David Firang

Dr. David Firang

Associate Professor, Trent University, Peterborough, Ontario.

Educational Background

• PhD and MSW, University of Toronto
• M.A., University of Saskatchewan
• Post Dip., British Columbia Institute of Technology
• B.A., University of Ghana

Teaching and Research Interests

• Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI)
• Anti-Oppressive Child Welfare,
• Environmental Sustainability
• Immigrant Transnationalism and Settlement
• Housing and Homelessness Social Policy,
• Community Development and Afro-Canadian issues

General Background

Dr. David Firang is Associate Professor at Trent’s Department of Social Work at Trent. He also holds an appointment at Trent’s Graduate Studies in the M.A Sustainability Studies (MASS)  and PhD IDSR program. His research interest covers broad areas of: Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI); Immigrant Transnationalism; Housing and Homelessness; Environmental Sustainability; Anti-Oppressive Child Welfare; Afro-Canadian; and Social Policy. Prior to joining Trent University, Dr. Firang was Assistant Professor (Ltd) at University of Windsor’s School Social Work. He was the Curriculum Leader for the Advanced Social Policy, Comprehensive Social Policy, Advanced Indirect Social Work, and Community and Organizational Practice. 

Dr. Firang also spent several years in community social work practice. He has worked in the field of child welfare in the Adolescent Specialty Team at the Children’s Aid Society of Toronto for more than 13 years - conducting child protection investigations, developing and implementing service plans for children and their families, as well as attending family court to advocate for the children and families that he worked with. He has also worked at the Access and Equity Division at the City of Toronto assisting equity seeking community groups to obtain grants to manage their community programs. Dr. Firang has received a number of competitive research awards and grants from the likes of Trent’s Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), Theall Research Grant, Symons Research Foundation Grant, and External SSHRC Insight Development Grant (IDG). He has written several journal articles with the most recent popular ones among his publications including:

• FIRANG, D., & Mensah, J. (2022). Exploring the Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on International Students and Universities in Canada. Journal of International Students, 12(1). pp. 1-18. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32674/jis.v12i1
• FIRANG, D. (2021). “We Don’t Only Live Here, But We Also Live There”: Exploring Transnational Ties Among Ghanaian Immigrants in Toronto”. Journal of International Migration and Integration  https://doi.org/10.1007/s12134-021-00911-4
• Mensah, J., FIRANG, D., Williams, C., Afrifa, M. (2021). Racial Discrimination in the Canadian Criminal Justice System: How Anti-Black Racism by the Toronto Police Harms Us All. Canadian Social Work Review, Vol. 38 (2)  pp. 63–86
• Mensah, J., FIRANG, D., (2021). Dialectics to the Rescue: Critical Insights into Africa’s (Under)Development", Human Geography. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1942778621993448 
• FIRANG, D. (2020) Joining the Call to Incorporate Environmental Sustainability into the Canadian Social Work Profession, Canadian Social Work Review, Volume 37, Issue 2, p. 27–50. https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/1075110ar  OR  https://doi.org/10.7202/1075110ar
• FIRANG, D. (2020). Do Black Lives Matter Amid COVID-19 Pandemic? International Journal of Community Development and Management Studies 4 (2), 67-93. https://doi.org/10.31355/73
• FIRANG, D. (2020). Exploring the influence of transnationalism on the immigrant integration process: The case of Ghanaians’ transnational housing activities in Toronto, Canada. International Social Work.  https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820959384
• FIRANG, D. (2020). The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on international students in Canada. International Social Work. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872820940030
• FIRANG, D. (2019) Transnational social work - A neglected practice in Canada? Social Dialogue, Vol. 21, Nov./Dec. pp. 8 - 12
• FIRANG D.  (2019): Exploring housing careers among Ghanaians in Toronto, Canada, Housing Studies, 34 (Issue 5) p. 868-891. DOI: doi: 10.13039/501100000184   
• Mensah, J., FIRANG, D., Awafo, V., Odarteh, G., and Duodo, E (2018). Estimating a Diasporic Population for Diaspora Engagement: Methodological Options in the Case of Ghanaians in Toronto, Canada. Canadian Journal of Tropical Geography, Vol. 5 (2): 1-9; CJTG (Online) / RCGT (Enligne) ISSN: 2292-4108

Further, over the last 15 years, Dr. Firang has played active leadership role in racialized and equity-seeking communities, especially international students and the African community in Toronto and the Ghanaian Methodist community in North America.