Debra Thompson - Blackness, Freedom and Belonging: Race in Canada and the United States

How does the politics of race work in Canada and the United States? What can we learn by comparing their respective norms, institutions and practices? How do we expand genuine freedom and political belonging in the face of these historical legacies and contemporary realities?

The United States often claims to be exceptional: the oldest representative democracy in the world. Yet slavery was foundational to its origins and the establishment of the republic. Legalized racial domination persisted for a century after the civil war. Despite the historic victories of the civil rights movement and later advances, systemic racism and institutionalized discrimination continue to structure its civic life.

Historically, Canada offered many black Americans a refuge from slavery. Our self-image as a successful multicultural society is a form of exceptionalism too, however. It conceals deep racial inequalities that shape our democracy in less visible ways.

The distinguished political scientist Debra Thompson examines these issues in conversation with Sanjay Ruparelia.