Matthew Hayes

Matthew Hayes is an Adjunct Professor of Sociology and Canada Research Chair in Global and Transnational Studies at St. Thomas University since 2009. He holds a PhD from York University (2008), and previously taught at Université de Moncton and UNB. His research focuses on lifestyle migration, global inequality, and transnational urbanization, with fieldwork in Ecuador and Morocco. He is a vocal advocate for affordable housing and tenant rights in New Brunswick, co-founding the New Brunswick Coalition for Tenant Rights in 2020.

Education: BA, MA (Carleton University), PhD (York University). Research interests include North-South migration dynamics, coloniality, urban gentrification, and the political economy of housing. His work critiques global inequalities through ethnographic studies of North American migrants in Cuenca, Ecuador, and explores how transnational mobility intersects with historical colonial structures.

Publications include Gringolandia (2018/2020) and peer-reviewed articles on lifestyle migration, transnational gentrification, and urban displacement. Courses taught span global sociology, postcolonial theory, and critical analyses of capitalism.