Jennifer Elrick

Jennifer Elrick is an Associate Professor and Chair in Multiculturalism at McGill University's Department of Sociology (Faculty of Arts). She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto and has been at McGill since 2016. Her research focuses on migration governance, diversity, and social stratification, particularly analyzing how states construct legal and administrative classifications (e.g., citizenship, immigration law) and their societal impacts. Her award-winning book Making Middle-Class Multiculturalism explores Canada's postwar immigration policymaking through an organizational lens.

Education:

• PhD in Sociology, University of Toronto (2017)
• MA in European Culture and Economy (Sociology & Economics), Ruhr University Bochum (2005)
• BA (Hons.) in History & Drama, Queen’s University (1999)

Research Interests: Her work examines migration governance, the social construction of legal categories, and public perceptions of immigrants. Recent projects include a SSHRC-funded study on deliberation and public perceptions of refugees in Canada. Methodologically, she employs qualitative approaches like interviews, archival research, and focus groups.

Awards & Grants:

• SSHRC Insight Development Grant (2023-2025)
• FRQSC Research Support Grant (2018-2021)
• Shortlisted for Canadian Political Science Association's Donald Smiley Prize (2022)

Teaching: Courses include 'Sociological Perspectives,' 'Sociology of Citizenship,' and graduate seminars on migration governance. She developed SOCI 595: Immigration Control and the State and chairs McGill's Canadian Studies Program.

Academic Roles: She serves on the Executive Committee of the Council for European Studies and edits Ethnic and Racial Studies. Currently, she is Interim Director of McGill's Institute for the Study of Canada (2024-2025).