A history professor from the University of Waterloo who is an expert in human rights and race relations in Canada has been named a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC).
"The university is proud to have an internationally recognized scholar like Professor Walker among our faculty,’’ said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president and vice-chancellor of Waterloo. “His work examining the importance of human rights in society has universal applications, and therefore the potential for positive impact in Canada and around the world. We congratulate him on this deserved honour."
Professor Walker teaches and conducts research in Canadian and international human rights, race relations in Canada, immigration and African-Canadian history.
In honouring Professor Walker, the RSC noted, "His scholarship and teaching on racial equality in Canada since World War II have influenced an entire generation of Canadians both within and outside the academy. His research helped launch African-Canadian history and aboriginal history as fields of historical inquiry."
He is a former Bora Laskin National Fellow in Human Rights Research and the author of several works relating to the historical development of human rights.
"When I look around at other people on this campus who are fellows, I’m absolutely delighted and flattered to be in their company," said Professor Walker. "I’m hopeful that this recognition from the society will reinforce a trend in the historical discipline to undertake studies in human rights and race relations because understanding how we get our rights and what problems they were intended to solve helps us to apply and protect them."