Papers by Cynthia Kwakyewah
Corporate Actors in Global Governance
York University, Sep 13, 2018
This interdisciplinary research examines the ability of gold mining multinationals to fulfil thei... more This interdisciplinary research examines the ability of gold mining multinationals to fulfil their human rights obligations and investigates how local communities in Ghana attempt to hold these corporations accountable with respect to human rights. The Canadian mid-tier gold mining company Golden Star Resources (GSR) and its host community in Dumasi were used to carry out an intensive case study which explored the relationship between business and human rights and its implications for sustainable community development in a Global South context. Adopting a mixed-method approach, I collected data during a three-month fieldwork in Ghana. Findings from the study suggest that GSR is not meeting its human rights obligations in Dumasi largely due to the complex interaction between internal organisational factors and the nature of the external socio-political environment in which GSR operates. In response to prevailing corporate human rights abuses, Dumasi community members have adopted accountability strategies that are moderately effective. iii Dedication This thesis is dedicated to the people of Dumasi who continue to demonstrate resilience, determination and courage in their long-standing struggle for their amansa fahowdie (English translation: human rights) vi TABLE OF CONTENTS
Spatialized Injustice in the Contemporary City, 2022
The idea that cities are characterized by socially produced injustices has been well argued. Rath... more The idea that cities are characterized by socially produced injustices has been well argued. Rather than treating geographies as static physically formed environments that are external to the social sphere, they should be conceptualized as powerful forces that shape socio-political processes and structures and vice versa. Indeed, different disciplines have and continue to recognize the consequential role of geography in our social world. In line with this thinking and using Edward Soja’s (1980) notion of socio-spatial dialectic approach as the central framework, this chapter draws on secondary sources to unpack urban poverty in priority neighborhoods or at-risk low-income neighborhoods in Toronto. The chapter looks at how those who live in such spaces challenge their spatial entrapment and social status. Particularly, I explore the geographic underpinning of social injustice by zeroing in on how Black Canadians in Toronto experience racial discrimination in employment in such priority neighborhoods. I reason that the struggle over access to resources is not only a matter of racial and socio-economic equity but also a matter of curbing spatiality of injustice and injustices of spatiality.
Tikkun Beyond Borders: Connecting Youth Voices, Leading Change, 2019
This chapter presents findings from the Toronto Tikkun Youth Project participants about their com... more This chapter presents findings from the Toronto Tikkun Youth Project participants about their community and civic engagement activities. Data was gathered through interviews with sixteen participants who were between 16 and 24 years old and were of varied ethnic and racial backgrounds. The chapter contributes to literature that challenges notions of youth apathy and shows the varied ways in which youth contribute to the development of their communities and to civic society, generally. Data from the project show the different ways that youth define community and civic engagement, as well as the divergent forms and motivation for participating in these activities. Notions of belonging to their community, desire to contribute, challenge stereotypes, and create meaningful futures for themselves, were mentioned as some of the reasons youth chose to engage in community life. The youth voices echoed in this chapter can be used to combat the ongoing notions about youth apathy and the decreasing level of youth community engagement. The data also shows the need for a more systematic mapping of youth engagement and their contribution to society. In this chapter, we present findings from data collected with youth in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), as part of the broader Tikkun Youth Project (2014-2017), with sites in Canada, Kosovo, and South Africa. The discussion presented herein is part of ongoing public and scholarly debates about youth civic engagement or lack thereof. In this chapter, we offer narratives that 189 | Youth Perspectives on Community Activism describe youth community activities alongside youth discussions of empowerment, advocacy, and their growing career/academic pathways through and because of their activities in community spaces. We define community engagement as activities that "engage youth in the civic life of their communities" (Zeldin, 2004, p. 632) and as "how an active citizen participates in the life of a community in order to improve conditions for others or to help shape the community's future" (Adler & Goggin, 2005, p. 242). We also work with Berger's (2009) categories of engagement, while acknowledging his stance that the notion of "civic engagement" per se is muddled and lacks scholarly clarity. Berger retains the notion of "engagement," whilst distinguishing between political, social, and moral engagements and between engagement in (activity without attention); engagement by (attention without activity); and engagement with (attention and activity). We find these categories helpful in discussing the ways or levels of engagement that youth referred to as part of their community life. Cammaerts, Bruter, Banaji, Harrison, and Anstead (2014) reported that a significant portion of youth channel their political activities towards their social movement and civil organizing; therefore, any discussion about youth community engagement must intersect discussion on political participation. By including discussions on Tikkun youth's political engagement, we also strengthen the debates about the divergent ways in which youth participate in and lead community engagement projects. Examining youth civic engagement is important because the past two decades have been marked by growing concerns about the lack of Canadian youth involvement in community and political activities. Some community activists, researchers, and politicians see youth's apathy as the key reason for youth disengagement in political spheres (Wattenberg, 2006; Wring, Henn, & Weinstein, 2007). This concern has been amplified because of statistics indicating that Canada has already arrived at a "tipping point," where the number of people reaching retirement age is higher than the number of young people entering working age-a dynamic that is projected to increase over the years (Public Safety Canada, 2012). Further, diminishing the diversity of those involved in civic life and suggesting a risk for Canada's civic future, the 2015 report, Social Capital in Action, indicates that a mere 6% of adults are responsible for 35%-42% of all civic activities (Siemiatycki, 2011). In addition to the age-based differences in civic participation (CP), research show some correlation between areas with low voter turnout rates and areas with high populations of immigrant and/or racialized groups
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 2018
Incidences of corporate–community conflict and human rights violation associated with the activit... more Incidences of corporate–community conflict and human rights violation associated with the activities of Canadian extractive companies (CECs) abroad have led to debates at home about the social responsibility of CECs overseas and the role of the Canadian government in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In response to these debates, the Canadian government launched the Canadian national CSR strategy to steer the CSR agenda of CECs. This paper questions and problematizes governmental discourses within the national strategies as a basis for contributing to the debate on the role of government in CSR. We show that the Canadian national CSR strategy embodies the same neoliberal tendencies as the European governmental approach to CSR. However, while the Canadian government's approach to CSR emerged with an emphasis on self‐regulation, it has now morphed into a form of enforced self‐regulation. Hence, the Canadian government adopts both collaborative and confrontation strategies in its efforts to make self‐regulation effective.
Although the literature on youth civic engagement is copious, little light has been shed on the f... more Although the literature on youth civic engagement is copious, little light has been shed on the factors that either enable or impede girls' civic participation in urban settings. In this paper, we examine girls' motivation for and spaces of community involvement in the Greater Toronto Area. In particular, we highlight the drivers and patterns of girls' civic engagement using the findings from our research study entitled Engaging Girls, Changing Communities (EGCC). Girls who participated in the EGCC study cited a number of factors that hindered their community participation: lack of opportunities and encouragement, a disconnect to community members, cultural and/or religious barriers, gender bias, antipathy towards the community, low self-esteem, and lack of time. The data also pointed to the importance of family/adult support in nurturing girls' leadership aspirations. We conclude this paper with a discussion on the implications associated with girls' civic parti...
While the dominant perspective in the state failure debate has described underdeveloped African c... more While the dominant perspective in the state failure debate has described underdeveloped African countries as inherently undemocratic and dysfunctional, South Africa is deemed as an emerging economic power with exemplary democratic practices. At the same time, proponents of the democracy-development theory have made claims about the alleged relationship between a nation's socioeconomic progression and its democratic institutions. Focusing mainly on South Africa, this article examines the validity of these claims and argues that given the prevailing race-based social divide and the immense socioeconomic disparity, the process of democratization in South Africa has been rather limited. Indeed, democracy in South Africa manifests severe weaknesses equal to other African countries. Notwithstanding these weaknesses, the advent of social movements such as the Landless People's Movement points to the opening of a new democratic space that provides political opportunities for citizens.
While the dominant perspective in the state failure debate has described underdeveloped African c... more While the dominant perspective in the state failure debate has described underdeveloped African countries as inherently undemocratic and dysfunctional, South Africa is deemed as an emerging economic power with exemplary democratic practices. At the same time, proponents of the democracy-development theory have made claims about the alleged relationship between a nation's socio-economic progression and its democratic institutions. Focusing mainly on South Africa, this article examines the validity of these claims and argues that given the prevailing race-based social divide and the immense socio-economic disparity, the process of democratization in South Africa has been rather limited. Indeed, democracy in South Africa manifests severe weaknesses equal to other African countries. Notwithstanding these weaknesses, the advent of social movements such as the Landless People's Movement points to the opening of a new democratic space that provides political opportunities for citiz...
While states have traditionally had the responsibility to protect human rights, multinational cor... more While states have traditionally had the responsibility to protect human rights, multinational corporations (MNCs) are now increasingly expected to also respect human rights in their pursuit of profitability. However, the increased incidence of human rights violations associated with the activities of MNCs in developing countries has led to various efforts to promote the corporate duty to respect human rights. This article seeks to examine the extent to which Canada’s national Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy can contribute to the prevention or amelioration of incidences of human rights violation associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies operating in Ghana. The article suggests that while Canada’s national CSR strategy does present some opportunities, its ability to ameliorate incidence of human rights violations remains limited. The article concludes by considering the theoretical and practical implications for Canada-Ghana engagements in the mining s...
Business Strategy and the Environment
Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, 2018
Incidences of corporate–community conflict and human rights violation associated with the activit... more Incidences of corporate–community conflict and human rights violation associated with the activities of Canadian extractive companies (CECs) abroad have led to debates at home about the social responsibility of CECs overseas and the role of the Canadian government in corporate social responsibility (CSR). In response to these debates, the Canadian government launched the Canadian national CSR strategy to steer the CSR agenda of CECs. This paper questions and problematizes governmental discourses within the national strategies as a basis for contributing to the debate on the role of government in CSR. We show that the Canadian national CSR strategy embodies the same neoliberal tendencies as the European governmental approach to CSR. However, while the Canadian government's approach to CSR emerged with an emphasis on self‐regulation, it has now morphed into a form of enforced self‐regulation. Hence, the Canadian government adopts both collaborative and confrontation strategies in its efforts to make self‐regulation effective.
Journal of Teacher Education and Educational Leadership, 2016
This paper discusses the possibilities and limits of working with youth researchers in participat... more This paper discusses the possibilities and limits of working with youth researchers in participatory action research. Based on Engaging Girls, Changing Communities (EGCC) a study designed to investigate barriers and facilitators to young women’s leadership and civic activities in new urban environments, we analysed youth researchers’ reflective notes, training evaluation reports, data quality coupled with reflections from a youth researcher community action initiative, to offer the strengths and limits to youth engagement in research. Our analysis reveals that community-driven research projects such as EGCC offer youth the chance to learn from community members, their peers and from academics. Also, the paper provides methodological insights on the value of working with youth as researchers and concludes that the process of building social capital and skills for the youth researchers outweighs the challenges deriving from their involvement in research.
Citizenship Education Research Journal (CERJ), 2015
Although the literature on youth civic engagement is copious, little light has been shed on the f... more Although the literature on youth civic engagement is copious, little light has been shed on the factors that either enable or impede girls' civic participation in urban settings. In this paper, we examine girls' motivation for and spaces of community involvement in the Greater Toronto Area. In particular, we highlight the drivers and patterns of girls' civic engagement using the findings from our research study entitled Engaging Girls, Changing Communities (EGCC). Girls who participated in the EGCC study cited a number of factors that hindered their community participation: lack of opportunities and encouragement, a disconnect to community members, cultural and/or religious barriers, gender bias, antipathy towards the community, low self-esteem, and lack of time. The data also pointed to the importance of family/adult support in nurturing girls' leadership aspirations. We conclude this paper with a discussion on the implications associated with girls' civic participation that is characterized by an adult-informed paradigm.
The Transnational Human Rights Review, 2017
While states have traditionally had the responsibility to protect human rights, multinational cor... more While states have traditionally had the responsibility to protect human rights, multinational corporations (MNCs) are now increasingly expected to also respect human rights in their pursuit of profitability. However, the increased incidence of human rights violations associated with the activities of MNCs in developing countries has led to various efforts to promote the corporate duty to respect human rights. This paper seeks to examine the extent to which Canada’s national Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) strategy can contribute to the prevention or amelioration of incidences of human rights violation associated with the activities of Canadian mining companies operating in Ghana. The paper suggests that while Canada’s national CSR strategy does present some opportunities, its ability to ameliorate incidence of human rights violations remains limited. The article concludes by considering the theoretical and practical implications for Canada-Ghana engagements in the mining sector.
Books by Cynthia Kwakyewah
University of Windsor Digital Publishing, 2019
This chapter presents findings from the Toronto Tikkun Youth Project participants about their... more This chapter presents findings from the Toronto Tikkun Youth Project participants about their community and civic engagement activities. Data was gathered through interviews with sixteen participants who were between 16 and 24 years old and were of varied ethnic and racial backgrounds. The chapter contributes to the literature that challenges notions of youth apathy and shows the varied ways in which youth contribute to the development of their communities and to civic society, generally. Data from the project show the different ways that youth define community and civic engagement, as well as the divergent forms and motivation for participating in these activities. Notions of belonging to their community, desire to contribute, challenge stereotypes, and create meaningful futures for themselves, were mentioned as some of the reasons youth chose to engage in community life. The youth voices echoed in this chapter can be used to combat the ongoing notions about youth apathy and the decreasing level of youth community engagement. The data also shows the need for a more systematic mapping of youth engagement and their contribution to society.
Corporate Actors in Global Governance: Business as Usual or New Deal?, 2019
Traditionally, business and human rights were treated as two distinct entities, partly because st... more Traditionally, business and human rights were treated as two distinct entities, partly because states were considered the main violators and protectors of human rights (Obara 2017). Thus, the discussion of the human rights responsibilities of companies tended to focus on the indirect legal responsibilities of business. However, changing global geopolitics that has, on one hand, restricted the social control states exercise over businesses and, on the other hand, increased the sphere of influence of large corporations has pushed the debate to consider the direct human rights obligations of multinationals (Cragg et al. 2011). This is partly because businesses are often implicated in cases of human rights abuses and are now seen as nonstate actors that can potentially address the governance gap that arose from the processes of globalization. At the international level, diplomats, policymakers, business strategists, and social activists are increasingly recognizing the need for mechanisms to pursue remedies for victims of corporaterelated human rights abuses, especially for transnational claims that cannot or will not be processed by local legal institutions. At the national level, we are witnessing varying degrees of effort among states to implement the 2011 UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (GPs), with a number of states having yet to produce a national action plan and commence the implementation process (J. Ford 2015). Central to these processes in the business and human rights arena is the concern for greater corporate accountability. According to Utting (2008), corporate accountability focuses on issues of power and advocates for the need to countervail the interests of large corporations. He notes that corporate accountability emphasizes
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Papers by Cynthia Kwakyewah
Books by Cynthia Kwakyewah