Interview with Dr. Karen Flynn

Karen Flynn is an Associate professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies and the Department of African-American Studies Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign. She received her Ph.D. in Women's Studies from York University, Toronto, Ontario, in 2003. Her research interests include migration and travel, Black Canada, health, popular culture, feminist, Diasporic and post-colonial studies. Dr. Flynn’s recent book: Moving Beyond Borders: Black Canadian and Caribbean women in the African Canadian Diaspora is by the University of Toronto Press. Moving Beyond Borders won the Lavinia L. Dock Award from the American Association of the History of Nursing.  She is currently working on a second book project that maps the travel itineraries of Blacks across borders, specifically Asia.  

In addition to her academic work, Dr. Flynn has published numerous editorials in Share, Canada's largest ethnic newspaper, which serves the Black & Caribbean communities in the Greater Metropolitan Toronto area. She was also a free-lance writer for Canada Extra, and most recently for Swaymag.ca where she wrote passionately about contemporary issues considering issues of race, gender, class, sexuality, age, and nation. Dr. Flynn is currently a Dean’s Fellow for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, a program geared towards strengthening and expanding the cadre of leaders in the College.