The murder of British Columbia teen Reena Virk shocked Canadians and inspired much commentary on bullying and “girl violence,” but the media coverage persistently ignored race and related issues. This collection brings together ten chapters by established and emerging scholars in order to grapple with the difficult and at times ugly implications of Reena Virk’s murder for Canadian national identity. The focus is on how race and racism intersect with relations of power such as gender, class, age, and sexuality within the Canadian national imaginary.



Editors Mythili Rajiva and Sheila Batacharya, along with a number of contributors, launched the book on Feb. 24 at the Toronto Women’s Bookstore.