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Title: Redefining Resilience

Redefining Resilience

Overcoming Social Challenges During and After COVID-19

by Christopher Dietzel (Volume editor) Safia Amiry (Volume editor) Safeera Jaffer (Volume editor)
©2026 Edited Collection XVIII, 94 Pages
Education
Series: Confronting Systemic Omissions and Impacts in Educational Policy, Volume 4

Summary

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed and exacerbated deep-rooted social inequities, disproportionately affecting marginalized communities. This edited collection applies a social justice framework to explore the unequal social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a focus on education and employment sectors in Canada and the United Kingdom. Using a social justice lens, the collection highlights the systemic inequities exacerbated by the COVID-19 crisis and the lasting effects on well-being, public perception, and societal structures. This collection can help educators, policymakers, and other key stakeholders address ongoing and emerging social inequities.

Table Of Contents

  • Cover
  • Title Page
  • Copyright Page
  • Dedication
  • Contents
  • Acknowledgement of Funding
  • List of Tables
  • Preface by the Editors
  • References
  • 1. The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on French Immersion Students and Families (Roksana Dobrin-De Grace, Elizabeth Kay-Raining Bird, Diana Burchell, Kathleen Hipfner-Boucher and Xi Chen)
  • Overview of the French Immersion Programme in Canada
  • Diversity in the French Immersion Programme
  • Challenges in French Immersion Programmes During the COVID-19 Pandemic
  • Present Study
  • Methods
  • Participants
  • Interviews
  • Analysis
  • Results
  • Children’s Experiences
  • Benefits of Online Learning
  • Improvement in Technology Skills
  • Additional School Resources
  • Focused Attention
  • Challenges with Online Learning
  • Reduced French Language Input and Use
  • Impact on Children’s Well-Being
  • Adapting to Online Learning
  • Parents’ Experiences
  • Impact on Parents’ Work
  • Parent as Teacher
  • Strategies and Dynamics
  • Parents’ French Language Abilities
  • Communication with Teachers
  • Cost
  • Access and Technology
  • Parent-Sourced French Resources
  • Discussion
  • Policy Implications and Recommendations
  • Limitations and Future Directions
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • 2. The Ripple Effect: Post-Secondary Students, Systemic Inequity, and the COVID-19 Pandemic (Serenity Friskie and Sunny Manhas)
  • Situating Ourselves
  • About the Author: Serenity Friskie
  • About the Author: Sunny Manhas
  • Method
  • Barriers Experienced by Post-Secondary Students During COVID-19
  • Mental Health
  • The Cost of Education
  • Sexual Violence
  • Black Lives Matter: Navigating COVID-19 and Systemic Racism
  • Indigenous Sovereignty & Covid-19
  • Conclusion
  • Limitations
  • References
  • 3. Between the Rock and the Hard Place: Exploring the Effects of COVID-19 on One Student’s Mental Well-Being in England Using the Auto-Hermeneutic Approach (Zineb Boudiba)
  • Methodology
  • The Auto-Hermeneutic Approach
  • Data Collection for the Auto-Hermeneutic Approach
  • Narrative Review
  • Findings
  • Setting
  • Core-Experience
  • Isolation During COVID-19
  • Isolation in the Narrative Review
  • The Use of Religion to Maintain Psychological Well-Being
  • Spirituality During the Pandemic in the Narrative Review
  • Physical Exercise Strategy
  • The Effects of Physical Exercise on Improving Mental Well-Being
  • Post-Experience
  • Discussion
  • Strengths, Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research
  • Limitations
  • Recommendations
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • 4. The Need to Reconsider the Occupational Rights of Low-Wage Essential Workers Post-Pandemic (Steven Kupidy and Lynn Shaw)
  • Background on Essential Worker Classification in Canada
  • Pandemics and the Literature on Essential Workers
  • Media Discourse and the Shaping of Public Importance on Social Issues
  • Methodology in Critical Discourse Research
  • Data Selection and Inclusion/Exclusion Strategies
  • Data Analysis
  • Findings
  • The Re-construction of the Essential Worker Identity
  • Establishment of a Sense of Belonging within the Low-Wage Essential Worker Identity
  • Reflections and Directions
  • Implications on the Shifting Identity of the Essential Worker
  • Challenges to Occupational Rights for Low-Wage Essential Workers
  • Reconsidering the Definition for Essential Workers
  • Conclusion
  • References
  • Notes on Contributors

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF FUNDING

This work was supported by iMPACTS: Collaborations to Address Sexual Violence on Campus; Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) of Canada Partnership Grant Number: 895-2016-1026, Project Director: Shaheen Shariff, Distinguished James McGill Professor Emerita, McGill University.

TABLES

Table 1.1: Demographic Information of the Participants (n = 8)

Table 1.2: Parent and Child Descriptive Information

Table 4.1: Phased Application of Exclusion Criteria

Table 4.2: News Articles Selected from 1 March to 30 April 2020 (Period 1)

Table 4.3: News Articles Selected from 1 May to 31 July 2020 (Period 2)

Table 4.4: News Articles Selected from 1 November to 31 January 2021 (Period 3)

PREFACE BY THE EDITORS

As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have been felt globally, the social dimensions of these effects have also been intense, unequal and significant (Altmejd et al., 2023; Schweiger, 2023; Thomas et al., 2023). It is crucial to recognize the social consequences of the pandemic, which have influenced education, employment, public perceptions and well-being. For example, in the field of education, research shows that the pandemic has substantially affected global experiences of teaching and learning, including from K–12 to higher education (Al Mazrooei et al., 2023; Ryan, 2023).

Importantly, as people adapted to changing circumstances emerging from the pandemic, the social factors have also changed over time. As we move forward and learn to live with the COVID-19 virus, it is important to examine the social aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, both past and present. These short- and long-term consequences provide the basis for this edited volume, which explores the social impacts of the pandemic on people and their everyday lives. This edited collection brings together research from multiple countries, mainly focusing on Canada and the United Kingdom. The overarching goal of this edited book is to examine the social experiences of people during the pandemic, how they responded, the implications for broader society, and what we can learn moving forward. Each of the chapters highlights valuable findings that have implications for healthcare, education and social policy and the intricate connections between them.

The concept of social justice allows us to scrutinize the uneven and disproportionate impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse populations. Due to the systemic forces of privilege and oppression within and beyond healthcare, the ramifications of the pandemic have been highly inequitable. Research conducted since 2020 has demonstrated how the individual and collective social positions of historically marginalized populations have faced larger barriers and experienced greater negative consequences related to COVID-19 (Cox, 2020; Craig, 2023; Silva & Smith, 2020). Because of these multiple and interlocking forces, marginalized groups have faced increased challenges from the health and social dimensions of the pandemic – and with lasting effects. Considering the geographical focus of this collection, recent studies have shown how various populations in Canada (see Datta Gupta et al., 2022; Singh Kelsall et al., 2023) and the United Kingdom (see Basch et al., 2022; Lemyre & Messina, 2023) have navigated the intricacies of the COVID-19 pandemic amongst their own social, political and economic contexts. As such, taking a social justice approach allows us to explore and understand the often-overlooked social consequences of a virus.

Details

Pages
XVIII, 94
Publication Year
2026
ISBN (PDF)
9783034358866
ISBN (ePUB)
9783034358873
ISBN (Softcover)
9783034358644
DOI
10.3726/b22922
Language
English
Publication date
2026 (July)
Keywords
COVID-19 pandemic socialjustice social inequities marginalized communities education K–12 postsecondary students international students teachers families low-wage workers essential workers intersectionality Christopher Dietzel Shaheen Shariff Safia Amiry Safeera Jaffer Redefining Resilience
Published
New York, Berlin, Bruxelles, Chennai, Lausanne, Oxford, 2026. XVIII, 94 pp., 1 b/w ill., 6 tables.
Product Safety
Peter Lang Group AG

Biographical notes

Christopher Dietzel (Volume editor) Safia Amiry (Volume editor) Safeera Jaffer (Volume editor)

Shaheen Shariff, PhD, is a Distinguished James McGill Professor Emerita at McGill University. Her work is grounded in the intersection of law and education. Christopher Dietzel, PhD, is a postdoctoral fellow whose research explores the intersections of technology, safety, health, gender, and sexuality. Safia Amiry is a researcher and activist whose work focuses on patriarchy, women's rights, gender equality, and education. She has collaborated with numerous institutions dedicated to advancing women's rights and education in Afghanistan. Safeera Jaffer is a PhD student in Educational Studies at the University of British Columbia. She completed her Master of Arts degree in the Department of Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University. Her research focuses on engaged, critical pedagogy in higher education.

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Title: Redefining Resilience