Leslie Kapo
This prize is a recognition of the confidence that young people who participated in my research showed me. It encourages me to continue my work.
Leslie Kapo
Ph.D. Urban studies, 2021
Centre Urbanisation Culture Société | Supervisor: Julie-Anne Boudreau
What brought you to INRS? What has stayed with you from your experience?
I am a researcher, a fieldworker and an educator. It was a meeting with two world-class researchers, Valérie Amiraux (Université de Montréal) and Julie-Anne Boudreau (Urbanisation Culture Société Research Centre) that brought me to INRS. Professor Boudreau’s expertise, knowledge and professional network, and funding possibilities she offered me as a foreign student spurred me to come to Québec for my studies. At the time, my dissertation idea was embryonic but I quickly grew to love the curiosity and the appreciation for qualitative and ethnographic approaches.
The strength of INRS is that it is a human-scaled place. Proximity to staff, professors and students is highly valuable. Also, support from Ms. Wassila Foul in following up my visa issues as a foreign student was a determining factor. She was a source for the success of my doctoral dissertation.
Can you tell us about the issues and impact of the research presented in your master’s thesis?
I did four years of field study to follow the ordinary adventures of young racialized Montrealers, of racial, ethnic, cultural, religious or visible minority backgrounds. The idea was to create a geography of youth (aged 18–30) in a contemporary city, with a solid connection to youth experiences. My doctoral research was done on, and with, these young people, to create the ethnography of their lived experiences. I did a great deal of observation, discussion and interviews with young people to document their trajectories, their issues and obstacles, but also their opportunities, success and resistance strategies. I have two nationalities: French and Ivorian, so this touched me. I had the right research conditions to take the time to better understand the nuances and complexities of their life experiences. This allowed me to see how much space in their life is taken up by questions of diversity, pluralism and representation.
What does winning this prize mean to you?
This prize is a recognition of the confidence that young people who participated in my research showed me. It encourages me to continue my work.
What is your next chapter, now that you have received your degree?
I hope to continue my intellectual work. I've applied to the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Société et culture to support a post-doctorate at Concordia University. I’m currently exploring different possibilities. Also, I am waiting to receive permanent-resident status in Canada.