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Papers by James Baker

Despite the growing interest in microaggression theory (Sue et al. 2007), little research has bee... more Despite the growing interest in microaggression theory (Sue et al. 2007), little research has been conducted on it through a sociological lens. In fact, the psychological empirical research that does exist has been from the United States (Constantine 2007; Mercer et al 2011; Ong et al. 2013; Sue et al. 2008; ) and Canada (Hernandez 2010; Houshmand 2014), though these studies have focused primarily on minorities. One area that remains unexplored is white observations of racism. This is especially relevant given that Sue et al. (2007) contend that it is those who are most disempowered rather than those who enjoy the privileges of power who are likely to accurately assess whether a racist act has occurred. With this view in mind, this article utilizes racial microaggression theory to investigate the observations of racism among a cohort of approximately 170 white freshman (i.e. first-year) university students in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As this research is based in Canada, it presents an excellent opportunity to contribute to the advancement of racial microaggression theory from an international perspective. The goal of this paper is to categorize white youth’s observations of microaggressions in order to discuss and analyze their impact on minorities living in a highly homogeneous, white-dominated space.

From 1998-1991, over 105,000 Lhotshampa (literally: People of the South) sought asylum in Nepal f... more From 1998-1991, over 105,000 Lhotshampa (literally: People of the South) sought asylum in Nepal following the adoption of a series of ethno-nationalist policies (“One Bhutan, One People”) in Bhutan (Evans 2010). These policies effectively disenfranchised many Bhutanese of Nepali descent, depriving them of citizenship and civil rights while forcing upon them other humiliations (Hutt 2003). Given the strong attachment to their Nepalese cultural heritage, the southern Bhutanese resisted, forcing the government to declare the Lhotshampa as “anti-nationals.” With nearly one-sixth of Bhutan’s population expelled, the result was one of the largest involuntary mass exodus by proportion of a people post-Second World War (Giri 1994). Their expulsion from Bhutan, the outbreak of the Nepali war while refugees in Nepal, as well as their eventual relocation to Canada has left many of adult Bhutanese in a state of “ethnic flux” (Liberson and Waters 1986) while their children – having spent much, if not all of their life in a Nepalese refugee camp – were effectively left with a “fractured” identity (Hall 2000).

Using in-depth interviews from 14 Bhutanese youth and the personal narratives of 39 Bhutanese adults, the authors seek to better understand the experiences of these individuals and to understand what role, if any, does ethnic identity play in the integration of the Bhutanese/Nepali in Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, the authors seek to determine which ethnic relationship model – assimilation, pluralism, separation, or marginalization (Berry 2005) – best defines the respective experiences of the Bhutanese. The authors develop their ideas alongside Swidler’s (2001) notion of the cultural tool-kit and its connection to settled/unsettled lives.

While studies of racism have focused primarily on large urban centres, its effect on young visibl... more While studies of racism have focused primarily on large urban centres, its effect on young visible minorities living in smaller centres has only recently been given increased attention. Using data collected from over 850 surveys, this article will analyse junior and senior high school students’ observations of racism. The results suggest that youth living in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada believe that racism is more as a problem at the provincial- and national-level despite overwhelming evidence that they have witnessed it at their school and in their city. While for these youth racism is both fluid and contextual, they also employ a number of strategies in order to appear non-racist.

Ethnicity is very much at the core of the individual and has been known to constitute the basis o... more Ethnicity is very much at the core of the individual and has been known to constitute the basis of nationalisms. Loosely speaking, an ethnic group refers to those who identify with one another through a number of shared characteristics (e.g. culture, language, or religion). Based on this, scholars would agree that most Quebeckers meet the criteria – but what about Newfoundlanders? Does calling oneself a ‘Newfoundlander’ invoke a specific set of linguistic or cultural features that are held to be common? Are Newfoundlanders an ethnic group? If a ‘Newfoundland ethnicity’ exists, could a ‘Newfoundland ethnic identity’ lead to a post-Confederation Newfoundland nationalism? In order to address these questions, I use a modified version of what Anthony D. Smith (1986) says constitutes the core of national identity, the ethnie, and, to place the analysis in context, I briefly discuss nationalism and ethnicity. Following this, I provide an overview of the origins of a Newfoundland ethnogenesis, a review of key post-Confederation Newfoundland ‘nationalist’ events, as well as an analysis of each aspect of ethnie from a Newfoundland perspective. The article concludes by arguing that while Newfoundlanders can be considered a distinct ethnic group, the likelihood of a post-Confederation Newfoundland nationalism emerging is low.

Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees, Oct 2013

This article examines the effects of racialized name-calling on a group of twelve visible minorit... more This article examines the effects of racialized name-calling on a group of twelve visible minority refugee youth from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Through one-on-one in-depth interviews, the author discusses their experiences in order to better understand how this important group of adolescents conceptualizes, constructs, and copes with racism while living in a highly homogeneous white Canadian city. The author concludes by noting that these experiences are having a negative effect on their social integration and that increased efforts by teachers and administrators are needed to help combat peer racism in this predominantly white city.

National Identities, Nov 2012

The debate surrounding Newfoundland patriotism is one that few have studied, especially with rega... more The debate surrounding Newfoundland patriotism is one that few have studied, especially with regard to its political implications. While some scholars would argue that the post-Confederation Newfoundland identity is based on a historical nationalist sentiment, others would suggest that it is instead based in a deep-seeded sense of patriotism. This article explores the role of nepotism, reciprocity, and collective goods and entities in promoting patriotism while examining the strength of that patriotism among 16 young Newfoundlanders. The evidence suggests that the majority of those interviewed view their identity as rooted in patriotism rather than nationalism.

Teaching Documents by James Baker

Despite the growing interest in microaggression theory (Sue et al. 2007), little research has bee... more Despite the growing interest in microaggression theory (Sue et al. 2007), little research has been conducted on it through a sociological lens. In fact, the psychological empirical research that does exist has been from the United States (Constantine 2007; Mercer et al 2011; Ong et al. 2013; Sue et al. 2008; ) and Canada (Hernandez 2010; Houshmand 2014), though these studies have focused primarily on minorities. One area that remains unexplored is white observations of racism. This is especially relevant given that Sue et al. (2007) contend that it is those who are most disempowered rather than those who enjoy the privileges of power who are likely to accurately assess whether a racist act has occurred. With this view in mind, this article utilizes racial microaggression theory to investigate the observations of racism among a cohort of approximately 170 white freshman (i.e. first-year) university students in St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. As this research is based in Canada, it presents an excellent opportunity to contribute to the advancement of racial microaggression theory from an international perspective. The goal of this paper is to categorize white youth’s observations of microaggressions in order to discuss and analyze their impact on minorities living in a highly homogeneous, white-dominated space.

From 1998-1991, over 105,000 Lhotshampa (literally: People of the South) sought asylum in Nepal f... more From 1998-1991, over 105,000 Lhotshampa (literally: People of the South) sought asylum in Nepal following the adoption of a series of ethno-nationalist policies (“One Bhutan, One People”) in Bhutan (Evans 2010). These policies effectively disenfranchised many Bhutanese of Nepali descent, depriving them of citizenship and civil rights while forcing upon them other humiliations (Hutt 2003). Given the strong attachment to their Nepalese cultural heritage, the southern Bhutanese resisted, forcing the government to declare the Lhotshampa as “anti-nationals.” With nearly one-sixth of Bhutan’s population expelled, the result was one of the largest involuntary mass exodus by proportion of a people post-Second World War (Giri 1994). Their expulsion from Bhutan, the outbreak of the Nepali war while refugees in Nepal, as well as their eventual relocation to Canada has left many of adult Bhutanese in a state of “ethnic flux” (Liberson and Waters 1986) while their children – having spent much, if not all of their life in a Nepalese refugee camp – were effectively left with a “fractured” identity (Hall 2000).

Using in-depth interviews from 14 Bhutanese youth and the personal narratives of 39 Bhutanese adults, the authors seek to better understand the experiences of these individuals and to understand what role, if any, does ethnic identity play in the integration of the Bhutanese/Nepali in Newfoundland and Labrador. In addition, the authors seek to determine which ethnic relationship model – assimilation, pluralism, separation, or marginalization (Berry 2005) – best defines the respective experiences of the Bhutanese. The authors develop their ideas alongside Swidler’s (2001) notion of the cultural tool-kit and its connection to settled/unsettled lives.

While studies of racism have focused primarily on large urban centres, its effect on young visibl... more While studies of racism have focused primarily on large urban centres, its effect on young visible minorities living in smaller centres has only recently been given increased attention. Using data collected from over 850 surveys, this article will analyse junior and senior high school students’ observations of racism. The results suggest that youth living in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada believe that racism is more as a problem at the provincial- and national-level despite overwhelming evidence that they have witnessed it at their school and in their city. While for these youth racism is both fluid and contextual, they also employ a number of strategies in order to appear non-racist.

Ethnicity is very much at the core of the individual and has been known to constitute the basis o... more Ethnicity is very much at the core of the individual and has been known to constitute the basis of nationalisms. Loosely speaking, an ethnic group refers to those who identify with one another through a number of shared characteristics (e.g. culture, language, or religion). Based on this, scholars would agree that most Quebeckers meet the criteria – but what about Newfoundlanders? Does calling oneself a ‘Newfoundlander’ invoke a specific set of linguistic or cultural features that are held to be common? Are Newfoundlanders an ethnic group? If a ‘Newfoundland ethnicity’ exists, could a ‘Newfoundland ethnic identity’ lead to a post-Confederation Newfoundland nationalism? In order to address these questions, I use a modified version of what Anthony D. Smith (1986) says constitutes the core of national identity, the ethnie, and, to place the analysis in context, I briefly discuss nationalism and ethnicity. Following this, I provide an overview of the origins of a Newfoundland ethnogenesis, a review of key post-Confederation Newfoundland ‘nationalist’ events, as well as an analysis of each aspect of ethnie from a Newfoundland perspective. The article concludes by arguing that while Newfoundlanders can be considered a distinct ethnic group, the likelihood of a post-Confederation Newfoundland nationalism emerging is low.

Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees, Oct 2013

This article examines the effects of racialized name-calling on a group of twelve visible minorit... more This article examines the effects of racialized name-calling on a group of twelve visible minority refugee youth from Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Through one-on-one in-depth interviews, the author discusses their experiences in order to better understand how this important group of adolescents conceptualizes, constructs, and copes with racism while living in a highly homogeneous white Canadian city. The author concludes by noting that these experiences are having a negative effect on their social integration and that increased efforts by teachers and administrators are needed to help combat peer racism in this predominantly white city.

National Identities, Nov 2012

The debate surrounding Newfoundland patriotism is one that few have studied, especially with rega... more The debate surrounding Newfoundland patriotism is one that few have studied, especially with regard to its political implications. While some scholars would argue that the post-Confederation Newfoundland identity is based on a historical nationalist sentiment, others would suggest that it is instead based in a deep-seeded sense of patriotism. This article explores the role of nepotism, reciprocity, and collective goods and entities in promoting patriotism while examining the strength of that patriotism among 16 young Newfoundlanders. The evidence suggests that the majority of those interviewed view their identity as rooted in patriotism rather than nationalism.