Rinaldo Wayne Walcott (born 1965) is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

academic and writer. He wrote in 2021 "I was born in the Caribbean

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

and have lived most of my life in Canada, specifically Toronto." Currently, he is an associate professor at the

Ontario Institute for Studies in Education The Ontario Institute for Studies in Education of the University of Toronto (OISE/UT) is Canada's only all-graduate institute of teaching, learning and research, located in Toronto, Ontario. It is located directly above the St. George subway st ...

and the director of the Women and Gender Studies Institute at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. He is also affiliated with the Cinema Studies Institute at the University of Toronto. Walcott was formerly an assistant professor at

York University York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...

. From 2002 to 2007, he was the

Canada Research Chair Canada Research Chair (CRC) is a title given to certain Canadian university research professors by the Canada Research Chairs Program. Program goals The Canada Research Chair program was established in 2000 as a part of the Government of Canada ...

of Social Justice and Cultural Studies. Walcott's work focuses on Black studies,

Canadian studies Canadian studies is an interdisciplinary field of undergraduate- and postgraduate-level study of Canadian culture and society, the languages of Canada, Canadian literature, media and communications, Quebec, Acadians, agriculture in Canada, natu ...

, cultural studies, queer theory,

gender studies Gender studies is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to analysing gender identity and gendered representation. Gender studies originated in the field of women's studies, concerning women, feminism, gender, and politics. The field ...

, and

diaspora studies Diaspora studies is an academic field established in the late 20th century to study dispersed ethnic populations, which are often termed diaspora peoples. The usage of the term diaspora carries the connotation of forced resettlement, due to e ...

. He is out as queer."Pride has divorced blackness from queerness: Cole"
''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and pa ...

'', July 7, 2016.

Work

Walcott published ''Black Like Who?'' in 1997, coming out of research related to his PhD studies which focused on, in Walcott's own words, "questions of popular culture and exploring how

rap Rapping (also rhyming, spitting, emceeing or MCing) is a musical form of vocal delivery that incorporates "rhyme, rhythmic speech, and street vernacular". It is performed or chanted, usually over a backing beat or musical accompaniment. The ...

music in the early 1990s was emerging as an important social and political force across North America".Althea Blackburn-Evans
"The Cultural Explorer: Rinaldo Walcott seeks new definitions of Canadian culture"
''Edge'', Fall 2003, Vol. 4, No. 2. The collection of essays in ''Black Like Who?'' expand this inquiry into areas such as

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

literature Literature is any collection of written work, but it is also used more narrowly for writings specifically considered to be an art form, especially prose fiction, drama, and poetry. In recent centuries, the definition has expanded to include ...

, diasporic studies, film criticism and other discussions central to issues surrounding Black space, place, and landscape in Canada.

Selected publications

* 2021, ''The Long Emancipation: Moving toward Black Freedom'' (Durham, NC: Duke University Press) * 2021, ''On Property'' (Windsor, Ontario: Biblioasis). * 2019, ''BlackLife: Post-BLM and the Struggle for Freedom'' with Idil Abdillahi (Winnipeg: ARP Books). * 2016, ''Queer Returns: Essays On Multiculturalism, Diaspora and Black Studies'' (Toronto: Insomniac Press). * 2003, ''Black Like Who?: Writing Black Canada'' (Toronto: Insomniac Press). econd Revised Edition* 2000, ''Rude: Contemporary Black Canadian Cultural Criticism'' ditor(Toronto: Insomniac Press). * 1997, ''Black Like Who?: Writing Black Canada'' (Toronto: Insomniac Press).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Walcott, Rinaldo Black Canadian writers Canadian non-fiction writers Living people Canadian sociologists Canadian literary critics University of Toronto faculty Canada Research Chairs Canadian gay writers 1965 births Black Canadian LGBT people Black Canadian scientists