Timothy J. Stanley honoured for contributions to anti-racism education, academic service

While completing an MA in Chinese history at the University of British Columbia, Stanley was awarded a position as an exchange scholar at the Beijing Languages Institute and Peking University, in the People’s Republic of China. The experience shaped his academic trajectory during graduate studies and led to pioneering work on Chinese Canadian history, settler colonialism and contesting white supremacy.

Stanley’s research focuses on how forms of racism structure social life and impact people’s everyday encounters with each other. His scholarship is considered foundational to the field, and his publications are widely used in undergraduate and graduate courses. His acclaimed monograph Contesting White Supremacy: School Segregation, Anti-Racism, and the Making of Chinese Canadians won the CHEA Founders’ Prize for the best English-language book, and the Canadian Historical Association’s Clio Prize for the best book from British Columbia.

In one of his most influential articles, Why I Killed Canadian History: Conditions for an Anti-Racist History in Canada, Stanley argues that “anti-racism promises a richer and better history” than nationalist approaches for teaching and learning history do, as these perspectives fail to account for race and the experiences of those who are excluded from the historical narrative of Canada.

Professors who supported his CHEA award nomination emphasized the reach and influence of Stanley’s more than three decades of “distinguished contributions as an academic leader.” They consider him a thought-leader in the field “who recognizes the profound and complex ways that scholarship connects to societal change.”

It wasn’t just the power of his written word, nor the impact of 100+ presentations at national and international conferences over the course of his career, that stood out to those who put forth his nomination. They also credit him with being “someone whose scholarship goes beyond publications and formal teaching to include key roles in advancing the academy for the benefit of the larger society.”

His contributions outside of academia include a long-standing commitment to anti-racist activism. He was a founding member of the British Columbia Organization to Fight Racism (BCOFR), holding key executive positions responsible for building alliances with other organizations and for media relations. He later founded the BCOFR Anti-racism Education and Research Society. Now known as the Canadian Anti-racism Education and Research Society, this non-profit organization tracks hate groups. With close to fifty years of experience in anti-racism education, he has given hundreds of workshops on how to fight racism. Audiences for these workshops have ranged from high school students to the general staff of the Canadian Army. 

“I was deeply moved to receive CHEA’s Distinguished Contribution Award. It shows that my closest colleagues understand and value my work,” Stanley says. “I am extremely grateful to Sharon Cook (herself a previous winner) for initiating the nomination; Chad Gaffield, Elizabeth Smyth and Cynthia Comacchio for supporting it; and CHEA’s executive for approving it,” he adds. 

“Years ago, my PhD co-supervisor, the late Vincent D’Oyley, told me that collegiality would be the hallmark of my career. Although professors often appear to work in isolation, our teaching and research builds on that of our colleagues; they hire us, examine our thesis students, peer-review our publications and recommend our tenure and promotion. I am blessed that CHEA and Faculty of Education colleagues continue to make my work possible.”
 

Timothy J. Stanley is a professor emeritus in the Faculty of Education and the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies at the University of Ottawa. His research areas include anti-racism education, the history of education in Canada, the Chinese Canadian experience and the social foundations of education.

In addition to research and teaching, he held several administrative appointments, serving as interim dean and vice-dean of the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies; as vice-dean of programs and director of graduate studies in the Faculty of Education; and as interim director of the Institute of Indigenous Research and Studies in the Faculty of Arts. He also played a central role in establishing the Institute. He earned his BA in history and philosophy from McGill University, as well as an MA in history and a PhD in the social foundations of education from the University of British Columbia.