Graduate Research Conferences

The Harney Program held a series of 13 Graduate Research Conferences in Ethnicity, annually over the period 2008-2020. These conferences were organized by students from enrolled in the Graduate Collaborative Specialization, and open to participation by working in the area of ethnicity, whether in the specialization or beyond, and over the years it had participation from students not only from University of Toronto, but also other universities in Toronto and across Canada, and usually also students from other countries who happened to be based in Toronto either for research, or for other reasons. A steering committee of students called for papers, selected those for presentation, and organized them in sessions, each chaired by a student. Jeff as program director recruited a faculty member to serve as discussant (we were grateful that so many faculty contributed in this way). As well, an eminent keynote speaker was invited. Finally, in the last 4 years, an “Outstanding Paper” award was created. Papers were nominated by session chairs, and two were then selected by the director to receive the award. This formula worked well and attracted active participation in each year. Here we post conference programs, website summaries, award winners, and photos to recall some of the memorable experiences from over the years.


Momo Podolsky

Momo Podolsky, our Program Administrator, and having been involved in the planning of the program when she herself was a doctoral student, originally proposed the idea of the conference as the type of activity that would contribute much to the learning experience of students as aspiring scholars. Her careful oversight of program planning activities by students helped ensure that those objectives were met.


Outstanding Paper Awards 2017: Paul Pritchard and Beesan Sarrouh
Outstanding Paper Awards 2018: Shannon Clarke and Joanna Cotarlea
Outstanding Paper Awards 2019: Alex Verman and Karol Czuba
Outstanding Paper Awards 2020: Alicia Poole and Yu-chen Chen
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