Sociology
Society does not consist of individuals, but expresses the sum of interrelations, the relations within which these individuals stand. - Karl Marx
Society is full of contradictions and yet determinable; rational and irrational in one, a system and yet fragmented; blind nature and yet mediated by consciousness. - Theodor Adorno
Solidarity involves commitment, and work, as well as the recognition that even if we do not have the same feelings, or the same lives, or the same bodies, we do live on common ground. - Sara Ahmed
Justice must always question itself, just as society can exist only by means of the work it does on itself and on its institutions. - Michel Foucault
STATEMENT of SOLIDARITY
The University of Alberta Department of Sociology stands in solidarity with anti-racist protests and movements for change in Canada, the U.S., and globally. We stand with Black Lives Matter and with black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) students, staff, instructors, and faculty members.
The department is part of an institution, a province, and a country whose history and present is marked by systemic racism, colonial injustice, and white privilege.
The department will work to address systemic racism, recognizing that we will sometimes fail but will always be accountable to BIPOC communities.
The department will develop and foster research, teaching, mentoring, and community relationships that engage with knowledges and experiences of structural racial and colonial inequalities.
The department will take active steps to learn about, name, and address where our own practices marginalize or exclude the knowledge and experiences of BIPOC individuals and communities.
The department recognizes that anti-racist work requires our collective and ongoing commitment and action and is prepared to engage in this process of change, including by contributing to University-wide efforts around equity, diversity, and inclusivity.
