Position as Desired

This volume broaches the complicated topic of black identity in a multicultural and diasporic country: Canada. The stories of African Canadians have been interwoven into the history of Canadian society for over 150 years, yet their presence in its dominant narratives remains marginal. Drawing on photographs from the Wedge Collection, Position as Desired reflects on what it means to be African Canadian. It includes depictions of largely unknown or uncelebrated African individuals in Canada as well as works that celebrate the growth and diversity of the African Canadian community today. A selection of works by photographers Buseje Bailey, Michael Chambers, Stella Fakiyesi, and David Zapparoli, all of whom established their practice in the 1990s, present overt assertions of African Canadian identity, and four emerging photographers— Christina Leslie, Megan Morgan, Dawit L. Petros and Stacey Tyrella—continue the conversation.