Carol Tator

In October 2002, the Toronto Star ran a series of feature articles on racial profiling in which it was indicated that Toronto police routinely target young Black men when making traffic stops. The articles drew strong reactions from the community, and considerable protest from the media, politicians, law enforcement officials, and other public authorities. Although the articles were supported by substantial documentation and statistical evidence, the Toronto Police Association sued the Star, claiming that no such evidence existed. The lawsuit was ultimately rejected in court. As a result, however, the issue of racial profiling - a practice in which certain criminal activities are attributed to individuals or groups on the basis of race or ethno-racial background - was thrust into the national spotlight. In this comprehensive and thought-provoking work, Carol Tator and Frances Henry explore the meaning of racial profiling in Canada as it is practised not only by the police but also by many other social institutions. The authors provide a theoretical framework within which they examine racial profiling from a number of perspectives and in a variety of situations. They analyse the discourses of the media, policing officials, politicians, civil servants, judges, and other public authorities to demonstrate how those in power communicate and produce existing racialized ideologies and social relations of inequality through their common interactions. Chapter 3, by contributing author Charles Smith, provides a comparison of experiences of racial profiling and policing in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Chapter 7, by Maureen Brown, through a series of interviews, presents stories that demonstrate the realities of racial profiling in the everyday experiences of Afro-Canadians and ethno-racial minorities. Informed by a wealth of research and theoretical approaches from a wide range of disciplines, Racial Profiling in Canada makes a major contribution to the literature and debates on a topic of growing concern. Together the authors present a compelling examination of the pervasiveness of racial profiling in daily life and its impact on our society, while suggesting directions for change.

In October 2002, the Toronto Star ran a series of feature articles on racial profiling in which it was indicated that Toronto police routinely target young Black men when making traffic stops. The articles drew strong reactions from the community, and considerable protest from the media, politicians, law enforcement officials, and other public authorities. Although the articles were supported by substantial documentation and statistical evidence, the Toronto Police Association sued the Star, claiming that no such evidence existed. The lawsuit was ultimately rejected in court. As a result, however, the issue of racial profiling - a practice in which certain criminal activities are attributed to individuals or groups on the basis of race or ethno-racial background - was thrust into the national spotlight. In this comprehensive and thought-provoking work, Carol Tator and Frances Henry explore the meaning of racial profiling in Canada as it is practised not only by the police but also by many other social institutions. The authors provide a theoretical framework within which they examine racial profiling from a number of perspectives and in a variety of situations. They analyse the discourses of the media, policing officials, politicians, civil servants, judges, and other public authorities to demonstrate how those in power communicate and produce existing racialized ideologies and social relations of inequality through their common interactions. Chapter 3, by contributing author Charles Smith, provides a comparison of experiences of racial profiling and policing in Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom. Chapter 7, by Maureen Brown, through a series of interviews, presents stories that demonstrate the realities of racial profiling in the everyday experiences of Afro-Canadians and ethno-racial minorities. Informed by a wealth of research and theoretical approaches from a wide range of disciplines, Racial Profiling in Canada makes a major contribution to the literature and debates on a topic of growing concern. Together the authors present a compelling examination of the pervasiveness of racial profiling in daily life and its impact on our society, while suggesting directions for change.

Discourses of Domination explores the issue of racial bias in the Canadian English-language press. Applying critical discourse analysis as their principal methodology, Frances Henry and Carol Tator investigate the way in which the media produce, reproduce, and disseminate racist thinking through language and discourse. The core of the text consists of a series of case studies, including several high-profile cases involving the alleged criminality of persons of colour. Using these case studies as a springboard, Henry and Tator demonstrate how the media construct people of colour, immigrants, refugees, and First Nations peoples as 'others' - those who live outside the 'imagined community' of Canada. Their analysis ultimately points to the tension between democratic liberalism as a defining characteristic of Canadian society and the collective racist ideology that is embedded in the dominant culture. Discourses of Domination thus provides a greater understanding of newer forms of racism, located within systems of cultural production and representation.

Discourses of Domination explores the issue of racial bias in the Canadian English-language press. Applying critical discourse analysis as their principal methodology, Frances Henry and Carol Tator investigate the way in which the media produce, reproduce, and disseminate racist thinking through language and discourse. The core of the text consists of a series of case studies, including several high-profile cases involving the alleged criminality of persons of colour. Using these case studies as a springboard, Henry and Tator demonstrate how the media construct people of colour, immigrants, refugees, and First Nations peoples as 'others' - those who live outside the 'imagined community' of Canada. Their analysis ultimately points to the tension between democratic liberalism as a defining characteristic of Canadian society and the collective racist ideology that is embedded in the dominant culture. Discourses of Domination thus provides a greater understanding of newer forms of racism, located within systems of cultural production and representation.

In this thoughtful and lucid analysis, framed by their contention that 'cultural production is one way in which society gives voice to racism,' Carol Tator, Frances Henry, and Winston Matthis examine how six controversial Canadian cultural events have given rise to a new 'radical' or 'critical' multiculturalism. Mainstream culture has increasingly become the locus for challenge by racial minorities. Beginning with the Royal Ontario Museum's Into the Heart of Africa exhibition, and following through with discussions of Show Boat, Miss Saigon, the exhibition of the Barnes Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, the 'Writing Thru Race' conference in Vancouver, and the ill-fated attempts to acquire a licence for a black/dance radio station in Toronto, the authors examine manifestations of racism in Canada's cultural production over the last decade. A 'radical' multiculturalism, they argue, is difference as a politicized force, and arises whenever cultural imperialism is challenged.