New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
Are you a white person with questions about how race affects different situations, but you feel awkward, shy, or afraid to ask the people of colour in your life? Are you a racialized person who is tired of answering the same questions over and over? This book is for you: a basic guide for people learning about racial privilege. In Frequently Asked White Questions, Alex Khasnabish and Ajay Parasram answer ten of the most common questions asked of them by people seeking to understand how race structures our every day. Drawing from their lived experiences as well as live sessions of their monthly YouTube series Safe Space for White Questions, the authors offer concise, accessible answers to questions such as, “Is it possible to be racist against white people?” or “Shouldn’t everyone be treated equally?” With humour and compassion, this book offers relatable advice and a practical entry point into conversations about race.
Contributor Notes
Ajay Parasram is a multigenerational transnational byproduct of the British empire, with roots in South Asia, the Caribbean and the settler cities of Halifax, Ottawa and Vancouver. He is an associate professor in the Departments of International Development Studies, History and Political Science at Dalhousie University in Kjipuktuk (Halifax), unceded Mi’kma’ki. His research interests surround the colonial present, or the many ways through which strings of historical colonial entanglements continue to tighten the limit of political action today, and how those strings might be undone.
Alex Khasnabish is a writer, researcher and teacher committed to collective liberation living in Halifax, on unceded and unsurrendered Mi’kmaw territory. He is a professor in sociology and anthropology at Mount Saint Vincent University. His research focuses on radical imagination, radical politics, social justice and social movements.
Recommended Age, Grade, and Reading Levels
- Age:
- 16+
Editorial Review
“A gutsy, clear, compelling pep talk for the white anti-racist. The candour and focus on practice will reach many people.” — Ardath Whynacht, author of Insurgent Love
“This book is a gift. In clear, accessible, thoughtful, and often hilarious prose the authors outline ten questions people tend to ask about race and racism. Ajay and Alex provide context, break down examples, and leave readers—especially white readers like myself— with a clear set of steps for recognizing, addressing, and dismantling racism in their own lives and in their broader communities. I will use this book as a teaching text, give it as a gift, and keep a copy for my own resources.” — Erin Wunker, author of Notes from a Feminist Killjoy
