the shake and even whether you can learn something from the shake itself. Trying to learn about it all at once would be akin to learning a new language.…
Professor's experimental approach explores science, technology, society and the environment
For Yelena Gluzman, science and theatre have much in common. And she’s intimately familiar with both. That makes her a great fit as the newest addition to Media and Technology Studies in the Faculty of Arts at the University of Alberta, where she’s teaching a new course on the interrelations of science, technology, society and environment.…
Much of what’s presented as news now is better described as narrative spinning
If you follow American news, you’ve probably come across many assertions that by mid-century the United States is set to become a “majority-minority” country. For the first time since its founding, whites will no longer form a majority of the population. This has been greeted with a range of reactions. Some people are dismayed, or…
Balancing physical and social needs key to ensuring equity in affected communities
As our world adapts to climate change, a renewed focus on social vulnerability is critical to supporting affected communities, according to a study by University of Alberta urban planning experts. “Our research shows we must expand our thinking beyond solely the physical aspects of climate change, and to instead design for the social effects of…
Indigenous nicknames, logos, mascots and rituals are inappropriate and insensitive
Why is this so hard? In the year 2021, why do some sports organizations still insist on using Indigenous American names, mascots, caricatures, rituals, etc., to promote their team? And in the case of Atlanta’s Major League Baseball team, why do they continue to encourage fans to do the tomahawk chop by turning the lights…
Charismatic leaders are perceived to be confident, upbeat and inspirational
In business dealings, charisma counts. A lot. And charisma is as much about impressions and body language as it is about issues and substance. I've seen many qualified people get passed over for promotion (or lose a sale or fail an interview) simply because they couldn’t project an engaging attitude. Max Weber, the father of…
SKIPP offers a space to discuss ethical and respectful research as part of Career Corner series at Congress 2021 virtual conference
Changing standards around Indigenous engagement in research is a key initiative of the University of Alberta’s Situated Knowledges: Indigenous Peoples and Place (SKIPP) signature area. Florence Glanfield, SKIPP co-lead, will help share that focus with early-career researchers during the 2021 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. On June 3, Glanfield, who is also vice-provost (Indigenous programming and…
Sociologists expose how perpetrators use trust, faith and authority to groom victims and keep abuse secret
A recent literature review by a University of Alberta cult expert and his former graduate student paints a startling and consistent picture of institutional secrecy and widespread protection of those who abuse children in religious institutions “in ways that often differ from forms of manipulation in secular settings.” It’s the first comprehensive study exposing patterns of sexual…
Social isolation has become a defining feature of modern Western societies and there’s a growing concern about its effects
When people look back at this pandemic, they will remember many things, but perhaps most of all they will recall the changes in social behaviour. There’s the obsessive washing of hands, not touching our face, forgoing handshakes, hoarding toilet paper, wearing masks, working from home and, of course, social distancing – or, more accurately, physical…
When Jordan Peterson recently tweeted out a copy of Home Depot’s ‘white privilege’ memorandum given to its staff, it rightly caused a stir: Yet another corporation’s diversity, equity and inclusion staff parroting a simplistic academic theory. The memo offered the usual assumption that one’s skin colour explains incomes and opportunities, or not. It includes the…
