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Dr. Maddie Brockbank

Photo of Dr. Maddie Brockbank smiling

Maddie Brockbank
Assistant Professor
School of Social Work
Office: 211, 167 Ferry Street
Windsor ON N9A 0C5
Phone: (519) 253-3000 ext. 6478
Email: Maddie.Brockbank@uwindsor.ca 

Scholarly Interests

  • Gender-based and sexual violence
  • Engaging men and boys
  • Violence intervention and prevention programming
  • Anti-carceral feminism and abolitionism
  • Critical and intersectional feminism
  • Feminist participatory action research and community-based research
Educational Background
  • PhD, McMaster University
  • MSW, McMaster University
  • BSW, McMaster University

Biography

Maddie Brockbank (she/her) is an Assistant Professor in the School of Social Work at the University of Windsor, a PhD Graduate and Vanier Scholar in the School of Social Work at McMaster University. Maddie has her Bachelor of Social Work (2019) and Master of Social Work (2020) from McMaster. Her research, practice experience, and community organizing initiatives have been in the area of anti-violence work with men, specifically in exploring the links between gender-based and sexual violence prevention, masculinities, anti-carceral feminisms, and engaging men in primary prevention efforts. Additionally, she has research experience in the areas of houselessness; disability; social systems; equity, diversity, and inclusion; curriculum development; and creating safety for marginalized students in university pedagogy. 

Maddie’s doctoral dissertation research used feminist participatory action research (FPAR) with men postsecondary students and anti-violence service providers to co-design a framework for engaging men in gender-based and sexual violence prevention. Her project also undertook an explicitly anti-carceral feminist lens to interrogate concepts of accountability, participation, and responsibility in relation to men’s roles in broader feminist anti-violence work. Maddie is interested in further her anti-carceral feminist research in men’s violence intervention and prevention services.

Maddie served as a Sessional Instructor during her time at McMaster University, where she taught courses on gender-based and sexual violence; gender, feminism, and social justice; and anti-carceral imaginings. She also participated in various committees and initiatives across campus, including co-chairing the Gender and Sexuality Working Group for the President’s Advisory Committee. Maddie is deeply committed to community-engaged scholarship and immersive service both on and off campus.

Awards
  • SSHRC Storytellers Challenge Winner (2025)
  • The Albert Lager Prize for Student Initiative, McMaster University (2025)
  • Student Researcher Award, Courage to Act (2024)
  • Excellence in Teaching Award, Faculty of Social Sciences, McMaster University (2023)
  • SSHRC Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarship (2022)
  • Wilson Leadership Scholar Award, McMaster University (2022)
  • Mary Keyes Award for Outstanding Leadership and Service, McMaster University (2022)
  • Women Who Rock Award, EMPOWER Strategy Group (2021)
  • SSHRC Canada Graduate Scholarship – Master’s (2019)
  • Hamilton Hero Award, Women Abuse Working Group and Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2019)
  • President’s Award of Excellence in Student Leadership, McMaster University (2019)
  • Young Woman of Distinction Award, YWCA Hamilton (2019)
Professional Membership
  • The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (OCSWSSW)

Publications

Peer-Reviewed Articles

  • Brockbank, M. & Gazso, A. (2025). (Re-) producing Gender-Based Violence in Canada: The State of Things, and the Ontario Transitional and Housing Support Program. Women’s Studies International Forum, 110. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wsif.2025.103076
  • Joseph, A., Bedminster, T., Damptey, K., Jama, S., Stearns, G., & Brockbank, M. (2023). The Restoration House COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic: Challenging systemic racism and ableism through community solidarity and action. Health Reform Observer, 11(1), article 6. https://doi.org/10.13162/hro-ors.v11i1.5435
  • Brockbank, M. (2023). “Inside and Outside the Boxes”: Examining the importance of gender-transformative activities in sexual violence prevention programs with male university students. Journal for Social Thought, 7(1). https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/jst/article/view/13980
  • Kenney, T. N., Goodwin, E., Cochrane, A.-C., Corridon, L., Brockbank, M., & Paust, S. (2023). Constellations of Community, Care, and Knowledge: A Collection of Vignettes from Pandemic Times. IDEAH. https://doi.org/10.21428/f1f23564.760119d3
  • Cook-Sather, A. & Slates, S. (eds). (2023). How can students-as-partners work inform assessment? International Journal for Students As Partners, 7(1), 218–234. https://doi.org/10.15173/ijsap.v7i1.5453
  • Brockbank, M. (2022). Disrupting the Carceral Narrative of Gender-Based and Sexual Violence. Critical and Radical Social Work, 11(3). https://doi.org/10.1332/204986021X16700108899928
  • Brockbank, M. & Greene, S. (2022). Beyond the Carceral/Anti-Carceral Binary: Considerations for addressing gender-based and sexual violence. The British Journal of Social Work, 52(8). https://doi.org/10.1093/bjsw/bcac104
  • Brockbank, M. (2021). “Well-intentioned in some of the most dangerous ways”: Examining Bill 132 and the subsequent formation of Ontarian university sexual assault policies. Journal for Social Thought, 5(1). https://ojs.lib.uwo.ca/index.php/jst/article/view/10934
  • Brockbank, M. (2019). The myth of the grey area in rape: fabricating ambiguity and deniability. Dignity: A Journal of Analysis of Exploitation and Violence, 4(4). https://doi.org/10.23860/dignity.2019.04.04.02
Book Chapters
  • Brockbank, M. (2024). Engaging men in violence prevention: barriers, challenges, and ways forward. In Strickland, A. & Kuzmyk, E. (Eds). This Wasn’t On the Syllabus: Stories from the Frontlines of Campus Activism Against Sexualized Violence. Rising Action.
  • Brockbank, M. (2023). “Walking the feminist tightrope”: navigating feminist identities within anti-violence work with men. In Chatterjee, S. & Lee, P.H. (Eds.) ‘Plural Feminisms’: Narrativising Resistance as Everyday Praxis. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN: 9781350332713.
  • Brockbank, M. & Hall, R. (2023). Imagining safety for racialized students in remote learning. In Quintel, D.F. & York. A. (Eds.) Privacy and Safety in Remote Learning. pp.83-96. MT Open Press. https://doi.org/10.56638/mtopb00123.
  • Brockbank, M., Barborini, C., Fujarczuk, W., & Wang, Y. (2023). “At the cost of my well-being”: Exploring trans, non-binary, and gender diverse students' experiences of online learning. In Quintel, D.F. & York. A. (Eds.) Privacy and Safety in Remote Learning. pp.19-34. MT Open Press. https://doi.org/10.56638/mtopb00123.
  • Brockbank, M.* & Hall, R.* (2022). “I guess I’m not alone in this”: Exploring racialized students’ experiences and perspectives of safer classrooms at McMaster University. In A. de Bie & C. A. Grisé (Eds.), Where learning deeply matters: Reflections on the past, present, and future of teaching at McMaster University (Chapter 20). Paul R. MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching, McMaster University. https://mulpress.mcmaster.ca/mi/article/view/4965/4314.

Teaching and Learning Resources

Select Presentations and Invited Lectures

  • Brockbank, M. & Vanderwyk, V. (2024, April). The Art of Inclusion (Keynote). Canadian Union of Skilled Workers Convention, Niagara-On-The-Lake, ON.
  • Brockbank, M. & Jansen, G. (2023, October). Be More Than A Bystander (Special Presentation). Health and Safety Conference, Canadian Union of Skilled Workers, Niagara Falls, ON. 
  • Brockbank, M., Jansen, G., & Shiltz, M. (2023, October). Be More Than A Bystander: The Influence of Sports Leadership in Ending Gender-Based Violence (Special Presentation). Ontario Physical Literacy Summit, Hamilton, ON.
  • Brockbank, M. (2023, September). Anti-carceral feminist approaches to gender-based and sexual violence prevention with men (Keynote). The International Summit on Ending Gender-Based Violence (ISEGBV), Toronto, ON.
  • Brockbank, M. & Hall, R. (2022, May). Learning in Colour: Creating Safer Classrooms.  Rac(e)ing Towards Inclusion in Academia and Industry. The African Caribbean Graduate Student Association, McMaster University (online).
  • Ferguson, A.K. & Brockbank, M. (2022, May). A Participatory Action Research Approach to Developing an Inclusive Assessment Guide for Post-Secondary Instructors and Students. Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE) Conference, Congress (online).
  • Brockbank, M. (2022, March). Engaging men in sexual violence prevention (Keynote). CONNECT 4.0 Conference: Digital Innovations against Sexual Violence. The Women in Science (WiS) club at the University of Western Ontario (online). 
  • Ferguson, A.K. & Brockbank, M. (2022, February). Implementing program change: A participatory action research approach to developing inclusive assessment practices. Educational Developers Caucus (EDC) Conference. University of Waterloo (online).
  • Brockbank, M. (2021, November). Engaging men in sexual violence prevention. Begin By Listening: Student Activism on Sexual Violence Symposium (online).
  • Brockbank, M. & Ferguson, A.K. (2021, October). A Participatory Action Research Approach to Developing an Inclusive Assessment Rubric Tool. The International Society for Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (ISSOTL) Conference (online).
  • Brockbank, M., Kenney, T., Corridon, L., Van Haren, E., Paust, S., & Cohrane, A. (2021, June). Creating Intentional Constellations of Community, Care, and Knowledge. Open/Social/Digital Humanities Pedagogy Training and Mentorship Conference (online).  
  • Brockbank, M. & Hall, R. (2021, June). Creating safety for marginalized students in social work pedagogy. Congress’ Canadian Association of Social Work Education (CASWE) Conference (online).
  • Brockbank, M. (2021, June). The myth of the grey area: male students’ understandings of sexual violence and consent. American Men’s Studies Association Conference. Online.
  • Brockbank, M. (2021, June). Creating safety for marginalized students in social science pedagogy. Qualitative Analysis Conference. Online.

 

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