Associate Professor of Geography, York University, Toronto, ON. Born: Ghana.
Dr. Joseph Mensah joined York University in 2002 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor of Geography, with tenure, in 2005. He is currently the Coordinator of International Development Studies at York, with a cross-appointment to the Department of Geography .
Research areas: Critical development theory; socio-spatial dialectics; religious trans-nationalism.
Honours: Has received competitive grants from many national and international agencies, including the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Global Development Network, Gates Foundation, Commonwealth Secretariat, and International Labour Organization. Has won York University’s Merit Award many times since 2003; inclusion in Who’s Who in Black Canada 2 (2006);
Works: Books, Black Canadians: History, Experience, Social Conditions (2002/2010); Co-Editor, Globalization and the Human Factor, Critical Insights; Understanding Economic Reforms in Africa (2006); Neoliberalism and Globalization in Africa (2008).
Education: PhD, Geography, University of Alberta (1993); MA, Wilfrid Laurier University (1989); BA/Hons, University of Ghana (1985).
Favourite book? The Last Days of Socrates, by Plato. For its intriguing arguments and creative dialogue.
Favourite quote? “Luck is when opportunity meets preparation.”
Given the chance, what would you love to do that you haven’t done yet? Become the Vice Chancellor of a public university in Ghana.
Who or what inspires you? My dad – for his incredible kindness and prescience.
Why do you do what you do? I love helping people to be their best; the grin on their faces at the height of their success, or at the point of eureka, is simply priceless.