Misunderstood, Overlooked, and Marginalized - The Construction of Jews and Antisemitism in EDI Policies and Plans in Canadian Higher Education

Oct 15, 2026

Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) serves as a key social-justice framework in Canadian higher education, yet antisemitism is frequently absent or only marginally addressed in existing EDI policies and plans. After October 7, 2023, antisemitic incidents reportedly increased on campuses. Analyzing EDI policies and plans from 28 Canadian universities, the study identifies recurring patterns: marginalization of antisemitism, framing Jewishness as a religious identity, and coupling antisemitism with Islamophobia.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

EDI in Canadian higher education

Antisemitism after October 7, 2023

Research questions and scope

Misunderstood, Overlooked, and Marginalized: The Construction of Jews and Antisemitism in EDI Policies and Plans in Canadian Higher Education Lilach Marom Simon Fraser University Ania Switzer University of British Columbia Abstract Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) is a leading framework for addressing social justice issues in Canadian higher education. After October 7, 2023, occurrences of antisemitic incidents have surged on campuses in Canada. Yet, antisemitism is often not included or minimally mentioned in the existing EDI frameworks. The task of the EDI policies and plans is to ensure equity, diversity, and inclusion for all historically, persistently, or systematically marginalized groups. We examine the ways in which current EDI policies and plans include antisemitism and Jewish identity, analyzing EDI policies and plans collected from 28 universities across Canada. The content analysis reveals three patterns: (a) marginalization of antisemitism,(b) construction of Jewishness as a religious identity, and (c) coupling of antisemitism and Islamophobia. We argue that, at a time of growing divisiveness, politicization, and misinformation, universities who are committed to EDI should create a truly inclusive campus for people from diverse backgroundsand positions. Keywords: antisemitism, equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI), higher education, policy, Jewish identity Résumé Les politiques d’équité, de diversité et d’inclusion (EDI) sont devenues un cadre majeur pour aborder les questions de justice sociale dans l’enseignement supérieur canadien, 89 % des établissements faisant explicitement référence à l’EDI dans leur plan stratégique. Parallèlement, on signale que depuis le 7 octobre 2023, à la suite du conflit entre Israël et le Hamas, les incidents antisémites se sont multipliés sur les campus canadiens. En outre, lessondages d’opinion montrent que l’antisémitisme est un problème sociétal de plus en plus préoccupant en Amérique du Nord. Pourtant, on affirme que l’antisémitisme n’est souvent pas inclus ou même mentionné dans les cadres EDI existants. Le rôle des politiques et des plans d’EDI est d’assurer l’équité, la diversité et l’inclusion de tous les groupes historiquement, constamment ou systématiquement marginalisés. Cet article examine de quelle manière les politiques et plans EDI actuels incluent l’antisémitisme et l’identité juive. Il analyse les politiqueset plans d’EDI les plus récents de 28 universités canadiennes. L’analyse du contenu révèle trois tendances : a) la marginalisation de l’antisémitisme, b) la construction de l’identité juiveen tant qu’identité religieuse et c) le couplage de l’antisémitisme et de l’islamophobie. À la suite de l’analyse, l’article identifie des moyens d’aborder l’identité juive et l’antisémitisme dans le cadre de l’EDI. Il affirme qu’à une époque où les divisions, la politisation et la désinformation vont croissant, les universités qui se sont réellement engagées dans l’EDI devraient montrer comment s’engager au-delà des différences et créer un campus véritablement inclusif pour des personnes d’origines et de positions diverses. Mots-clés : EDI, antisémitisme, analyse des politiques, identité juive Canadian Journal of Higher Education | Revue canadienne d’enseignement supérieur 55:2 (2025) INTRODUCTION Equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) has become a leading framework for addressing social justice issues in Canadian higher education (higher education [HE]; Tamtik & Guenter, 2019) . A survey issued by Universities Canada indicates that “89% of institutions have explicit reference to EDI in their strategic plan”(Universities Canada, 2023, p. 2) . The top EDI priorities identified by Canadian universities include: “1 . Implement[ing] EDI plans and strategies, policy review and development” and “2 . Build[ing] an inclusive culture on campus”(Universities Canada, 2023, p. 2) . In the wake of the Israel-Hamas conflict after October 7, 2023, occurr

FAQs

What gap does the study identify in Canadian higher-education EDI frameworks?

Antisemitism is often not included or is only minimally mentioned in existing EDI policies and plans, despite EDI being used to address social justice issues.

How was the study conducted?

It analyzes EDI policies and plans collected from 28 Canadian universities using content analysis to identify patterns in how antisemitism and Jewish identity are incorporated.

What three patterns does the content analysis reveal?

The analysis finds (a) marginalization of antisemitism, (b) construction of Jewishness as a religious identity, and (c) coupling of antisemitism and Islamophobia.

Oct 15, 2026

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