Democracy as a work in progress:
the intellectual and cultural dynamics of the Canadian idea

BACS 35th Annual Conference
Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, UK
6-8 April 2010
 
Call for Papers
 
The British Association for Canadian Studies (BACS) is pleased to announce that the 2010 annual conference will take place 6-8 April 2010 at Murray Edwards College (was New Hall), Cambridge. Proposals for 20-minute papers, to be presented in either English or French, are invited from any single disciplinary or multidisciplinary perspective. Multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary panel proposals, including those from postgraduate students, are welcome.
 
James Tully has suggested that
 

[A] constitution should not be seen as a fixed set of rules but, rather, as an imperfect form of accommodation of the diverse members of a political association that is always open to negotiation by the members of the association. ... as a form of activity, an intercultural dialogue in which the culturally diverse sovereign citizens of contemporary societies negotiate agreements on their forms of association over time. (Strange Multiplicity, 1995)

 
This conference will consider a broad range of perspectives on the nature of democracy, meaning, power and possibilities, interpretation, literary and cultural representation, historical meaning, political theory, political philosophy, historical and critical reflections on problems of a globalising age, matters of governance, interpretive approaches and forms of recognition or freedom. Moreover, it will consider the manner in which these ideas have been studied and understood by researchers and students over time, so illuminating our shared but contested intellectual and cultural traditions. The experience, constraints and explorations of vocabularies and disciplines practised in Canada and elsewhere are formed within contemporary frameworks of ideas, cultural practices, texts and institutions. Papers may focus solely on Canada or offer an informed view of Canada in comparative context.
 
Papers will be especially appreciated in the following areas:

• Democracy, Rule of Law, human rights, policy
• Constitution, freedom, civic freedom
• Government, governance, institutions, economics
• Dialogue, representation, parties and networks
• History, memory and identity
• Societies, integration/disintegration, inclusion/exclusion
• Cultural practices, representations, institutions, and textual productions
• Interpretive approaches and methodologies: assessing the data; evaluating achievement; managing expectation  
• Quality of life: health, environment, ecology, community
• Capability: organisational, legal, social and policy perspectives
• Literary, artistic and filmic representations of Canadian intellectual, cultural, and political thought

Enquiries and proposals to:
 
Jodie Robson, BACS Administrator
Room SB212 Senate House, University of London, Malet Street, London WC1E 7HU
Tel:  +44 (0) 20 7862 8687/+ 44 (0) 1289 387331 
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See our Conference website for further information
 
Proposals (panel and individual) and deadline:
 
Email abstract(s) of 200-300 words and brief CV (please do not exceed one side of A4) which must include title(s), institutional affiliation(s) and address(es) by 15 November 2009. Submissions will be acknowledged by email.
 
Postgraduate students are especially welcome to submit a proposal and there will be a concessionary conference fee for students. BACS regrets that it is unable to assist participants with travel and accommodation costs.

BACS Literature Group CFP

In addition to the full conference CFP (see above) the BACS Literature Group would especially appreciated papers in the following areas:

How does Canadian literature and culture engage with questions of:

• Canadian intellectual, cultural, and political thought
• democracy and governance
• law and social policy
• human rights and social justice
• conceptions of liberty
• history, memory and identity
• marginalised voices and communities
• dialogue and representation
• ecology and the environment

A literature plenary lecture will be delivered by Dr Danielle Fuller, Senior Lecturer in Canadian Studies, University of Birmingham.
 
(For more information about the BACS Literature Group, see: "BACS Literature Group" on facebook.)
 
Conference enquiries and proposals to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
 
Proposals (panel and individual) and deadline:
Email abstract(s) of 200-300 words; and brief CV(s), which must include title(s), institutional affiliation(s) and address(es), by 15 November 2009. Submissions will be acknowledged by email.
Postgraduate students are especially welcome to submit a proposal and there will be a concessionary conference fee for students. BACS regrets that it is unable to assist participants with travel and accommodation costs.

Canada Exposed

The ICCS is proud to announce the release of its 2008 international conference selected proceedings "Canada Exposed / Le Canada à découvert", Pierre Anctil, André Loiselle and Christopher Rolfe, editors. The 370-page book can be ordered from P.I.E. Peter Lang.

Craig Dobbin Chair in Canadian Studies

Raymond B. Blake who will hold the Craig Dobbin Chair in Canadian Studies at University College Dublin in Dublin, Ireland for the up-coming academic year. Raymond B. Blake is a professor of history and a former director of the Saskatchewan Institute of Public Policy at the University of Regina. He has had a long involvement with Canadian Studies, including several years as the director of the Centre for Canadian Studies at Mount Allison University. He has written and edited several books and numerous articles. His books include From Rights to Needs. A History of Family Allowances in Canada (UBC Press, 2009), Beyond National Dreams? Essays on Canadian Nationalism, Citizenship, and Identity with Andrew Nurse (Fitzhenry & Whiteside, 2009) and Transforming the Nation:  Brian Mulroney and Canada (McGill-Queen's, 2007). A number of activities are being planned, and Prof. Blake is interested in hearing from anyone interested in the Canada-Irish research as well as Canadianists, visiting the UK and Europe over the coming months, interested in coming to Dublin ( This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it ).

Edinburgh Centre of Canadian Studies Open Research Seminars

Autumn 2009
 
Location: Seminar Room 5, Chrystal Macmillan Building, 15a George Square, Edinburgh. EH8 9LD
Time: 4:00-6.00pm
 
Thursday, 22nd October
Bob Carson (Assistant Deputy Minister, Executive & Intergovernmental Affairs, Government of Nunavut
"Nunavut's Capacity Challenge: Re-thinking Government after ten years"
 
Thursday, 5th November
Gavin Renwick (Professor Duncan of Jordanstone College of Art, Dundee University)
House, Homeland and Self-Determination
 
Thursday, 12th November
James Pitsula (Professor of Canadian History, University of Regina
Keeping Canada British: National Identity and the Ku Klux Klan in 1920s Saskatchewan
 
Thursday, 19th November
Norval Scott (Press Officer, University of Edinburgh)
Alberta's Future:  Boom or Bust
 
Thursday, 26th November
Captain Fraser Clark (Training Officer and Branch Historical Officer Defence Public Affairs Learning Centre) will talk about Canada's Mission in Afghanistan and his role with the Canadian Task Force in 2008.

Ageing Societies: The Dynamics of Demographic Change in Canada

Call for Papers - deadline extended

The International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS) will hold its next biennial, international conference in Montreal during the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences to be held at Concordia University from May 28 to June 4, 2010. Proposals for twenty minute papers, to be presented in either English of French, are invited from disciplinary, multidisciplinary, or comparative perspectives on the theme of Ageing Societies -- The Dynamics of Demographic Change in Canada. 
Seniors constitute the fastest growing population group in many countries. In Canada, their proportion in the overall population has gone from one in twenty in 1921, to one in eight in 2001. The number of seniors is expected to reach 6.7 million in 2021 and 9.2 million in 2041 (nearly one in four Canadians). Ageing, along with falling fertility rates and increased life expectancy, is an issue that affects all generations and it will have far reaching consequences for the social, cultural, economic and political make-up of the country. The conference will take stock of the demographic state and the demographic projections over the next 25 years and will examine where Canada stands in its preparation for dealing with an ageing population. Finally, it will explore demographic changes and their implications in the following spheres: 
Social: Social units, quality of life, health care; changes in family structure (changes in responsibilities, child/elder care, changing household composition, growing importance of the extended family); physical and mental wellbeing.
Cultural: Values, moral, ethical issues, euthanasia, palliative care, universal care; role of elderly in society, cultural dimensions of care for the elderly; age and its cultural and literary expressions; ethnic and Aboriginal value systems.
Economic: Labour market, healthcare costs, pensions (sustainability of costs of retirement income systems); the volunteer sector; poverty issues; new technologies; migration; education; human capital development, "brain gain".
Political: Policy decisions on ageing and on care; role of migration (internal, temporary); policy implications (education vs. care, work beyond pension age, voluntary sector, health sector, social contract, housing/transportation), quality of life; ageism.
The conference organizers will structure presentations in such streams as health care, family, migration, labour, etc. and will seek to examine them in light of policy-making during a panel on policy and ageing. As well, the ICCS invites young scholars and students to submit poster proposals for presentations which will endeavour to take stock of the current demographic situation in Canada and as well as demographic projections and trends and their possible impact on Canadian society. Poster session participants will have the opportunity to make brief presentations on their findings. 
The ICCS looks forward to receiving proposals of papers, posters and panels on any issue related to the Dynamics of Demographic Change in Canada, in such areas as ageing in an historical perspective; ageing and its cultural, artistic and literary expressions; ethnic and Aboriginal approaches with respect to ageing; ageing and community participation; ageing and the volunteer sector or the labour market; ageing and immigration; political consequences of ageing; ageing and poverty; ageing and issues of continuity in public institutions; education and lifelong learning; ageing and new technologies; ageing and supportive environments within communities; ageing and physical and mental well-being; issues of palliative and end-of-life care; etc. Multidisciplinary and comparative perspectives will be particularly welcomed.

Deadline for sending in proposals: October 1, 2009. Please forward your proposal to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it , 303-250 City Centre, Ottawa, K1R 6K7; or by fax 613-789-7830.

Awards

The Canadian Commonwealth Postdoctoral Research Fellowships for UK Citizens come under the CSFP.  Up to 25 awards are given to British post-doctoral academics for one-year terms at Canadian universities.  The value of each award is C$32,000.   The Commonwealth Scholarship Commission administers the scheme in the UK.
 
The Canada Memorial Foundation offers postgraduate scholarships for British students wishing to pursue a postgraduate course in Canada.  Tenable for one year, the awards cover air-fares, fees, maintenance and other allowances.  Further information from the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU).

EDUCATION  IN CANADA

The Education in Canada website provides information to international students about education opportunities in Canada. Individuals interested can search for study programs, get cost estimates, learn about study permit requirements and work opportunities. For more information, visit the Education in Canada website.

British Journal of Canadian Studies - Books for review

The list of books available for review in the BJCS is now available on the BACS website.