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Facilitator: Dr. Vijay Ramjattan, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto

Accent discrimination in higher education settings, also known as academic accentism, involves the individual and systemic discrimination of people on the basis of their (vocal) accents. Due to the continued internationalization efforts of Canadian (and other Global North) universities which have brought an array of students, faculty, and staff of varying linguistic backgrounds in contact with one another, academic accentism may become especially pronounced in that it can create hierarchies of English accents that carry negative symbolic and material consequences.

In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about what accentism is, its (non)distinctiveness from other types of oppression such as racism, and how it targets “international” students and (teaching) staff. Because accentism is perpetuated through individual and institutional listening practices, participants will not only spend time considering how they can change their perceptions of accents, but also think about how university practices and policies must change in order to create listening structures that aurally welcome all.

Sponsored by the Robert Sutherland Visitorship Fund.

Dr. Vijay Ramjattan is Assistant Professor, Teaching Stream, in Language and Literacies Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE) of the University of Toronto. His teaching and research interests focus on the intersections of language, race, and work within the general context of education. The focus of his most recent scholarship concerns accent as a site of racialization and labour, especially as it pertains to the experiences of international teaching assistants. He is a co-editor the forthcoming Oxford Handbook of Language and Prejudice and the author of the forthcoming monograph entitled, Workable Accents.

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