PhD - Sociology, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education/University of Toronto
M.E.S. - Environmental Studies, York University
B.Sc. - Geology, University of Toronto
Academic work
Discipline
Equity Studies
Sub-discipline
Indigenous Studies
Main interests
Aboriginal Peoples,Race and Racism,Aboriginal People and the Criminal Justice System,Federally Unrecognized Native Communities,Urban,non-status and Metis identities
Bonita Lawrence is a Canadian writer,scholar,and professor in the Department of Equity Studies at York University in Toronto,Canada.[1] Her work focuses on issues related to Indigenous identity and governance,equity,and racism in Canada. She is also a traditional singer at political rallies,social events,and prisons in the Toronto and Kingston areas.[2]
Bonita Lawrence is Mi'kmaw,with Acadian and English heritage as well. She was raised in Montreal.[3] She and her five siblings were raised by their mother. Their father,a working-class expatriate from the United Kingdom,was estranged.[3] Lawrence's mother was Mi'kmaw,however she denied her Indigenous identity in an effort to keep social workers away after her husband left.[3] As a result,Lawrence grew up under the guise of being white.[3]
As a faculty member at York University,Lawrence has influenced the academic programs and campus life at York University. She was a founding member of the undergraduate program in Race,Ethnicity and Indigeneity,now offered as Multicultural and Indigenous Studies in the Department of Equity Studies,the only program of its kind in Canada.[2][4]
Lawrence's research and publications focus primarily on urban,non-status and Metis identities,federally unrecognized Aboriginal communities,and Indigenous justice.[5]
Her work on racism,equity and decolonization has become an important resource for those working in the area. "Decolonizing Anti-Racism," a work co-published with Enakshi Dua is reference on many social justice websites.[6][7][8] Her 2012 book:Fractured Homeland:Federal Recognition and Algonquin Identity in Ontario was short-listed for the 2013 Canada Prize in the Social Sciences by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (Canada).[9][10][11]
Alongside her academic endeavours,Lawrence has written N'In D'la Owey Innklan:Mi'kmaq Sojourns in England,a historical novel that spans 500 years of Mi'kmaq history in both Atlantic Canada and London,England.[5]
She has also been a member of Community Council,Diversion Program for Aboriginal Offenders (2007- 2010),a Member of Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto (1998-2005),Member of Board of Directors,Anduhyaun Inc. (2000-2001) and Member of Board of Directors (1998-2004),Katorokwi Native Friendship Centre,Kingston,Ontario.[2]
Lawrence, Bonita (1996). Colonialism, identity and development: a case study from northern Ontario. North York, Ont.: Faculty of Environmental Studies, York University. OCLC48443417.
Lawrence, Bonita (2003-05-01). "Gender, Race, and the Regulation of Native Identity in Canada and the United States: An Overview". Hypatia. 18 (2): 3–31. doi:10.1111/j.1527-2001.2003.tb00799.x. ISSN1527-2001.
Lawrence, Bonita [with Enakshi Dua] (2005). "Decolonizing Anti-Racism". Race, Racism, and Empire: Reflections on Canada 32. 32 (4): 120–143.
Lawrence, Bonita (2009). "Reclaiming Ktaqumkuk: Land and Mi'kmaq Identity in Newfoundland," in Speaking for Ourselves: Environmental Justice in Canada. UBC Press. pp.42–64. ISBN978-0774816199.
Lawrence, Bonita [with Zainab Amadahy] (2009). "Indigenous Peoples and Black People in Canada: Settlers or Allies?" in Breaching the Colonial Contract: Anti-Colonialism in the US and Canada. Springer. ISBN978-90-481-3888-3.
Lawrence, Bonita (2011). "Indigenous and Restorative Justice: Reclaiming Humanity and Community," in International Perspectives on Restorative Justice in Education". JCharlton Pub. pp.89–112. ISBN9780981151861.
Lawrence, Bonita (2012). Fractured Homeland: Federal Recognition and Algonquin Identity in Ontario. UBC Press. ISBN9780774822893. OCLC957463520.
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