UNews - professor of sociology

U of L sociologist looks at Muslims in Canada in light of terrorist attacks by Muslim converts

caroline.zentner — Tue, 30 Aug 2016 20:23:45 +0000

Building on the research he did for his award-winning book The Muslim Question in Canada (UBC Press, 2014), ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociologist Dr. Abdie Kazemipur will examine the integration of Canadian Muslims in light of recent events like the terrorist attacks by Muslim converts in October of 2014.

Thanks to a grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of more than $138,000 over four years, Kazemipur will examine the relationships between Muslims and non-Muslims in public and government institutions, in the mass media, in the economy, and in the community in his new project, After the Ottawa Attack.

“Because of the terrorist attacks that happened on Canadian soil back in 2014 and the fact that some other similar activities have been monitored and discovered, I want to see whether that has triggered any changes in public opinion,” he says. “In other countries, when something of a large magnitude – whether actual or symbolic — happens, all of a sudden you see a change in the overall environment.”

Shocking terrorist attacks, like that on Parliament Hill in Ottawa and on two Canadian forces members in Quebec, have the potential to change popular opinion, social relationships and government policies. People often behave in a reactive way that can damage relationships for years. Many politically conservative parties in Europe have used the public fear that results from terrorist attacks to make their way into public office.

Canada was often thought to be almost immune to the threat of terrorism and a model country for the successful integration of immigrants, including Muslims. When Kazemipur gathered data for his first book, Muslims reported a high degree of satisfaction with their decision to live in Canada. The 2014 attacks and numerous reports of organizations like al-Qaida and ISIS recruiting young Muslim Canadians can create anxiety and nervousness in the general public.

“All of these fears do not just remain in people’s minds. They translate themselves into actions,” says Kazemipur. “Many of these people are the people who are making key decisions in the job market in terms of whom they should employ and whom they should reject.”

The results can lead to a segmented economy in which particular groups are pushed into lower-paying jobs and unemployment. Kazemipur’s data already shows that Muslims in Canada are over-represented among the unemployed and they often find jobs for which they are over qualified. Muslims in Canada also have higher rates of poverty.

“If things do not move on the economic side, then it can create the same kind of resentment and a sense of alienation from the broader society that we have seen in some European countries,” he says.

Kazemipur plans to use data from multiple censuses, surveys, interviews, focus groups and archival documents to arrive at a comprehensive understanding of the situation and identify any practical solutions.

The research findings will have implications for policies and programs on immigration and integration and on job market practices, and can provide better guidelines for cross-cultural social interactions and communications.

McDaniel named as Vice Chair

trevor.kenney — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 20:07:52 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge's Dr. Susan McDaniel has been approved as Vice Chair of the Council of Canadian Academies' Scientific Advisory Committee (SAC).

McDaniel is a professor of sociology at the U of L and the director of the Prentice Institute and Prentice Research Chair in Global Population & Economy. An internationally known sociologist/social demographer, and the author of many books and research articles, McDaniel is a frequent advisor on social and science policies both in Canada and elsewhere.

She has served as a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee since its inception.

McDaniel speaks at SACPA

trevor.kenney — Wed, 07 Apr 2010 20:01:44 +0000

Prentice Institute director Dr. Susan McDaniel will headline the next edition of the Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs as she presents, You've Got to Start Young: Aging in Canada and the U.S.

To be held Thursday, Apr. 8 from noon to 1:30 p.m. at Country Kitchen Catering, McDaniel's presentation delves into the topic of population aging and to what extent this challenges health care and pension issues.

McDaniel is the Prentice Research Chair in Global Population and Economy, director of the Prentice Institute and professor of sociology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge.

She relocated to Lethbridge in the summer of 2009 from the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Utah where she was professor and senior investigator in the Institute for Public & International Affairs.

McDaniel is an internationally known sociologist/social demographer, the author of many books and research articles. She is a frequent advisor on social and science policies both in Canada and elsewhere.

McDaniel asks, based on her current research in both Canada and the United States, to what extent is population aging a challenge?

Further, she questions whether population aging is an equal challenge in Canada and the U.S. How does the current economic situation affect the picture? What about diversity, inequalities and changing family/household living arrangements?

The specific focus in this talk is on the circumstances of those aged 45-64 in Canada and the U.S. in the late 1990s and 2000s, how their lives look, as they grow older and what policy challenges are posed.

Admission for this event is priced at $10 and includes a light lunch.

Global institute draws renowned demographics researcher

trevor.kenney — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:53:07 +0000

Nothing illustrates the role of the economy in our lives like the current economic downturn.

With families across North America foreclosing on mortgages, baby boomers delaying retirement and new graduates scrambling for jobs, almost every demographic has been affected.

The economy is an ever-evolving force with tremendous influence on how and where people live. In fact, understanding how global populations and economies inform one another is crucial for understanding everything from international relations to when Canadians retire, explains Dr. Susan McDaniel, the newly appointed Prentice Institute Director and Research Chair.

A renowned demography expert, McDaniel returns to Alberta from Utah, where she was a senior scholar at the Institute of Public and International Affairs and Professor of Family and Consumer Studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Utah from 2007 to 2009. She will lead the new Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, which is the product of a multi-million dollar endowment from Alberta agribusiness entrepreneur, the late Dr. John Prentice (LLD '06) and his family.

"It's interdisciplinary, so the institute is expected to bring in researchers from across Alberta, Canada and the world. It will be a global institute focused on global issues and a global population," she explains.

McDaniel previously spent 15 years at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta as a full professor of sociology and another three at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor. She currently holds grants from agencies like the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Canadian Embassy in Washington, D.C.

One of her current research projects focuses on perceptions of aging and retirement trends. In a recent study - soon to go to press- she interviewed middle-age Canadians and Americans during the financial crisis to find out how they anticipated their older years.

Many Americans expressed panic about how they'd manage their health, while Canadians were more proactive, expressing greater confidence that they'd handle whatever challenges they encountered.

"That's what's so exciting about doing this research; you discover such interesting things," she says.

While the institute is still in development, McDaniel believes it will become an area of extreme excellence for which the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ will become known.

"It's a tribute to the U of L that they managed this. The funding could have gone to any of the universities, but it came here," she says.

Prentice Institute taking shape with McDaniel appointment

trevor.kenney — Tue, 12 May 2009 16:15:48 +0000

Numbers can be cold, hard and impersonal. Put them in the hands of Dr. Susan McDaniel however and they can be used to influence policy decisions that effect change at the most personal of levels.

The newly appointed director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy is an internationally renowned sociology researcher and demographics expert, combining her love for mathematics with a penchant to study people and society's big-picture issues. It was a research focus that was initially unintentional but has proven to be a life's work.

"Demography allows you to see how individual actions don't add up to what you think they'll add up to," McDaniel explains.
"The collective outcome of individual actions is very different than what the individuals intend and it's that kind of mystery that entices me. To me it's phenomenal because some of it is counter-intuitive and I'm still fascinated by that."

McDaniel returns to Alberta (the place she mostly refers to as home) from Utah where she was a senior scholar at the Institute of Public and International Affairs and Professor of Family and Consumer Studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Utah. Previously, she'd spent 15 years at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta as a full professor of sociology and another three years at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Windsor.

Her return is a testament to the U of L, its vision and the opportunity afforded her as the first director of the Prentice Institute.

"There were no push factors for me leaving Utah, it was all pull," McDaniel says. "I'm hoping to really build this institute as a centre that people will say, 'The Prentice Institute is a leader on . . .'. That would really be great."

The mandate of the Prentice Institute is to promote the research of big-picture issues relating to global population change and demographics, among other topics. McDaniel is enthused by the opportunity to be in on the ground floor of constructing the Institute and its reputation.

"My goal is building something that's not just flash and dash but something solid that will last for a long time, and when people think about population issues and economy, they think about the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge," she says.

Getting to this point has been a long and non-traditional route for McDaniel.
Entering post-secondary study as a math major, a bad experience in her first course turned her eye elsewhere and she found demography.

"It was a question of using mathematics to study people and I thought, wow, I've found my calling," she says.

Through demography she slowly made her way into studying the societal impacts of her demographic research. Ironically, she is now world renowned as a research sociologist, has written an introductory sociology textbook and taught the course at a post-secondary level but because she entered the field through the back door, never actually took introductory sociology.

McDaniel's extensive research, publishing and teaching record reflect her varied interests and research on demographic aging, generational relations, family change and the social impacts of technology.

The arrival of the Prentice Institute comes at a perfect time for the U of L as it continues to emerge as a leading comprehensive university. McDaniel revels in building graduate programming, has a long record of collaborating with the best doctoral and post-doctoral researchers and trumpets the concept of community outreach, from local to international levels.

"The idea is to build interdisciplinary research that will have public and policy interest, but also to have outreach to the community. I want to see public issues of importance addressed here, and in a profound way," McDaniel says.
"What interests me is the notion that this is global. This is a new concept at the U of L and an area of strength that we're planning on building."

GET THE FACTS

• The Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy was established in late 2006, when John Prentice, a Calmar, Alta., based agri-business entrepreneur, with his wife, Connie, donated $8.25 million to the U of L – the largest private philanthropic gift the U of L has received in its 40-year history.

• McDaniel took her undergraduate studies at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Massachusetts, studied a master's degree at Cornell ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and her PhD at ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

• A lover of bird watching, walking and jogging, McDaniel is apt to be spotted enjoying the outdoors with her one-year-old Maltese puppy Victoria

• Her research on gender and aging issues led to her involvement in the Dove soap self-esteem campaign

• McDaniel is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada

• In addition to her role as director of the Prentice Institute, McDaniel will also teach an undergraduate course at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ

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