Research
Black Men and Masculinities

Jamilah’s work on Black men and masculinities has the following objectives:
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Destigmatize Black men and masculinities by exposing the racist and gendered discrimination of Western approaches to researching Black men, with a legacy in 16th-19th century euro-colonial logic and racial science.
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Bring awareness to the diverse ways that Black masculinities are expressed and embodied across the sexuality spectrum.
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Illuminate the ways that Black men have and continue to challenge negative and stereotypical representations and expressions of masculinity.
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Illuminate the way Black men and women across the sexuality and gender spectrum have and continue to work together to challenge systems of anti-Black racism and gendered discrimination.
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Engaging in the above to develop new approaches for social science research to study and understand Black men across the gender and sexuality spectrum and introducing new ideas for community organizers for how to cultivate coalitions within Black communities
Areas of Study: Critical Gender & Race Studies; Masculinity Studies; Postcolonial Feminism; Popular Culture & Music Studies; Decolonial Studies; Black Canadian Studies; Critical Pedagogy & Higher Education.
Doctoral Research: Black Masculinities in Canada - Reimagining Black Men and Gender Advocacy
This study highlights humanizing representations of Black masculinities in Canada, amplifying Black men's voices to explore their roles in race and gender advocacy. It examines how Black men across the gender and sexuality spectrum redefine masculinities beyond stereotypes. The study addresses three key questions: 1) How do Black men in Canada redefine Black masculinities? 2) How do they engage in race and gender advocacy? 3) How do they collaborate with Black women, and LGBTQ+ communities to drive change? Ultimately, it provides a Canadian perspective on Black male advocacy, diversity, and gender relations.
Rap and Modern Love: The Expression of Intimate Masculinity in Mainstream Rap
To enliven inquiry into the intimate lives of black men Jamilah conducted a qualitative, thematic analysis of the non-hypermasculine expressions of black men toward women in mainstream rap songs. The analysis revealed that 60% of the songs featured themes such as admiration, heartbreak, infatuation, love, vulnerability, and suicidal ideations. From these findings she developed the concept of Intimate Masculinity, a framework to examine and highlight the emotional complexity of Black men.
Other Research
Queen Elizabeth Scholars Fellowship
Jamilah collaborates with a research team from the University of Ghana to explore transnational feminism and gender relations. She plans to leverage this partnership to pursue publications and future research, broadening her study of men and masculinities within the West African context.
Mapping Decolonizing Practices in Higher Education
A pilot study is underway at McGill University and Concordia University to examine how decolonization is represented and pursued in Canadian higher education. The research includes a content analysis of webpages from both institutions that address decolonization, aiming to advance understanding and scholarship in this area.
Implementing Anti-Racism Educational Resources into the Classroom
A pilot study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of educational videos developed for the Anti-Racist Pedagogy Project. Faculty and students from Concordia University, McGill University, Vanier College, Dawson College, and John Abbott College in Montreal, Quebec, participated. Faculty provided feedback on their experiences incorporating these videos into their teaching. The findings are contributing to a growing body of knowledge addressing the question: *How can antiracism educational videos featuring lived experiences be effectively integrated into the classroom?*