Gada Mahrouse, PhD

Gada Mahrouse is Associate Professor at the Simone de Beauvoir Institute, Concordia University where she teaches and researches in the areas of critical race studies, cultural studies, transnational feminist and post/de-colonial theories. Her first book, entitled Conflicted commitments: Race, privilege and power in transnational solidarity activism, focuses on the challenges of solidarity across asymmetrical power racialized relations (McGill Queens University Press, 2014).

Mahrouse completed her PhD in the Department of Sociology and Equity Studies, University of Toronto.  Her doctoral research explored anti-racist challenges to transnational direct action solidarity movements. Building on this, she then conducted research projects on political, ethical or “alternative” tourism, diaspora identities in travel, and a community partnership to promote a decolonizing approach to solidarity.

Underpinning Mahrouse’s work is a concern with the ways in which colonial and imperial conditions continue to shape transnational social justice efforts. Her more recent research explores the racialized and gendered dimensions of transnational social justice and humanitarian movements/organizations. Using a critical race feminist and transnational cultural studies framework, she is currently exploring the emotional labour produced in and for humanitarian campaigns, the theoretical and practical junctures between human rights and decolonizing frameworks, and humanitarian organizations’ roles in shaping debates, raising public awareness, and demanding justice. 

Mahrouse has also been researching, writing and speaking about the exclusionary and racialized facets of the current secularism and nationalism debates in Quebec. 

Along with colleagues and students, Mahrouse has collaborated on several position statements circulated by the Simone de Beauvoir Institute on various public issues including: Bill 60 (2014), the Supreme Court Case on Prostitution (2013), Solidarity with the Idle No More Movement (2013), Tuition Fees in Québec (2012), Bill 94 (2010), and the Bouchard Taylor Commission (2007). These are available at http://wsdb.concordia.ca/about-us/official-position-on-issues/

Education

Research interests

Books

Mahrouse, G. (2014).  Conflicted commitments: Race, privilege and power in transnational solidarity activism. McGill-Queen’s University Press.

Book chapters

Mahrouse, G. (2010). “Questioning efforts that seek to ‘do-good’: Insights from transnational solidarity activism and socially responsible tourism.” In The States of Race:. Razack, S. Smith, M. and Thobani, S. (Eds.) Between The Lines Press, pp. 169-190.

Journal articles

Mahrouse, G.  (2011). “Feel good tourism: The ethical option for socially-conscious Westerners”. Special theme issue: Gender, Power and Transcultural Relations, ACME: A International E-Journal of Critical Geographies, pp. 372-391

Mahrouse, G. (2010). “’Reasonable accommodation’ debates in Quebec: The limits of participation and dialogue”. Race and Class, vol. 52 (1), pp. 85-96.

Mahrouse, G. (2009). “The compelling story of the white/western activist in the war zone: Examining race, neutrality and exceptionalism in citizen journalism”. Canadian Journal of Communications, vol. 34, pp. 659-674.

Mahrouse, G. (2009). “Transnational activism/humanitarianism as a racialized ‘politics of life’: The Christian Peacemaker Team kidnapping in Iraq.” Citizenship Studies. Vol. 13, No. 4., pp.311-331.

Mahrouse, G. (2008). “Race-ethical transnational activists with cameras: Mediators of compassion.” International Journal of Cultural Studies. Vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 87-105.