Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein’s 2024 book The Banker Ladies: Vanguards of Solidarity Economics and Community-Based Banks is now available in its entirety as a free PDF download.

More information and the download link can be found on TSpace here, or the direct download is here.

TSpace is a free and secure research repository established by University of Toronto Libraries to disseminate and preserve the scholarly record of the University of Toronto community, including faculty and graduate student research. All items in TSpace are publicly accessible, either immediately or after a publisher's embargo period.

Watch a short video about her book

All of Dr. Hossein’s books can be found here

On the afternoon of December 16th, at Casita Azul, Dr. Hossein sat down with a group of radical left academics to discuss the reimagining of universities without the contraints of neoliberalism, and the creation of their own think tank.

She kicked off her trip on December 16th with a lecture at Colombia’s Ministry of Equality and Equity (Ministerio de Igualdad y Equidad), who had organized a series of lectures, workshops, and exchanges meant to strengthen collaborations between academia, communities, and institutions in the country.

She spoke on the future of Solidarity Economy, highlighting the role of Black women’s enterprises and community-led initiatives, as well as the transformative contributions of solidarity economies.

Following her lecture she met with the Honourable Minister of Equality and Equity Mr Juan Carlos Florian, Vice Minister Tamara Ospina and several directors including Natalia Mosquera Garcia.

Omar Freilla, a longtime coop activist, speaks to his ongoing observations of how informal coops like ROSCAs have been excluded at international forums, including this year’s Global Social and Solidarity Economy Forum (GSEF), in Bordeaux, France.

Throughout the forum, there was a noticeable pervasive bias against the so-called informal economy, including cooperatives operating without state recognition. Despite their complex structures and impacts on the lives of millions of people across Africa, Asia, and the Americas, these “informal” cooperatives—rooted in mutual aid—were often treated as “transitional” rather than legitimate.

Read the article in its entirety here to learn more about Dr. Hossein’s work, and this issue. 
More of Dr. Hossein’s interviews and instances of citations can be found here.

From 2012 until 2020 Dr. Caroline Hossein endured anti Black racism and sexism at York University, in Toronto. In 2021 Dr. Hossein filed a complaint with the Human right Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO), and although York University has acknowledged these issues, they have not taken steps to prevent future abuse. The university instead opted to employ costly legal representation, financed by taxpayer dollars and student tuition.

As a result, she has incurred substantial legal expenses, totalling approximately $48,000, with an additional $30,000 to $40,000 expected. This situation raises serious concerns about the ethics of a university, claiming financial strain, utilizing student fees to defend against a Black professor advocating for marginalized communities.

She is calling for support to assist her in her legal fight against the university.

Read more about her story in her own words

Please follow this link to learn more and donate.

Stay tuned as our American neighbours give thanks and then make a recording of this live broadcast available online here!

Tune into WOL 1450 AM, 95.9 FM, and the WOL Livestream on November 27, 10:30 AM ET for "Everything Co-op," hosted by Vernon Oakes. The Thanksgiving edition of Everything Co-op will feature Caroline Shenaz Hossein. Dr. Hossein is a leading global scholar on solidarity economies, cooperative finance, and the economic contributions of racialized communities. She and Vernon will discuss her new book, The Banker Ladies, along with the benefits—and obstacles—of being at the forefront of building and sustaining solidarity economies.

Are you curious about how communities create transformative economic models? Join Caroline Shenaz Hossein this Thurs. 10:30am ET as she sits down with Vernon to unpack her new book The Banker Ladies and dives deep into what it really takes to build & sustain solidarity economies. pic.twitter.com/fhXj0bDFSJ

— Everything Co-op (@EverythingCoop) November 25, 2025

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Dr. Caroline Hossein will be one of a panel of speakers on Wednesday, November 13th for

The Capital Unlocked Summit

About The Summit

Across Canada, Indigenous, Black, women, low-income, and other historically excluded leaders are driving economic and social impact. Yet they continue to face systemic barriers in accessing philanthropic funding and investments. Amid rising backlash, shifting geopolitics, and economic disruption, our mission of unlocking capital to overlooked leaders is more urgent than ever. This moment is a test of strategy, conviction, and collaboration. Capital Unlocked 2025 is where Canada's funders, investors, and lenders gather to unlock the economic potential of underfunded leaders.

Dr. Hossein’s Panel
The Future of Capital

Steam Whistle Brewing
11:00 AM - 12:15 PM

Session Description

In a world defined by massive shifts in climate, technology, and governance, the way we deploy capital today will define Canada’s economic, social and democratic future. Capital is not just money, it is power, and how we choose to use it will determine whose futures are built and whose are left behind.

This conversation invites visionary thinking across philanthropy and investment to wrestle with the biggest questions of our time: What is capital for? What could decolonization look like within existing systems, or are new systems required? What barriers stand in the way of meaningful change, and what new institutions must we create to shape a just and inclusive economy?

This is not a session about incremental tweaks or technical fixes. It is a collective exercise in imagination. An invitation to think beyond familiar models, question the assumptions that anchor our financial systems, and envision a bold new architecture of capital where people and planet can thrive.

More Information on the full day of speakers, workshops and events here!

Get your tickets here and see hotel discounts!

It was her first lecture as the Ujima Feminist Economics Fellow, and spoke about her book The Banker Ladies, and how Black and racialized women have long been at the forefront of informal banking systems, building collective wealth through mutual aid and cooperative finance, and how these historical practices continue to shape solidarity economies today.

This lecture was part of a series by the Boston Ujima Project entitled “Our Kind of Investing”. This project is grounded in the understanding that investment is cultural and political, the series explores what it means to invest with care, to share risk and reward across a community, and to reject extraction in favour of building toward justice, sovereignty, and one another. Through storytelling and study, Our Kind of Investing brings together practitioners and community members to reflect on investment as a practice of collective commitment.

Watch the full video below here, and see more about the event here!

Carlton University’s Department of Political Science will host Dr. Caroline Hossein for a research seminar entitled The Banker Ladies and the Power of the Informal

When: Monday November 17th, 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM
Where: A602 Loeb Building (Campus map here)
Cost: Free, but please register.

 More information and register here

This lecture draws on empirical work that involves interviews with hundreds of Black women in the Caribbean, Canada as well as in Ghana and Ethiopia of her recently published book, The Banker Ladies. This research also calls out the erasure, the citational blindness and harms happening to feminist scholars doing this kind of anti-capitalist research. In valuing informal institutions, as well as acknowledging and remunerating the work of the Banker Ladies is a move towards inclusive financial economies, and by extension it can revolutionize the field of international development.

On September 5th, DISE Member Dr. Caroline Hossein spoke at the 2025 Law and Entrepreneurship Conference at The University of Windsor Law School, where she was the Spotlight Feature Speaker.

This conference aimed to explore diverse and critical perspectives on legal frameworks, challenges, and opportunities that shape entrepreneurial ventures in contemporary contexts. A particular emphasis was placed on emerging cross-border business crises and cross-border city issues (Windsor and Detroit), supply chains, and tariffs, as well as small business, family enterprise, and creative entrepreneurship.

All other details about the event can be found here- Conference Details

The IPPY Awards recognize books that exemplify independent spirit and publishing excellence across a wide range of genres and aim to shine a light on books that break new ground and make meaningful contributions to literature and culture.

Caroline Shenaz Hossein reveals how Black women redefine the banking cooperative sector to be inclusive of informal institutions that are democratic and focused on group consensus, and which build an activist form of economic cooperation that is intent on making social profitability the norm. The book examines the ways in which diasporic Black women who organize mutual aid receive little to no attention. - University of Toronto Press

Congratulations to UTP author @carolinehossein! The Banker Ladies has been awarded the @IPPYAwards bronze medal Independent Publisher Book Award in Women's Issues.

Learn more: https://t.co/wk12J9chqk pic.twitter.com/qO5PegRhIv

— University of Toronto Press (@utpress) September 3, 2025

Dr. Caroline Hossein will be speaking at this year’s International Association for Feminist Economics Conference, on June 20th, as part of the online presentations and engagements portion. This year’s theme is Social Justice through Solidarity: Cultivating Solidarity within Feminist Economics. The majority of sessions will be in panel format with three presenters per panel who are grouped by a common general theme. Each panel will run for one hour with each presenter sharing for 12 minutes followed by space for questions, comments and/or discussion.

Dr. Hossein’s Presentation:

IAFFE Conference Plenary Session: Sparking & Sustaining Solidarity Across Feminist Movements

Description
What do we mean when we say “solidarity”? What does solidarity look like in action, and how do we ensure this action upholds a feminist approach that underscores our efforts across movements?

Plenary speakers will engage in a dialogue on how current political climates across the globe are impacting them and the movements in which they work. The session will explore the interconnected nature of this impact, as well as how cross-movement solidarity and collaboration can be a beacon of hope, community, and progress at a time of roll backs to rights and gender equality. It will also highlight promising practices and lessons learned from tangible solidarity tactics they have experienced. Underscoring this interdisciplinary exploration will be the current and potential role of feminist economics.

The session will dive deep into the question of what solidarity means in today’s contexts (and beyond), feminist economics’ role in this, and offer tangible actions of cross-movement solidarity. Speakers will share reflections on the challenges and hope their movement is experiencing, explore the possibilities of collective action and community, and highlight effective solidarity strategies that have propelled them thus far and can be replicated for feminist futures.

When and Where
June 20th, 10:00 am – 11:30 am - Live Presentation (More Information here)
ZOOM - Meeting ID: 831 3594 5843 Passcode: 977207

June 20th, 5:20 pm – 6:50 pm - Repeated presentation with live engagement. (More Information here.)
ZOOM - Meeting ID: 831 3594 5843 Passcode: 977207

Registration Information
Register here
Event Schedule

More information on IAFFE 2025 Remote-Only Conference

IAFFE’s 33rd Annual Conference

This year’s conference unfolds in two parts: a fully virtual gathering from June 20–21, followed by an in-person convening at the  University of Massachusetts, Amherst from July 3 - 5, 2025. Both segments explore the shared theme of “SOCIAL JUSTICE THROUGH SOLIDARTY: Cultivating solidarity within feminist economics”, offering a rich program of panels, keynotes, and conversations across feminist economic thought and practice. Explore the sessions below and join us in building deeper solidarities across our global community.

LONDON UK 🇬🇧 JUNE 11TH @BIRBECK Will you be there? www.bbk.ac.uk/events/event...

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Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein will speak at Birkbeck University London for Black Women's Solidarity Economies Combating Racism and Sexism: Why Organizing Matters More Than Ever.

Radical Black feminist co-operators, known as the Banker Ladies, run Rotating Savings and Credit Associations (ROSCAs) to combat erasure and exclusion. This form of mutual aid, rooted in equity, collectivity, and self-help, can revolutionize international development. Empirical research highlights the erasure, citational blindness, and harms faced by feminist scholars conducting anti-capitalist research.

When: June 11th, 2025, 6:00pm — 7:30pm
Where: Room 407, Birkbeck Central, Birkbeck University, 2 Malet St.
Register Here

More information available here

This event is co-organised by the BISR African Diaspora Research Initiative.

Join Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein on Jun 3rd, as she speaks about her book The Banker Ladies, and her work interviewing hundreds of Black women and feminist co-operators in five Caribbean countries, Ghana, Ethiopia, as well as Canada’s largest cities - Toronto and Montreal.

When: June 3rd, 2025. 4:00 pm–6:00 pm
Where: University College London
IAS Common Ground
G11, ground floor, South Wing
Gower St.

Register Here

More information on her talk can be found here.

Check out our amazing line-up of upcoming events with @koheisaito0131, @ariskomporozos, @ana_valdi, @Amin_Samman, @noamyuran, Caroline Hossein and others! https://t.co/Qj7kE61vL8 pic.twitter.com/Fq8o2T03b9

— UCL Centre for Capitalism Studies (@ucl_ccs) April 10, 2025

This Fall 2025 Dr. Hossein will be teaching IDSC19H3 - Community-Driven Development: Cooperatives, Social Enterprises and the Black Social Economy

Through the Department of Global Development at University of Toronto Scarborough Campus, this course will look at why effective states have emerged in some countries in the Global South and not in others. Places like Central and South America, Africa, the Middle East, South Asia, and East Asia will be discussed.

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PREREQUISITES AND TO SIGN UP GO HERE

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Dr. Hossein has joined the social media service BlueSky!

Universities in crisis have a way out if they thought less about being so corporate. Wrote this piece with @ubc Prof Michelle Stack theconversation.com/universities...

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— Caroline Shenaz Hossein, AKA #theDougla (@carolinehossein.bsky.social) February 21, 2025 at 11:17 AM

Follow her here, and check out her other social media accounts under the “Connect” section of her page.

This past Monday, May 5th, Dr. Caroline Shenaz Hossein was in Boston to deliver the inaugural lecture as the Ujima Feminist Economics Fellow.

Entitled Our Kind of Investing: Cooperative Finance in the Hands of Black Women, Dr. Hossein spoke about how Black and racialized women have long been at the forefront of informal banking systems, building collective wealth through mutual aid and cooperative finance, and how these historical practices continue to shape solidarity economies today.

This event was organized by The Ujima Boston Project, and hosted by Frugal Books in Roxbury - a cultural hub for Black folks in Boston.

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