ABOUT THE CONTRIBUTORS
S. Nombuso Dlamini is Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education and holds the position of Research Leadership Chair, University of Windsor. She has a PhD from the OISE/University of Toronto. Born in South Africa, Nombuso received her undergraduate degree from the University of Swaziland, worked in Community Development, and taught at high school and university in South Africa before migrating to Canada. Her teaching and research are in the areas of socio-cultural studies in education, literacy and critical sociolinguistics, migration and diaspora studies, and gender and youth matters. She has conducted several research projects funded by various agencies such as the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, Canadian Council on Learning, and Canadian Race Relations Foundation and has published in several international journals. Nombuso Dlamini is the author of Youth and Identity Politics in South Africa 1990–1994 (University of Toronto Press, 2005).
Eva Aboagye was born, bred, and educated in Ghana, West Africa. Currently she is working as Manager of Strategic Institutional Planning and Performance at Centennial College, Toronto. She believes strongly in the transforming power of higher education both for the individual and for society and that access to that transforming power is not just based on one’s academic potential; rather, it is often restricted by lack of access to the financial resources needed to succeed in higher education. Her research interests include looking at ways of making higher education financing more equitable.
Uzo Anucha is Assistant Professor in the Atkinson School of Social Work, York University, Toronto. Her educational background includes a master’s degree in Psychology from the University of Benin, Nigeria, and a doctorate in Social Work from the University of Toronto, Canada. Uzo Anucha’s interest in international social work has focussed on building the capacity of social work in Nigeria to promote gender equity. She is also engaged in several research projects that examine social issues such as homelessness among diverse and low social economic populations in Ontario, She is the principal investigator of Social Work in Nigeria, a 1 million dollar AUCC/CIDA collaborative project between the University of Benin and the University of Windsor. She serves as a member of the Board of Accreditation, Canadian Association of Schools of Social Work.
Grace Bunyi is a Senior Lecturer in Curriculum Studies at Kenyatta University, Kenya. She has published journal articles and chapters in edited volumes on language in education policy and practices in Kenya. Her research interests are sociolinguistic practices in schools and gender education. She has published several journal articles on gender inequalities in higher education in Kenya and other parts of Africa.
George J. Sefa Dei is Professor and Chair, Department of Sociology and Equity Studies, OISE/University of Toronto. Between 1996 and 2000, he served as the first Director of the Centre for Integrative Anti-Racism Studies at OISE/UT. His teaching and research interests are in the areas of Anti-Racism, Minority Schooling, International Development, and Anti-Colonial Thought. His published books include: Anti-Racism Education: Theory and Practice (1996); Hardships and Survival in Rural West Africa (published in both English and French, 1992); Schooling and Education in Africa: The Case of Ghana (2004); and Critical Issues in Anti-Racist Research Methodologies (co-edited with Gurpreet Singh Johal, 2005). George Dei is the recipient of the Race, Gender, and Class Project Academic Award (2002). He also received the African-Canadian Outstanding Achievement in Education Award from Pride Magazine in Toronto (2003), and the City of Toronto’s William P. Hubbard Award for Race Relations (2003). In 2005 he received the ANKH Ann Ramsey Award for Intellectual Initiative and Academic Action at the Annual International Conference of the Association of Nubian Kemetic Heritage, Philadelphia.
Wanja Gitari is Assistant Professor cross-appointed between the Transitional Year Programme and the Department of Curriculum, Teaching and Learning at OISE/ University of Toronto. She undertook her undergraduate studies at Kenyatta University, Kenya, and, before pursuing graduate studies, taught high school science. Her scholarship is in science education with research interests in the ways in which knowledge in everyday life can be used to meet science education goals.
Zephania Matanga holds a doctorate in Human Development and Applied Psychology from the OISE/University of Toronto. He has experience in teaching in elementary, secondary, and university settings, a sound knowledge base in special education, and advanced understanding of educational technology and its application in special education. Currently he works as an instructor of special education at the University of Manitoba, and he is the Executive Director of the African Canadian Disability Community Association.
Selina Mushi is Associate Professor of Teacher Education at Northeastern Illinois University. She holds a PhD from the OISE/University of Toronto. She conducted her undergraduate studies at the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, where she also taught for three years before migrating to North America. Her focus is on the preparation of high-quality, interculturally competent teacher candidates. She has published over fifteen journal articles and book chapters; some of these are reports in the areas of evaluation of classroom assessment practices, technology in teaching, multicultural competencies, and multiple languages and learning.
Jacinta Muteshi is the Chairperson of the National Commission on Gender and Development, Kenya. In 2006 she was appointed to the Committee of Eminent Persons to undertake an evaluation of the Kenya constitutional review process to provide a road map for the conclusion of the process. As a consultant she works on issues related to legislating women’s rights, gender equity in the workplace, gender mainstreaming for institutional change, women’s health, FGC/FGM, violence against women, and human rights. Until 2005, she was on the Board of Directors of the Kenya Human Rights Commission. She holds a PhD from the OISE/University of Toronto, an MA in Education from McGill University, and a Bachelor of Science from the State University of New York.
Grace Khwaya Puja is a Senior Lecturer and Head of the Department of Educational Foundations at the Faculty of Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. She is a citizen of Tanzania. Her research interests are in the areas of gender issues in higher education and the effect of language of instruction in Africa. She is engaged in a variety of research projects examining the economic strategies used by women in rural Tanzania. She is also consultant to a number of overseas internationally funded research projects.