In her book “Race, Space, and the Law”, Sherene H. Razack discusses the concept of space as a social product, and how it can shape the identities of individuals. She states that identity-making processes that exist in spaces are multiple and gendered, isolating subordinate groups and creating a hierarchical race structure. In other words, the spaces that individuals are placed in shape their identities and how they are seen and perceived by others.

The effect of space on racial hierarchies can be looked at in a historical context. Due to the impact of imperialism and colonization in history, public spaces have created racial isolation between individuals of different ethnicities or minority groups, further highlighting the dominance of dominant groups (white European settlers) who have acted to keep the minority in their place. Although that isn’t quite the case today, there are still certain forms of racial isolation in spaces that exist in modern society. Though less extreme, there are still some occurrences in which racialized groups are interlocked with one another and cause a clash of cultures within the sharing of space. Steps have been taken to counteract the amount of racial isolation in areas, especially in UBC.

The Global Lounge at UBC (located around the Marine Drive residences) acknowledges multicultural diversity within the university, and provides a shared space for any student to use and feel at home. Throughout the school year, they hold various events to promote global citizenship and encourage networking between individuals from different groups. In addition, the structure of the lounge reflects on and recognizes the cultural diversity that exists within the university, and acknowledges the unseated Musqueam territory that the campus is placed on. In this manner, the Global Lounge acts as a counteraction to racial isolation on campus and providing students from different parts of the world to recognize themselves as individuals who come together within a shared space, rather than being isolated from one another.

I recently attended an event hosted by the Global Lounge known as “Impact Lab”, a series of workshops that promote topics related to global citizenship, and was attended by Global Lounge network members (such as myself), and others who were invited. The particular session that I attended focusing on the topic of “the power of connections”. These workshops helped give Global Lounge network members (such as myself) and other attendees an insight to the importance of connections between cultures and further solidify our knowledge of being global citizens, increasing our awareness of the people who we share the space with. The workshops that took place during the event gave those in attendance a better understanding of the sharing of cultures and the impact that recognizing the presence of other races and cultures can have on society.  One of the workshops that I took part in was hosted by two network members from the Caribbean African Association and Engineers without Borders, which discussed the failure of the PlayPump water system in Mozambique, and the role of culture in this situation. By discussing this, we gained a better understanding of how the clash of cultures and racial isolation can make an impact on a part of society, in this case the PlayPump project. For instance, revenue was dependent on the use of billboard ads that surround the water tank, which we determined was an unwise idea because the people in Mozambique wouldn’t mind the ads posted. In relation to Razack’s article, the implementation of a capitalist method like this creates a sense of racial hierarchy through the form of a South African organization placing themselves in the space of the Mozambique population, showing a clear existence of racial hierarchy within the shared space and making the identities of both parties more transparent.

To avoid racial hierarchy in UBC, the Global Lounge opens their space to all students who want to feel comfortable and welcomed in the university. That way, international students and local students aren’t isolated from one another and can share the identity of being UBC students and also global citizens, eliminating racial distinction and hierarchy in campus. In addition, with the acknowledgment of the unseated Musqueam territory that UBC is on, the Global Lounge provides a welcoming atmosphere that acts as the opposite to spatial regulation of the different types of students in UBC, allowing everyone to be more mindful and aware of the owners of the land they are on.

And last but not least, the Global Lounge gives those within the shared space the opportunity to be able to network with one another with a nice hot cup of free coffee. Because let’s face it, who doesn’t love free coffee?