Gender | The Harriet Tubman Institute

Tiana Reid

rebsl — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 17:22:56 +0000

Tiana Reid is an assistant professor in the Department of English at 91��ɫ and the author of the poetry collection Nightnursing (2026). Born and raised in Toronto, she holds both a PhD in English and Comparative Literature and an MA in African American Studies from Columbia University.

Her essays, reviews, and academic articles have been published in many places, including American Quarterly, Bookforum, C Magazine, Dissent, Feminist Formations, The Nation, The New 91��ɫ Review of Books, Theory & Event, Women & Performance: A Journal of Feminist Theory, and The Yale Review. She is also an editor at Pinko, a magazine of gay communism.

Keywords: black studies, black feminist theory, literary studies, labour, diaspora, Marxism, gender, sexuality, comparative literature

Arielle Djoufan Fotsing

rebsl — Wed, 11 Feb 2026 20:40:02 +0000

Arielle Djoufan Fotsing est titulaire d’un Ph.D. en Science Politique /Relations Internationales. Enseignante à l’Université de Garoua et chercheure postdoctorante au Harriet Tubman Institute de l’Université 91��ɫ à Toronto, elle mène des recherches sur la paix et la sécurité, la gouvernance, le genre et les migrations, principalement dans les contextes africains.

Keywords of the research: Paix et sécurité, genre, gouvernance, droits de l'Homme

Mary Uhunoma Isibor

rebsl — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 16:12:56 +0000

Dr. Mary Isibor is an African historian, interdisciplinary scholar, and Postdoctoral Fellow at the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and its Diasporas, 91��ɫ. With over a decade of teaching, research, and mentorship experience at the University of Benin, Nigeria, her work bridges historical scholarship with contemporary issues shaping Africa, its diasporas, and global Black communities.

Her research lies at the intersection of African history, diaspora studies, gender studies, development studies, entrepreneurship, migration, and cultural production. Through interdisciplinary and community-engaged scholarship, she examines how historical processes, social structures, and transnational networks influence identity, mobility, economic participation, and development within African and diasporic communities.

Prior to joining 91��ɫ, Dr. Isibor served as a Lecturer in the Department of History and International Studies at the University of Benin, where she taught courses in African history, gender, development, migration, and international studies while mentoring emerging scholars and contributing to academic and public debates on Africa’s past, present, and future.

At 91��ɫ, her postdoctoral research investigates the resilience, innovation, and entrepreneurial strategies of Black immigrant women in Canada. Her work explores how Black women navigate barriers related to access to capital, mentorship, professional networks, and business growth while creating pathways for economic mobility, community development, and transnational engagement. By centering the experiences of Black women entrepreneurs, her research contributes to broader conversations on equity, inclusion, migration, and economic empowerment.

Committed to translating research into action, Dr. Isibor’s scholarship extends beyond traditional academic outputs to generate meaningful community impact. Drawing on insights from her research, she founded the Black Women’s Enterprise Exchange (BWEE), an innovative research-impact initiative of the Harriet Tubman Institute. BWEE serves as a platform that connects entrepreneurs, scholars, policymakers, practitioners, community leaders, and ecosystem builders to address barriers to business growth, foster mentorship and collaboration, and advance opportunities for Black women entrepreneurs across Canada, Africa, and the global diaspora.

Dr. Isibor’s broader research agenda explores African and diasporic histories, migration, entrepreneurship, digital economies, gendered labour, art and culture, and the ways Black communities create resilience, belonging, and opportunity across borders. Her scholarship has been presented at national and international conferences and contributes to academic, policy, and community conversations on social justice, economic inclusion, development, and Black diasporic futures.

Through her research, teaching, mentorship, and public engagement, Dr. Isibor is dedicated to producing scholarship that not only advances knowledge but also drives social change, strengthens communities, and creates pathways for sustainable and inclusive development.

Keywords: gender, entrepreneurship, migration, diaspora, resilience, African and Black women

Sylvia Esther Gyan

rebsl — Tue, 16 Sep 2025 15:47:22 +0000

Sylvia Esther Gyan (PhD) is an Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Ghana and a visiting Professor at the Department of Sociology, 91��ɫ, with over a decade of experience in teaching and research. She teaches both undergraduate and graduate courses and actively mentors and supervises students. From December 2018 to November 2023, she was an Affiliate Assistant Professor at the College of Public Health, University of South Florida. In 2019, she was named an African Studies Association Carnegie Corporation of New 91��ɫ Scholar.

Sylvia’s research focuses on the Sociology of Health, with emphasis on adolescent sexual and reproductive health, maternal health, and child marriage. Her broader academic interests include Family Demography, Gender Studies, Climate Change, Ageing, and Migration. She has contributed to several notable projects, including serving as Co-Principal Investigator on "Utilising AI to Promote Sexual and Reproductive Health Outcomes for Adolescents with Disabilities in Ghana," funded by IDRC through the Infectious Disease Institute’s HASH program (Feb. 2023 – July 2024). She currently leads a project funded by the Horizons Institute Pump-prime Fund, University of Leeds, titled “Co-Creating Resilient Communities for Female Adolescent Migrants (‘Kayayei’) in Ghana.” This project integrates sociological methods and participatory visual art approaches to explore the lived experiences of girls under 16 who migrate from northern Ghana to Accra to work as head porters. Sylvia has also conducted research on sexual behaviours among older adults in Ghana, addressing a critical gap in global health literature. While most studies in this area originate from the Global North, her work brings much-needed focus to the sociocultural dynamics of ageing and sexuality in sub-Saharan Africa, a topic often considered taboo.

Her expertise and research continue to inform and influence discussions on health, gender, and development both within Ghana and beyond. Her research has been published in high-quality international journals, including Current Sociology, Archives of Sexual Behaviour, and Journal of Biosocial Science.

Beyond academic scholarship, Sylvia is deeply committed to collaborative research that addresses pressing societal challenges. Her work frequently centres on women in vulnerable situations, to inform policies and interventions that enhance their well-being.

Keywords: Africa, Ghana, Adolescent, Health, Migration, Climate Change, HIV, Intimate Partner Violence, Gender

Danille Elize Arendse

rebsl — Thu, 26 Jun 2025 18:12:33 +0000

Danille Elize Arendse obtained her PhD in Psychology from the University of Pretoria and holds a BA Honours in Psychology and an MA in Research Psychology from the University of the Western Cape. She became a uniformed member of the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) in 2011, where she worked as a Research Psychologist at the Military Psychological Institute (MPI). Now a Major, Arendse has previously held the roles of Research Psychology Intern Supervisor and Coordinator at MPI. Additionally, she serves as a Research Associate in the Department of Psychology at the University of Pretoria and a Research Fellow in the Department of Psychology at Stellenbosch University. In 2022, Arendse received the Diverse Black Africa Research and Travel Grants from Michigan State University. In 2023, she was awarded the prestigious NIHSS/SU postdoctoral fellowship at the Centre for the Study of the Afterlife of Violence and the Reparative Quest (AVReQ) at Stellenbosch University. She is also an Associate Fellow at The Harriet Tubman Institute at 91��ɫ (Canada). In 2025, Arendse was awarded the APA Division 35 (Society for the Psychology of Women), Section 1 (Psychology of Black Women) Foremothers Mentorship Early Career Award, and the Military Health Research Centre (MHRC) Excellence in Research and Development from MPI. She is a recently appointed board member for the Professional Board of Psychology within the HPCSA. Arendse has presented and published papers both locally and internationally.

Keywords: Coloured’ identity, mentoring, wellbeing, gender, decolonial research, psychometric assessments and military studies.

Tatiane Sant' Ana Coelho Reis

rebsl — Fri, 02 May 2025 20:40:53 +0000

Tatiane Reis is always pursuing both theoretical knowledge and hands-on experience to fight for social justice, especially in the Global South. Her experience as a history teacher in Brazil was one of the possibilities that she has found to share knowledge and foster community-oriented actions. As an African Brazilian PhD Student in Gender, Feminist and Women’s Studies at 91��ɫ, she has been engaged to make racialized women’s intellectual and artistic contributions visible beyond academic settings. For her dissertation, she is investigating the impacts of mining activities on women’s paid and unpaid labour in Southern Africa. Since 2022, Tatiane has also supported different Hemispheric Encounter activities, mainly with interpretations and translations.

Keywords: Social Reproduction, Mining, Informality, Gender, Feminist Political Economy, Southern Africa

Kaosisochukwu Ejiaso

rebsl — Tue, 19 Nov 2024 20:31:52 +0000

Kaosisochukwu Ejiaso is a Ph.D. student at 91��ɫ, Toronto, Canada in Gender, Feminist and Women's Studies. She holds an MA in Languages, Literatures and Linguistics from 91��ɫ and a BA in English Language and Literature from Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Anambra, Nigeria. She is interested in linguistics of suicide notes, sexual assault, rape, and gender-based violence in Nigeria, particularly, and generally in Africa.

Keywords: Language, Gender, Gender-based Violence, law, Discourse Analysis, Pragmatics, Sociolinguistics, African Studies, Afro feminism, black Feminism, afro-diasporic feminism, Women's studies, Girl's studies

Chika Maduakolam

rebsl — Fri, 03 May 2024 19:31:44 +0000

Chika Maduakolam is a Ph.D. candidate in Socio-Legal Studies at 91��ɫ. She holds an LLM degree from Osgoode Hall Law School. She has worked as research assistant on an international research project on gendered violence in war; and domestic project on civil justice in Canada. Her main area of research is focused on sexual and gender-based violence in conflict. She is interested in the following research areas: conflict-related sexual violence, gender issues, militarized masculinities, international law and human rights.

Keywords: gender, violence, conflict, international law

Ify Okadigbo

rebsl — Wed, 14 Feb 2024 18:07:53 +0000

Ifeyinwa (Ify) Okadigbo, PhD. is a Black African Canadian scholar-activist with a strong record of developing theoretical and methodological frameworks for understanding the nuanced and complex experiences of Black African women across diverse physical and ideological contexts. She earned her PhD from 91��ɫ in Gender, Feminist, and Women’s Studies, completing it in four years, passing without revisions, and receiving a nomination for dissertation prize by the faculty of Graduate Studies. In addition, she holds dual master’s degrees from 91��ɫ where she earned a distinction, and the University of East Anglia, UK, in Gender and International Development.

With over a decade of research, teaching, and community engaged experience, her work explores gender, spirituality, governance, and institutional power in African and Black contexts. Her pedagogical practice is informed by critical, inclusive, and decolonial approaches that empower students to interrogate power, resistance, and social transformation. Beyond the academy, she collaborates with policymakers and community organizations to produce engaged, policy relevant research that advances gender justice, challenges racism, patriarchy and sexism across public and private spheres.

Keywords: Decolonization, Spirituality, African Feminism, Gender, Coloniality, Power

Yayo Vuni

rebsl — Wed, 18 Jan 2023 17:22:29 +0000

I completed my bachelor’s degree at Acadia University where I graduated with honours, double majoring in Sociology and Political Science. My honours thesis focused on the ‘’Impact of South Sudanese Cultural Marriage Practices on Women's Pursuit of Post-Secondary Education in Canada.” My research interest includes social justice in education and the contribution of African women to the field of development in Africa.