Kuir ë Garang

Current City: Toronto, Ontario

Year arrived in Canada: 2002

School: McGill University (BA), Athabasca University/University of Calgary (MA), York University (PhD).

Academic Programs: Philosophy (BA), Cultural Studies & Philosophy (MA), Social Justice (PhD).

Current Occupation: Part-Time Professor, Teaching Assistant, Researcher

1.      What inspired you to pursue your studies in philosophy & Social justice of all the academic programs that were available to you? 

The way you interact with others is greatly influenced by your identity. People assume they know you from your visible profile or from what they have heard about you. These assumptions are the root causes of most our conflicts back home. Conflict is identity based. People assume your intentions or moral inclinations from your identity and then make an offensive or a defensive move to counter your perceived expected move. I am doing research amongst young people to better understand this identity/conflict dynamics in order to bring about positive change. I am planning to use my research for practical purposes, to create positive identities and peace building initiatives.

2.      What have been the main success factors in your academic journey? Inherent intellectual aptitude goes without saying.

• Principles and goals. Life is full of challenges, you have to maintain your focus all the time. Keep your eyes on the price. Limit distractions and execute those ideas.

• Humility. Knowing when to say I don’t know. Learning how to take negative feedback without being offended.

• Curiosity. I read a lot. I am mostly self-taught. Reading has exposed me to different realms of human thought.

3.      Can you tell me a bit about your career path and what led you to your current role (if working)?

When I joined McGill University as a freshman, I didn’t quite know what I wanted to do. WUSC signed me up for Business, so my admission offer was to study business. When I arrived, I changed my major physiology before switching to Philosophy. I realized I liked reading and working with people more. I read a lot to feed my curiosity about many aspects of the human condition. I read a lot about the cruelty in human history all the way to how immigrants are treated in Canada now. I enrolled in Philosophy to try to answer all the questions I had about the human experience. After undergrad, I worked for immigrant services in Calgary for 9 years. I really wanted to get to the bottom of how institutions in Canada interacted with South Sudanese immigrants, so I enrolled in an MA program in cultural studies and Philosophy. After that, I applied to a PhD program at York University in Social Justice to advance myself academically. I am currently doing research and teaching part time.

4.       What are the challenges you faced trying to get to where you are today, if any?

I get distracted a lot. I am always looking to learn something new, reading 2 books at the same time etc. Trying to stay focused on one task can be a challenge. I also philosophically rationalize day to day problems. I reflect on why something happened and how it can be remedied. One may say this is avoiding a problem. They call this toxic positivity, I hear.

5.      What does your average workday look like?

I have a timetable that I follow strictly. On the weekends, I mostly do personal writing and reading. On Mondays I review journals and do my PhD research. On Tuesdays, I work on a mentorship program for black youth at the Jane & Finch area. I teach a course on Fridays at a college in Toronto.

6.      What’s something about your line of work that would surprise the average street Joe?

I think the most important point would be the fact that most people who study social work at the undergrad and at the MA level assume they are going to serve underprivileged youth. They see social work from a ‘helping-people’ lenses. At the PhD level, we see social work as a tool to disrupt an oppressive system that does not distribute opportunities equitably. The bulk of the work is to do social justice research to find ways tp stop enabling the system.

7.      Do you have a mentor? If so, how have they helped you in your academic or professional career?

I don’t have a mentor at the moment. However, I had a mentor early on when I was about 12. I have drawn most of my inspiration from philosophers and literary figures. My ideas about life have come from writers all over the world. I liked works by Elechi Amadi, Chinua Achebe, George Orwell, Yusuf Dawood, Ayi Kwei Armah and David Hume. The later’s theory of causality lured me into philosophy.

8.      What’s your favorite thing about your job or industry? In other words, what fuels your enthusiasm and helps you get out of bed on a winter Monday morning?

I am fueled by the chance to learn the next new thing. I have the habit of reading 2 books at the same time for this very reason. I not only crave learning about a new theory, but the type of criticism it generated from other scholars at the time of its publishing.

9.  Is your racial profile helping or hindering your professional growth? That is, if race is a factor at all.

I am not sure. It may have. I don’t know. I have been in this social work space for a long time, so I’ve been offered research projects in areas that involve black youth. I see this as an outcome of my education and work experience. One may also say that my profile is part of the qualification. This is also true because the ability to emotionally connect with the group that one is serving is a key part of social work (or research).

10.  Looking back, did you envision this is where you would be when you were in high school? What do you know now that you wished you had known before you started your career?

I did not know that I would end up in philosophy. I knew I would be writing. I have been a reader since I was at Lodwar High, especially literature & poetry. I am happy with how things turned out. I will not change anything if I were to start over again.

11.  Do you have any advice to new WUSC students? 

You are attending one of the best universities in the world. Never try to compare yourself to your classmates and imitate their entertainment options. Most of the kids you will go to school with come from wealthy backgrounds. Some will have nice cars and go on exotic vacations each year. You have to stay grounded as a poor kid. Work diligently to complete your studies because your options in Canada are limited if you don’t graduate.