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Passings: Johanna H. Stuckey

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York University Professor Emerita Johanna Heather Stuckey, a beloved educator and award-winning author, passed away on Feb. 15 at the age of 90.

Johanna H. Stuckey
Johanna H. Stuckey

Born in Gananoque, Ont., Stuckey received her BA in English language and literature and her MA in English from the University of Toronto, followed by her PhD in English from Yale University. In 1964, she became one one of the first women hired at York and the first faculty member in the Humanities Division, later earning her membership in the York University Founders Honour Society for her contributions to the University’s early development.

Her original intention was to stay at York for one year, to be involved in the exciting task of setting up the new University, but she came to love York and the rewarding work she was involved in, and ended up staying until her retirement in 2000.

Her students were glad she did.

“In 1983, as an undergraduate student, I had the good fortune to take a course with Professor Johanna H. Stuckey. This course was truly life-changing and career defining,” said Andrea O’Reilly, a professor in the School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies and co-ordinator of York’s Bridging Program for Women. “Her course gave rise to my passion for Goddess Studies that I have researched and taught over the last 30-plus years. I have returned time and time again to Professor Stuckey’s teaching, and her wisdom continues to inform and inspire my Goddess Studies scholarship.”

Stuckey served in a variety of administrative positions during her time at York: as acting master of Founders College (1972-73), Chair of the Senate Task Force on the Status of Women (1972-75), vice-chair of the York University Faculty Association (1973-74), Chair of the Division of Humanities (1974-79), advisor to the president on the status of women (1981-85) and co-ordinator of the Women’s Studies Program (1986-89).

She also contributed to the York community in many philanthropic ways, as a founding member of York’s White Rose Legacy Circle – a society of more than 220 living donors who have made a future gift to the University – and by supportiung the Johanna H. Stuckey Graduate Bursary in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies; the Enrica Jemma Glickman Award and the Nellie Langford Rowell Library.

Stuckey’s research interests included cultural studies, history, feminist theology, women and religion, and especially ancient near eastern goddesses, and she published widely in numerous book chapters and journal articles. A February 2021 YFile story announced the release of what would be her last book, A Handbook of Gods and Goddesses of the Ancient Near East: Three Thousand Deities of Anatolia, Syria, Israel, Sumer, Babylonia, Assyria, and Elam (Eisenbrauns Press, 2021), co-written in her late 80s with the late University of Toronto Professor Douglas R. Frayne and earning them the 2022 Prose Award from the Association of American Publishers.

The late professor emerita received numerous awards for her accomplishments in teaching and research over the course of her career, but arguably her greatest achievement was the lasting impact she had on her students.

“Her lectures read like stories, and I was always enchanted by her words,” said Sheila Cavanagh, a professor in York’s Department of Sociology, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, who took a course taught by Stuckey in the late ’80s. “Her feminist analysis and critique was always developed in a thoughtful and magical way. She had us read about Adam and Eve and said something like this: ‘All women must eat from the tree of forbidden knowledge if we are to survive and thrive.’

“I cannot think of another, better quote, to summarize her incredible contributions to knowledge and feminist studies at York University,” she said.

Black Studies program expands to include major, minor options

Two Black students at York University

York University is entering a new phase in its commitment to Black Studies with the expansion of its existing program to include major and minor degree options under the continued guidance of Professor Andrea A. Davis.

A professor of Black cultures of the Americas in the Department of Humanities, Davis will lead the development of the major with Paul Lawrie, a professor in the Department of History and the Black inclusion advisor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies (LA&PS).

Andrea Davis
Andrea Davis
Paul Lawrie
Paul Lawrie

The Office of the Dean in LA&PS and the program development and curriculum innovation specialist in the Office of the Vice-Provost Academic are also involved in supporting the creation of what Davis calls “a very ambitious and exciting new degree program.”

“This new development,” Davis says, “marks a significant advancement in the University’s dedication to providing a comprehensive education that authentically reflects Black histories and experiences within academia.”

Under her leadership, York previously introduced the Black Canadian Studies Certificate in 2018, demonstrating a commitment to fostering inclusive educational environments. At the time, it was only the second Black Studies program in Canada to offer the study of Black Canada through humanities and arts approaches, including cultural studies, history, literature and music.

The expanded program will build on the foundation laid by the Black Canadian Studies Certificate, offering students a broader and more in-depth exploration of Black experiences across various academic disciplines, including arts, media, performance and design.

“We have made significant progress in mapping a unique, 21st-century curriculum, with cohesive learning outcomes and assessments, and we will be expanding consultation shortly with colleagues, students and affiliated programs,” Davis says.

Central to her pedagogical approach is the belief in education as a transformative force that extends beyond academic achievement. The goal is to empower students to critically examine the intersectionality of race, gender and class, fostering a deeper understanding of societal structures and inspiring them to become catalysts for positive change within their communities.

By delving into contemporary issues such as environmental sustainability, social justice and cultural identity, the expectation is that students will develop critical-thinking skills essential for addressing the pressing challenges of the modern world.

Presently in the development stage, the proposal for the new, expanded program is expected to be ready for the various approval stages within LA&PS by the spring of this year. Announcements of signed agreements between LA&PS and two historically Black colleges and universities in the U.S. are also expected to happen by this time.

“Without giving away too much, the curriculum will remain embedded in the humanities and expressive cultures,” Davis says. “The goal is to make it completely accessible and to include international student exchanges and teaching and research partnerships, as well as carefully mapped work-integrated learning opportunities.”

New graduate fellowship rewards exceptional scholars, community service

Audience Applauding Speaker At Business Conference

York University’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies has announced a new fellowship for students in its graduate business programs, honouring the memory of a beloved colleague.

Kenneth McBey
Kenneth McBey

The late Professor Kenneth McBey, who passed away in June 2022, was an admired instructor and mentor during his many years at York University. He was a passionate teacher in the graduate programs for Human Resource Management, Disaster & Emergency Management and Public Policy & Law, and a founding member of both the School of Human Resource Management and the Disaster & Emergency Management Program. In addition to his academic accolades, McBey served his communities in many different capacities. He was involved in a number of community and voluntary associations throughout his life, and was a commissioned officer in the Canadian Army Reserve.

Last year, to honour her late husband’s generous nature and legacy of service, Betty-Anne McBey established the Dr. Kenneth McBey Graduate Fellowship in Management. It is awarded to an incoming or continuing master’s- or doctoral-level graduate student who demonstrates outstanding voluntary service to Canada and the community. 

“One of Ken’s great pleasures was working with his York students,” said Betty-Anne. “I used to overhear him teaching during the pandemic, integrating into his lessons everything from the World War II Halifax Harbour explosion to the Shackleton Antarctica expedition. He was very proud to have been a founding member of the Disaster & Emergency Management (DEM) Program, and advocated for DEM to have a PhD program, which I understand may now be in the works.”

The first recipient of the $4,000 McBey Fellowship, in 2023, was Grace Megumi Baba-Hoang, a student in the Master of Human Resource Management Program. In receiving the fellowship, she reflected on the nature of her own investments of time and effort in the community: “In serving, I never thought I’d be rewarded in this way,” she said. “But the fact that my service represented something that you felt should be awarded and celebrated is very humbling and special.”

The fellowship will be awarded annually, on a rotating basis, to a student in one of the following graduate programs: Human Resources Management, Disaster & Emergency Management, and Public Policy Administration & Law.

This year, the McBey Fellowship will be awarded to a student in the Master of Disaster & Emergency Management Program.

“Professor McBey was a wonderful colleague with a strong commitment to York and to the broader community,” said Marie-Hélène Budworth, director of the School of Human Resource Management. “He will be deeply missed by his colleagues in the School of Human Resource Management.”

For more information on the award, and how to apply, visit the Faculty of Graduate Studies website.

Prof’s book translated, published in China

person reading a book on couch with pile of books nearby BANNER

A book, co-edited by York University Professor Thomas Klassen, about the aging populations and shifts in the labour market in South Korea has achieved a rare feat: being translated and published in China.

Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Ageing Tiger, which Klassen co-edited with Professor Yunjeong Yang, a colleague in Korea, studies a defining feature of the 21st century in many countries: more older people, fewer younger people.

Thomas Klassen
Thomas Klassen

The book looks at how workers in South Korea have been contractually obligated to retire at younger ages (mid-50s) and then take on low-paying self-employment or contract work. The thinking behind the policy was to ensure the workforce remained young and highly productive. However, Klassen’s book explores how as the labour market shifts with a rapidly aging population, the existing arrangement may no longer be as functional.

Translations of social science books are rare, as they are fairly specialized, but The Ageing Tiger was translated and published in China – despite being primarily about Korea – because the two countries have similar demographic and labour market conditions. As a result, because it covers a similar policy landscape, the translation can provide Chinese political, administrative and community leaders with valuable lessons as they navigate the phenomenon in their own country.

The Chinese edition of Korea's Retirement Predicament
The Chinese edition of Korea’s Retirement Predicament: The Ageing Tiger.

Klassen notes that creative and new solutions will be needed from individuals, families, employers, and politicians addressing population aging and ensuring that retirement policies are as effective as possible. “By sharing knowledge, which is what the translated book does, the best policies and solutions will emerge” says Klassen, who co-wrote two chapters in the book.

Xuelian Liu, a professor from the Dalian University of Foreign Languages who translated the book, agrees. “I firmly believe that the Chinese version of the book will be of value to researchers, students and policymakers in China concerning how to cope with the problems caused by an aging population,” Liu says.

The book also builds upon Klassen’s body of work as an expert in South Korean politics and policy, which has included teaching a summer study abroad course that allowed York University undergraduate students to travel to Seoul, South Korea. He is teaching this course again in the summer of 2024.

Event postponed: Lecture explores complexities of institutionalized DEI

Rear view of four diverse women

Update: New information after publication of this article indicates the Feb. 29 lecture has been postponed. Continue to read YFile for further updates on this event.

Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives are intended to create environments where individuals of all backgrounds and abilities feels safe, welcome and valued. York University’s School of Gender, Sexuality & Women’s Studies is examining the possibilities and limitations of institutionalized DEI at its annual lecture on Feb. 29, taking place from noon to 2 p.m. in 152 Founders College.

Titled Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI): The Good, The Bad & The Performative, the event will touch on fields such as higher education, broadcasting, news organizations and politics. Through a roundtable discussion, it will explore the ways in which racialized and other marginalized people with progressive politics are often initially welcomed into spaces of power, becoming symbols of progress in achieving diversity and inclusion, only to then be gaslighted or vilified or face reprisals for espousing their views.

Ginella Massa
Desmond Cole
Nadiya Ali
Somar Abuaziza

The event will be moderated and hosted by York University professors Bianca Beauchemin and Nadia Hasan of the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. The featured speakers will include: Ginella Massa, a York alumna, broadcast journalist and media consultant; Desmond Cole, a journalist, activist and author of The Skin We’re In; Nadiya Ali, a professor of sociology at Trent University and Chair of the new Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee of the Canadian Sociological Association; and Somar Abuaziza, York student, activist and president of the Palestine Solidarity Collective.

Register by Feb. 27 to join the fascinating discussion about an issue that impacts the entire community. For more information about the event, contact Melissa Falotico at gswsac@yorku.ca.

Exhibit celebrates Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year dragon BANNER

York University’s Department of Languages, Literatures & Linguistics (DLLL) has mounted a Chinese New Year display as part of the World Cultures Celebrations initiative to appreciate and respect cultural diversities and festivals around the world.

Chinese New Year display
Chinese New Year display.

The Chinese Studies program is exhibiting artistic calligraphy, artifacts, drawings and narratives in the DLLL office, in S580 Ross Building, to present the traditions, customs and festivities of the holiday.

Chinese New Year celebrates the beginning of the Chinese lunar calendar to honour deities and ancestors. This festival is widely rejoiced in China and in Chinese diasporic communities around the world. Traditional customs include family reunion dinners, dragon or lion dancing, firecrackers, red envelopes, paper cutting and couplets with blessings of good health and fortune.

“The Chinese program organized the Chinese New Year display to enhance Chinese cultural literacy in the York community to destabilize stereotypes and to co-construct a multicultural society in Canada,” said Professor Jessica Tsui-yan Li, co-ordinator of the program. “This exhibition offered students valuable experiential education opportunities to explore the cultural meaning and practices of the New Year of the Dragon.”

Chinese language instructors Professor Gang Pan, Anna Hui Wang, Jenny Jing Zhang and Renee Rui Wang worked together with their students to put together the display, which is free and open to the entire York University community during business hours until Feb. 16.

Passings: Lillian Lerman

A field of flowers at sunset

York University Professor Emerita Lillian Lerman, a former undergraduate program director of the Division of Social Science in the Faculty of Arts (now the Department of Social Science in the Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies), passed away on Jan. 26.

A longtime and beloved member of the York University community, Lerman was a lecturer and academic leader who had the unique ability to bring people together in one of the most expansive areas of the University. Beyond her academic and administrative excellence, she was a trusted mentor and friend to many students, professors and staff.

After her retirement in 1991, the Lillian Lerman Book Prize – a $100 award for the most outstanding student essay in a 1000-level social science course – was established in her honour to recognize her dedication and contribution to undergraduate teaching.

Lerman will be deeply missed by a host of family, friends and colleagues.

Workshop explores relationship between art and anthropology

Audra Townsend art on display at gallery

Art exhibits can serve as powerful forms of public anthropology, putting on display an individual’s creative exploration of what it means to be human. As part of its Anthropology Beyond the Academy series, the York University Department of Anthropology’s Winter 2024 event will demonstrate just that by featuring the work of abstract and mixed-media artist Audra Townsend, a York alumna.

Audra Townsend
Audra Townsend

Titled Art & Anthropology, the Feb. 9 event will showcase Townsend’s artwork in the Vari Hall Rotunda from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., followed by a workshop from 3 to 4 p.m. where Townsend will discuss her professional path and her work in exploring humanity through art. All are welcome to attend.

Townsend is a British-born, Jamaican Canadian artist based in Toronto, who believes art is a manifestation of our curiosity about the material world and an essential part of what it means to be human. A former Ontario public servant, she is a trained sociocultural anthropologist who currently works as a data privacy consultant.

“Anthropologists use art to explore the essence of lived experiences, enabling a more immersive and emotive engagement with the subject of their studies,” explains Othon Alexandrakis, Chair of York’s Department of Anthropology. “By integrating visual storytelling into their research, anthropologists enhance the accessibility and impact of their narratives, fostering cross-cultural empathy and promoting a deeper appreciation for the richness of human diversity.”

When Townsend examines the relationship between art and the human experience, she borrows from intuitive and tactile art forms. Her work is characterized by a dense network of criss-crossing and squiggly lines separating rectangles of multiple shapes made of different materials, earthy and celestial colours, and textures of sand and stone, among others.

“We are excited to welcome Audra back to the department for this exciting workshop,” says Alexandrakis. “Audra’s art is extraordinary. We invite the York University community to come meet Audra, hear about her journey, and learn about art and anthropology.”

To register for the workshop, visit Winter Workshop: Art & Anthropology w/ Audra Townsend. For more information about Townsend’s art, visit her website.

Creative writing feedback available from writer-in-residence

female student journalist writing

No matter your profession, creative writing is a healthy way to disconnect from reality, stretch the limits of your mind and tap into your imaginative side. And regardless of your experience level, feedback is always beneficial. As part of the York University English Department’s Writer-in-Residence Program, esteemed Toronto author Emma Healey is offering appointments to York students, faculty, staff and alumni to discuss their fiction, poetry and creative non-fiction projects.

Emma Healey
Emma Healey

The Writer-in-Residence Program is aimed at supplementing the University’s creative writing courses by providing the community with access to a professional writer for personalized feedback and support, with a new individual being brought on each fall and winter term.

As the Winter 2024 writer-in-residence, Healey – whose most recent book, Best Young Woman Job Book: A Memoir (Penguin Random House Canada, 2022), was named a best book of the year by the Globe and Mail, Wired Magazine and CBC Radio – is available for four one-on-one manuscript consultations per week that might include editorial feedback or suggestions toward publication. Written submissions for review are due to her at least 10 days prior to each scheduled meeting.

In addition to the feedback sessions, Healey will serve the York community by hosting four public-facing, writing-related events throughout the term that allow her to showcase her expertise and knowledge as a working writer in Canada. Information about those events will be released as it becomes available.

For more details or to secure an appointment with Healey, visit the Writer-in-Residence Program web page.

Prof’s new book reveals communicative capacities of textile

Peruvian Andes weaving patterns

Long before the invention of the typewriter or the telephone, and even before humankind had a functioning alphabet, communication was taking place through textile craft. Ganaele Langlois, a professor in York University’s Department of Communication & Media Studies, has published a new book exploring just that – the often-ignored transformative communicative capacities of traditional textiles.

A Shipibo-Conibo (Peruvian Amazon) design being drawn on textile using natural pigments. Photo by Ganaele Langlois.
Ganaele Langlois
Ganaele Langlois

How Textile Communicates: from Codes to Cosmotechnics (Bloomsbury, 2024) is a thought-provoking contribution to the fields of both fashion and communication studies, challenging readers’ preconceptions and shining new light on the profound impact of textiles on human communication.

Textile, Langlois explains, has been used as a medium of communication since the prehistoric period. Up until the 19th century, civilizations throughout the world manipulated thread and fabric to communicate in a way that she believes would astound many of us now.

“We often think of the digital as something that is brand new and contemporary, but the fact is that digital modes of communication such as textile weaving, knitting, lace-making, and so on have existed and been used as means of communication and information storage long before the invention of the alphabet,” says Langlois.

In the book, she dissects textile’s unique capacity for communication through a range of global case studies, before examining the profound impact of colonialism on textile practice and the appropriation of the medium by capitalist systems.

“I was intrigued as to why in my own field, communication and media studies, textile has never received the same in-depth treatment as other media,” she says. “I explain the reasons for this in this book – mostly related to colonialism and capitalist appropriation – and explore how traditional textile practices continue their important and unique work of communication today.”