Autobiographies of Black Toronto

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Description of Research Project

"Autobiographies of Black Toronto" is a multi-pronged research project that explores the personal and the political experience of Blackness in Canada’s largest metropolitan area. This research project will explore the relationship between Blackness and Toronto by focusing on autobiographical literature (both fiction and non-fiction). This project seeks to make connections across publications, official documents, archival findings, and the autobiographical, organized around the following set of objectives:

1. To create an annotated bibliography of contemporary academic and literary Black Toronto texts relating to autobiography
2. To use archival research to provide historical descriptions and context on key Black cultural organizations and literary figures in Toronto’s history
3. To develop critical analysis of the existing research on Black Toronto in order to identify gaps and provide a deeper understanding of the field of Black Canadian Studies
4. To chart existing methodologies and to identify alternative approaches for interpreting Black Canadian literature, through comparison of similar methodologies in other contexts
5. To explore the relationship between place and autobiography by analyzing various literary sources on Toronto

"Autobiographies of Black Toronto" hopes to be in conversation with recent books by scholars who are stretching the bounds of narrative and academic research. Reckoning with the racial and societal conditions of Toronto, the project examines personal writing that is in tune with larger social and political and economic structures. More than a project "about" Toronto, this work also troubles the received modes of autobiography as untheoretical and individualistic.

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Undergraduate Student Responsibilities

All work will be done under the guidance of the faculty member. The responsibilities of the undergraduate student include: scheduling and creating a work plan; conducting bibliographic searches through libraries and databases; conducting internet searches on relevant archives; communicating with librarians about finding aids, archives, and databases; writing an annotated bibliography of selected references in MLA format. The student will also be responsible for communicating regularly with the faculty member. Communication will be virtual, over Zoom and email, with possibilities for in-person meetings, depending on the student's location and schedule.

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Qualifications Required

This position is suitable for students in humanities and social sciences with an interest in literature, culture, art, Black Canadian studies, Black studies, and urban studies, although students from other disciplines are certainly welcome to apply.

No special expertise required, although familiarity with library research, MLA (Modern Language Association) style, and annotated bibliographies are an asset.