Debra Thompson

Debra Thompson is an Associate Professor and Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University’s Department of Political Science. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and has held academic positions at Harvard University, Northwestern University, and the University of Oregon. Her research focuses on race, state policies, and inequality in Canada and comparative democracies. Thompson’s award-winning work includes The Schematic State (2016) and the bestselling The Long Road Home (2022), which critically examines race and belonging in North America. She is a frequent media commentator on racial issues and leads research projects on systemic racism.

Education: PhD, University of Toronto. Awards: Donald Smiley Prize, APSA Best Book Awards, and finalist for the Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize. Current projects include studies on the mechanics of systemic racism in Canadian institutions.