Emilie Nicolas

Anthropologist, Equity & Human Rights Consultant, Columnist, University of Toronto

Equity, race, gender, gender equity, human rights, social justice, Quebec politics, language policies, Haiti, international cooperation, international politics, Black community in Montreal

Media

Émilie Nicolas | How to trust you with this gun without tiring me out

"You caricature our exasperation with this friend whose words you cut out to make yourself guarantees rather than befriend him." You portray us as a faceless barbaric pack, ready to attack reason, knowledge, freedom, civilization. Do you realize that it was by brandishing a terribly similar specter that yours have justified the beatings for centuries? "

Real Talk on Race: 'We need to keep having these conversations,' says Emilie Nicolas

Biography

Emilie Nicolas is an anthropologist, consultant, frequent media commentator, analyst, and public speaker on equity, human rights, international cooperation, race, public policy, and gender issues. She holds a regular column at Le Devoir, and her work has been published in several journals, magazines and newspapers; both in French and English. Nicolas has contributed to various organizations in Canada and internationally. She sat on the boards of the Broadbent Institute, an important progressive think-tank, and the Quebec Women’s Federation, one of the largest feminists organization in Canada. An active bridge-builder, Nicolas is a co-founder of Québec inclusif (2013), a movement that actively unites citizens against racism and social exclusion. She also initiated a coalition campaigning for equality and against systemic racism in Quebec (2016).

As a Vanier Scholar and PhD candidate in Linguistic Anthropology at the University of Toronto, she focused her research on the role of a shared language in the connections between Quebec and Haiti. She also holds a M.A. in Comparative Literature from the same university. Nicolas is the recipient of a Harry Jerome Award for leadership along with a Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case. She completed the Action Canada Fellowship (2015) as well as the Jeanne Sauvé Public Leadership Fellowship (2019).

Expertise

  • equity
  • race
  • gender
  • gender equity
  • human rights
  • social justice
  • Quebec politics
  • language policies
  • Haiti
  • international cooperation
  • international politics
  • Black community in Montreal