19 May 2021

TRU Statement on CAUT Censure at the University of Toronto

The Technoscience Research Unit (TRU) at the University of Toronto is a home for critical and creative research on the politics of technoscience. The TRU draws together social justice approaches to Science and Technology Studies from across the university with an emphasis on Indigenous, feminist, queer, environmental, anti-racist and anti-colonial scholarship.

The TRU opposes the suppression of academic work concerning Palestinian rights and struggles and supports the rights of scholars to criticize the policies and practices of Israel. On April 22, 2021, the Canadian Association of University Teachers (CAUT) imposed censure on the University of Toronto over its decision to terminate the candidacy of Dr. Valentina Azarova for the Directorship of the International Human Rights Program (IHRP) at the Faculty of Law.  Read the CAUT censure statement here. Read about the procedures for following the censure here. Read the U of T President’s response rejecting the terms of the censure here. 

In response, 

  1. We are cancelling all further events for the Technoscience Salon Series, which is co-sponsored with the McLuhan Centre, and has been an open platform for entangling intellectual and political questions about gathering online during the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of feminist activism, queer and trans liberation, Indigenous and Two Spirit world-building, mad pride and disability justice, and migrant networks and grassroots organizing.

  2. We are rejecting all standing and future invitations for speaking engagements and events associated with the University of Toronto.

  3. We will continue to take a critical stance to the University’s “collegial” governance structure administration that does not allow for democratic running of searches and other important decisions, and we will continue to intervene and advocate for more just forms of governance.

  4. We will encourage our academic and community colleagues to enact the terms of censure in their respective circumstances.

This statement was unanimously supported at the May 19, 2021 TRU lab meeting and is fully supported by its Co-Directors.