Janelle Joseph, an assistant professor at the University of Toronto Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), was recently elected to the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.
Joseph joins an exclusive group of Canadian scholars, artists and scientists who have demonstrated excellence and extraordinary productivity at an early stage in their career, and whose perspectives and expertise will strengthen the College’s mission of harnessing interdisciplinary approaches to generate ideas and solutions for the challenges facing Canada - and the world.
“It is the pinnacle of my career to be elected to such an esteemed group,” says Joseph. “I first heard of the Royal Society of Canada and its scholars who were doing such incredible empirical and theoretical work when I joined UofT as a faculty member.
“Many of the researchers I draw on in relation to Black Studies in Canada such as Katherine McKittrick, George Dei and Carl E. James are fellows of the society, so now that I am among them, I feel truly humbled and honoured.”
Joseph’s research explores the intersection of race, education and physical cultures such as sport, dance, martial arts and land-based play - the concept of learning on and from the land built around the Indigenous connection with the land. An award-winning scholar (she won the 2020 Connaught New Researcher Award), her research is actively changing the notion of who can access, generate and advance knowledge about the moving body in various contexts and power in Canada.
“I am compelled to partner with racialized communities because not enough attention is given to the social and political implications of white privilege, colonialism, ethics and Indigeneity in sport research, especially in Canada,” she says.
Joseph uses critical race theories to study racialized people’s physical culture experiences.
“I believe we need to counter the erasure of our complex stories spanning race, gender, disability and class,” she says. “This is essential because when our stories are not told, we remain invisible to the broader public and collective efforts towards increasing belonging will continue to be fraught.
“In short, my research preserves human life and dignity.”
Joseph provides critical assessments of how physical cultures could - or already do - contribute to the flourishing of racialized peoples.
”What I am hearing directly from research participants are remarkable stories not only of holistic health promotion through diverse movement practices, but also perseverance in the face of constant systemic barriers to equity.”
She draws inspiration from key stakeholders such as athletes, coaches, policy makers, program funders and post-secondary sport administrators who are asking “what could we do differently to improve diversity, equity and inclusion?”
“My research ensures everyone bears witness to racialized experiences,” she says. “And that changes lives.”
Joseph is looking forward to the opportunities provided by the Royal Society of Canada to collaborate with influential thinkers across the nation “and have a real impact on national policy.
“Being in a room with people who are advancing knowledge in their respective domains will be life-changing for my scholarship and for millions of Canadians whose communities our research will touch,” she says.
Joseph is the founder and director of KPE’s Indigeneity, Diaspora, Equity and Anti-Racism in Sport (IDEAS) lab and has authored/co-edited three books related to race, sport, education and Black communities in Canada.
“I am really proud of my book Sport in the Black Atlantic based on nearly two years of ethnographic research,” she says.
In the book, she documents the cross-border community-making experiences of older Black Caribbean-Canadians, examining many sociological themes, including diaspora, space, racism, gender and nationalism.
“I take lessons from the pleasures and challenges of this field research into my current studies and my graduate student supervision at KPE,” she said. “There are also interesting connections between the older generation of Black cricket players I studied over a decade ago and some of their children who are current coaches and administrators in Ontario University Sport.”
Last year, Joseph completed The Ontario University Athletics Anti-racism Report, the largest study of anti-racism in university sport in Canada.
“I’m really proud of the ways the report has been taken up by the athletic directors in the province and across U Sport in Canada, making changes to their staffing and training processes,” she said. “I’m most happy when I see my research making change in the world.”