Dawn Onishenko
Dawn Onishenko is an ecofeminist who has been a social justice activist in the areas of gender, women in conflict with the law, anti-poverty, housing and homelessness, HIV/AIDS and queer rights. Dawn���s academic interests include social movements, citizenship and civic engagement, critical human rights, systemic discrimination, oppression and marginalization, the inherent dignity of the human person and the role of jurisgenerative politics/praxis in bringing about social change. Her current research projects explore the experiences of sexual minorities seeking refugee status in Canada; the experiences of gender and sexual minority youth in state care, specifically the child welfare and the youth justice systems; critical human rights and youth policy; and homeless youth and COVID-19.
Research interests:
- 2SLGBTIQ rights, identity and liberation
- Community development and community organizing
- Anti-oppressive social work practice
- Critical pedagogy
- Qualitative research approaches
Research projects:
- Marginalized Homeless Youth: A critical and grounded framework for understanding the impact and efficacy of policies and programs designed to support marginal youth experiencing homelessness in a time of COVID-19
- The Experiences of Gender and Sexual Minority Youth in State Care: a retrospective exploration of former child welfare/youth justice service users.
- Equal Rights Discourse: A Shifting Terrain for Sexual Minority Refugee Claimants
- Rights for Children and Youth - Policy Analysis
- Social Work/Social Change in Neoliberal Times: Pedagogy and Curriculum for Activist Social Workers
Peer-reviewed publications:
Articles
- Onishenko, D. & Erbland, J. (2017). The Case of Ashley Smith: Policy Window or Policy Failure. Canadian Research in Social Policy. (76), 70-89.
- Onishenko, D. (2016). Equal Rights/Equal Marriage: Creating Spaces of Jurisgenerative Praxis. Humbolt Journal of Social Research. (38), 79-93.
- Onishenko, D. & Erbland, J. (2016). An Equal Marriage Retrospective in Two Voices: Where have ten years taken us? Sexualities. 20(3), 261-280.
- Chambers, L., Cranmer-Byng, S., Friedman, M., Njoroge, W., Onishenko, D. (corresponding author), Ross, M., Sibblis, C., Smith, K. & Westbrook, A. (2015). Redefining Borders between Communities and the Classroom: How Community-based Social Activists Can Transform Social Work Education. Engaged Scholar.
- Onishenko, D. (2012). Legislated Equality: An LGBTIQ Case Study in a Canadian Context. ADDRESSING INEQUALITIES: The Heart of the Post-2015 Development Agenda and the Future We Want for All. UN Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality: on-line discussion paper.
- Onishenko, D. & Caragata, L. (2011). A Theoretically Critical Gaze on the Canadian Equal Marriage Debate: Breaking the Binaries. Journal of Gay and Lesbian Social Services. 21(2/3), 91-111.
- Onishenko, D. & Caragata, L. (2009). Cutting Edge Couples: Making meaning of the experience of LGBTQ couples who marry. Equal Opportunities International: Special Issue on Equality and Same-Sex Partnerships ��� A Happy Marriage? 28(3), 249-266.
Publicly-reviewed publications:
Technical Reports
- Onishenko, D. (2014). AO Equity Lens: Policies and Procedures. Peel Children���s Aid Society.
- Onishenko, D. (2014). GSM Refugees in Canada: Fact Sheet #1.
Chapters
- Onishenko, D. & Erbland, J. (2022) Qualitative Critical Methodology: Exploring the Interface of Deconstructing Traditional Policy Research with Youth Voice and Art-Based Focus Groups. In Critical Reflexive Research Methodologies (Edited Book) University of Calgary Press (publication Fall 2022)
- Nyaga, D. & Onishenko, D. (2022). Effects of Covid-19 on homeless youth-Methodological reflections In Critical Reflexive Research Methodologies (Edited Book) University of Calgary Press (publication Fall 2022)
- Giuliani, M., Magomedova, A., Brochu, M., Boehm, M., Onishenko, D. (2022) Research Engagement: A reflexive conversation exploring the research process from a student perspective. In Critical Reflexive Research Methodologies (Edited Book) University of Calgary Press (publication Fall 2022)
- Onishenko, D. (2014). Equal Rights Discourse: Transformative Possibilities? In S. Wehbi & H. Parada (Eds.). Re-imagining anti-oppression social work: Reflecting on practice. (77-93). Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press.