Muslim teachers’ experiences with race and racism in Quebec secondary schools

Authors

  • Naved Bakali

Keywords:

Islamophobia, Education, Racism

Abstract

Recent polls indicate that 69 per cent of Quebecois(es) and 54 per cent of Canadians as a whole have a negative view towards Islam (Angus Reid, 2013). Quebec has had a turbulent history with its racialized Others, particularly in the realm of education (Desroches, 2013). At varying points in Quebec’s recent history, political parties have gained prominence through employing identity politics, framing Muslims as a threatening ‘Other’. This occurred during the Reasonable Accommodation debates from 2006-2008 (Mahrouse, 2010) and more recently in discussions over the Quebec Charter of Values, a proposed law that will prohibit government employees or employees of state funded institutions from wearing conspicuous forms of religious attire. This article examines the lived experiences of three Muslim teachers working in Quebec secondary schools in the post-9/11 context. Through employing institutional ethnography, this study aimed to explore if Muslim teachers working in public secondary schools in Quebec have observed or experienced racism or prejudice towards the Islamic faith in their secondary schools, and if so, how this manifested.

Author Biography

Naved Bakali

Department of Integrated Studies in Education, PhD Candidate

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Published

2015-05-08

Issue

Section

Research Study/Recherche