معرفی
Lea Caragata is an Associate Professor and Director in the School of Social Work at the University of British Columbia (Faculty of Arts). She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto, focusing on land use, social movements, and public space democratization. Prior to academia, she worked in grassroots organizing, social housing, and public policy across non-profits and government. Her research emphasizes poverty, gender, and resilience in marginalized groups, particularly single mothers and low-income families. Current SSHRC-funded projects examine youth provisioning in low-income households and resilience strategies among lone mothers.
Education: PhD in Social Work (University of Toronto), prior career in community development and public administration.
Research focuses on intersections of welfare systems, labor markets, and gendered poverty. Key areas include critical constructions of resilience, child/youth contributions to household survival, and policy advocacy. Her book Not the Whole Story: Challenging the Single Mother Narrative critiques dominant societal portrayals through participatory methods. Teaching spans undergraduate and graduate levels, with courses on social welfare foundations, community development, and clinical practice in mental health and addiction.
Grants include SSHRC funding for community-university research alliances exploring lone mother resilience and labor market impacts. Active in policy discourse via roles with The Walrus magazine and non-profit boards. No awards explicitly listed.
Labs/Teams: Central to UBC's School of Social Work, contributing to interdisciplinary research networks focused on poverty, gender equity, and social policy innovation. Collaborates with government agencies and non-profits on applied social work projects.
