Baljit Nagra - Securitized Citizens: Canadian Muslims Experiences of Race Relations and Identity Formation Post-9/11

When I started the journey of writing this book, I did not realize how challenging and rewarding it would be. I need to thank numerous people for their support during the years I have spent working on this book. I have benefited from having the most amazing academic mentors that have helped shape me into the academic that I am today. These mentors include Dr. Ito Peng, Dr. Paula Maurrutto, Dr. Anna Korteweg, Dr. John Myles, Dr. Tania Das Gupta, and Dr. Patti Tamara Lenard. Their incredible mentorship and guidance enabled me to complete this passion project of mine. I would also like to thank the brilliant academics whose work has and continues to inspire me. These include but are not limited to Sherene Razack, Jasmin Zine, Sunera Thobani, Himani Bannerji, Stuart Hall, Nandita Sharma, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Ghassan Hage, Mary Waters, and Yen Le Espiritu. I also am thankful to the Social Sciences Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ottawa for funding that helped with the completion and publication of this book. This book would not have been possible without the guidance and support of Douglas Hildebrand, the editor from the University of Toronto Press. I am also thankful for the thoughtful and insightful suggestions of the anonymous peer reviewers. Their feedback allowed me to strengthen my analysis and better the book manuscript. I am also deeply indebted to Elizabeth Thompson who helped with the editing and proofreading of this manuscript. I also am grateful for the support of my colleagues at the Department of Criminology at the University of Ottawa.

I will always be deeply indebted to the many young Canadian Muslims I interviewed for my book. I would not have been able to write this book without their participation and willingness to share their experiences with me. The kindness and courage these young Canadian Muslims display in a world that is increasingly hostile to them is something that has inspired me and something that I will never forget. I particularly have to thank my friends Ether Al Adan and Sharifa Khan who helped me with the interviewee recruitment procedures for my study.

On a personal note, I would like to thank my parents (Sarabjit Nagra and Jaswinder Nagra). From my mother I have learned kindness, patience, dignity, and empathy. From my dad I have learned how to be brave and to be vocal about issues that are important to me. Thank you Mom and Dad for encouraging me to follow my dreams. I am also thankful for the support of my siblings (Ravi, Daljit, Kulveer), nieces and nephews (Khushi, Eshawn, Sohan, Preity, and Jiya), as well as my wonderful extended family members and many sweet friends for their unwavering support while I worked on this book. Finally, I would like to thank my late grandmother Swaran Kaur Gill, who was a great role model for me and who paved the way for my family to come to Canada. She is someone that I will always dearly love and miss.