2023 Events

Presented by Hari Sharma Foundation and co-sponsored by SFU's Institute for the Humanities.

ABOUT THE BOOK

In the last 30 years, Delhi, the capital of India, has displaced over 1.5 million poor people. Resettlement and welfare services are available—but exclusively so, as the city deems much of the population ineligible for civic benefits. The Right to Be Counted examines how Delhi’s urban poor, in an effort to gain visibility from the local state, incrementally stake their claims to a house and life in the city. Contributing to debates about the contradictions of state governmentality and the citizenship projects of the poor in Delhi, this book explores social suffering, logistics, and the logic of political mobilizations that emanate from processes of displacement and resettlement. Sanjeev Routray draws upon fieldwork conducted in various low-income neighborhoods throughout the 2010s to describe the process of claims-making as an attempt by the political community of the poor to assert its existence and numerical strength, and demonstrates how this struggle to be counted constitutes the systematic, protracted, and incremental political process by which the poor claim their substantive entitlements and become entrenched in the city. Analyzing various social, political, and economic relationships, as well as kinship networks and solidarity linkages across the political and social spectrum, this book traces the ways the poor work to gain a foothold in Delhi and establish agency for themselves.

AUTHOR 

• Sanjeev Routray

PANELISTS

• Priti Narayan (Centre for India and South Asia Research, UBC)
• Sara Shneiderman (Department of Anthropology/School of Public Policy and Global Affairs, UBC)

Organized by the Lacan Salon and co-sponored by SFU's Institute for the Humanities.

In this seminar, we will read central texts by Sigmund Freud and Jacques Lacan that pertain to the question of what makes a psychoanalyst and what inheres a psychoanalytic practice. We will also read contemporary texts to explore, within our present circumstances, the hurdles and opportunities for developing a Freudo-Lacanian practice of psychoanalysis in Vancouver, BC.

This Seminar is primarily for people who have lived experience with psychoanalysis, as analysands and as clinicians, and who are interested in making Freudo-Lacanian psychoanalysis possible as a practice in this region.

Sessions

1. Mar 18: "Formation of the Analyst: Between Desire and End of Analysis"
2. Apr 8: "End of Analysis and the Pass"
3. Apr 22: "The uFnction of the Analyst: Style and Semblance of Object A"
4. May 6: "How Does an Analyst Listen: The Ethics of Psychoanalysis"
5. May 20: "Variations of Psychoanalytic Intervention"
6. Jun 3: "School: Communities Beyond the Psychology of the Masses"
7. Jun 17: "Conclusions and the Future"

Presented by Centre for Free Expression and co-sponsored by Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University, and PEN Canada.

Antisemitism is resurgent in our age of social media, identity politics, and populism. In his new book, Antisemitism: An ancient hatred in the age of identity politics, Philip Slayton looks at the history of antisemitism and how it is being turbocharged today. An award-winning writer, lawyer, and former law dean, Slayton suggests a way forward that challenges conventional wisdom. Join Philip in conversation with Samir Gandesha, Director of the Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University and author of Spectres of Fascism.

Organized by the Canada Research Chair and co-sponsored by SFU's David Lam Centre, Institute for the Humanities, Department of Geography, Department of Gender, Sexuality, and Women’s Studies, and Global Asia Program.

Coinciding with the centenary this year of the (anti-) Chinese Immigration Act in Canada, roundtable participants will reflect on the contradictions of Asian racialization in the context of contemporary crises: What are the broader structural violences that have been exacerbated rather than resolved in the political shift from formal racial exclusion to inclusion in dominant settler societies? How has “inclusion” deepened forms of Asian exclusion? How do these complex dynamics operate in multiethnic and multiracial communities across North America?

Panelists

• Iyko Day, Elizabeth C. Small Professor and Chair of English and Interim Chair of the Department of Critical Race and Political Economy, Mount Holyoke College
  
• Nadine Attewell, Associate Professor of GSWS and Director of the Global Asia Program, SFU
• Davina Bhandar, Assistant Professor of Political Science, Athabasca University; Adjunct Faculty in GSWS and School of Communication, SFU
• May Farrales (moderator), Assistant Professor of Geography and GSWS, SFU
• Sharon Luk, Associate Professor of Geography and Canada Research Chair 2, SFU

Presented by Centre for Free Expression and co-sponsored by American Association of University Professors, Canadian Association of University Teachers, Institute for the Humanities at Simon Fraser University, and PEN Canada.

Increasingly, scholars of a nation’s history, politics, and culture are challenged as anti-national or hostile to the dominant religion, ethnicity, and culture. This panel will look at the growing challenges faced by scholars of China. When does critical disagreement become an attack on academic freedom? What can universities do to protect the integrity of scholarly work in such a deeply fraught environment?

PANELISTS

• Andrew Nathan, Professor of Political Science, and Chair, Steering Committee, Institute for the Study of Human Rights, Columbia University. His books include China’s Search for Security, co-authored with Andrew Scobell (Columbia)
• Meg Rithmire, Associate Professor of Business Administration, Harvard University. Author of Land Bargains and Chinese Capitalism (Cambridge)
• Rory Truex, Assistant Professor of Politics and International Affairs, Princeton University. Author of Making Autocracy Work: Representation and Responsiveness in Modern China (Cambridge)

MODERATOR

Henry Reichman, Professor Emeritus of History, California State University, East Bay. Author of Understanding Academic Freedom (Johns Hopkins). Former Vice-President, American Association of University Professors.

Co-hosted and co-sponsored by SFU’s Institute for the Humanities and The Fucking Cancelled Podcast.

A symposium on cancel culture with Jay Lesoleil and Clementine Morrigan of the Fucking Cancelled podcast, with special guests Sarah Blackmore, Thomas Kemple, Kier Adrian Gray, and Tara McGowan-Ross. Cancel culture is a culture of harassment, punishment, dehumanization, and exile that has a profound impact on our communities, our relationships, our ability to effectively organize, and our personal mental health and wellbeing. This symposium will explore the problems with cancel culture and discuss what we could be doing instead.

Speakers

• Jay Lesoleil and Clementine Morrigan, The Fucking Cancelled Podcast
  
• Tara McGowan-Ross, Author of Nothing Will Be Different
  
• Thomas Kemple, UBC
  
• Sarah Blackmore, RCC
  
• Kier Adrian Gray, Author

Organized and co-sponsored by SFU’s SNF Centre for Hellenic Studies, Institute for the Humanities, and Department of Global Humanities. This programming is made possible thanks to the generous support of the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

This workshop invites students to join a discussion on late 20th century dictatorships in Southern Europe (Spain, Greece, and Portugal); the emergence of authoritarian regimes, censorship, youth movements fighting for the reinstatement of democracy, and the cultural production of these years. The discussion will also explore the legacies of that era in contemporary politics along with relevant references made in contemporary culture.

SPEAKER

Professor Kostis Kornetis teaches contemporary history at the Autonomous University of Madrid (UAM). He has taught at Brown University, New York University, and the University of Sheffield, and was CONEX-Marie Curie Experienced Fellow at Carlos III, Madrid, and Santander Fellow in Iberian Studies at St. Antony’s College, Oxford.

MODERATOR

Eirini D. Kotsovili studied History, Hispanic studies at McGill University (B.A.) and Literature at University of Oxford (M.St, D.Phil), where she was also Junior Dean (Somerville College). She is a member of the Stavros Niarchos Centre for Hellenic Studies, the Institute for the Humanities, as well as an Associate member of the Department of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies.

Join us for an unveiling of George Rammell’s sculptural work “Chambers of Predetermined Outcomes: Gatekeepers of Justice” by Rueben George of the Tsleil-Waututh nation. The unveiling is followed by a discussion with the artist and introductory statements by panelists Rueben George, Alex Phillips, and Michelle Silongan on the TMX struggle, political art, and injunction culture. Rammell’s sculpture has been funded through the British Columbia Arts Council.

ABOUT THE ARTIST

George Rammell was born in Cranbrook, BC. He studied at the Vancouver School of Art (now Emily Carr University of Art and Design) from 1971-75 and has been active as a sculptor and art instructor since 1975. He taught sculpture at Emily Carr University and worked as a studio sculptor for Haida Artist Bill Reid, amongst other prominent artists. For 24 years he taught sculpture and drawing in the Studio Art Faculty at Capilano University. Rammell is currently immersed in a body of activist art in support of Indigenous nations who are opposed to the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion.

PANELISTS

• Rueben George of the Tsleil-­Waututh Nation is an Indigenous community organizer and spiritual leader. He is a Sun Dance Chief and the grandson of Chief Dan George, the Oscar nominated and universally respected First Nations spiritual leader. Rueben has worked across Canada and the United States facilitating workshops on healing and wellness. In every project Rueben works on, he is sure to incorporate his culture and spirituality. In his present position as director of community development for the Tsliel-Waututh Nation, Rueben oversees the education, social services, employment and training, youth and Elders programs, family support programs and the Tsliel Waututh Nation Daycare and Early Childhood Learning Centre.
• Alex Phillips is a sculptor, writer, and Associate Professor at Emily Carr University where she teaches visual art and anthropology. Alex chairs the Human Rights and International Solidarity Committee of the Federation of Post-Secondary Educators, which represents 10,000 teachers across BCs colleges and universities. She has represented Emily Carr’s faculty on its Board of Governors for eight years.
• Michelle Silongan is a lawyer practicing in criminal defence and civil litigation on the territories of the Kwantlen, Musqueam, Katzie, Semiahmoo, Tsawwassen, Qayqayt and Kwikwetlem peoples. Her clients include Indigenous and environmental activists being prosecuted on criminal charges or for contempt of court, including at the Trans Mountain pipeline and Fairy Creek. She is also a Steering Committee member for the Law Union of BC and a member of its Movement Legal Support Subcommittee, which provides legal support and Know Your Rights trainings to activists. Michelle holds a BA from UBC, a Master of Public Policy from SFU, and an LLB (Hons) from Queen Mary, University of London.

MODERATOR

Ian Angus is Professor Emeritus from the Department of Global Humanities at Simon Fraser University. He has published in the areas of contemporary philosophy, Canadian Studies, and communication theory. A Festschrift on his work has been edited by Samir Gandesha and Peyman Vahabzadeh: “Crossing Borders: Essays in Honour of Ian H. Angus, “Beyond Phenomenology and Critique” (Arbeiter Ring, 2020). His most recent book is “Groundwork of Phenomenological Marxism: Crisis, Body, World” (Lexington Books, 2021).

Organized by the Lacan Salon and co-sponsored by SFU's Institute for the Humanities.

A special session of the Lacan Salon with Gary Genosko (Ontario Tech University), who will be talking about the recently co-translated Felix Guattari paper “The Grid.”

Co-sponsored by SFU's Institute for the Humanities and Vancity Office of Community Engagement.

In a 1998 essay entitled Karl und Carl, Mario Tronti defined the meeting between Marx and Schmitt as “impossible and necessary.” A few lines later, he added that these constituted: “two forms of agonic, ‘polemical’ thought: not only with regard to practical action but also to theoretical research as war.” In addition to the juxtaposition between Marx and Schmitt, these same words can help us draw another comparison which so far has been almost not investigated: the one between Foucault and Schmitt. This association is defined by an impossibility and, at the same time, by a necessity. Foucault and Schmitt are in fact certainly distant: not only from a political point of view, but also from a philological one. Nevertheless, what we will do—through the examination of the “Fonds Michel Foucault,” the unpublished manuscripts located at the Bibliothèque nationale de France—is exactly to demonstrate that the thought of the German jurist can be understood as a necessary refractive prism through which a specific phase of Foucault’s production can be analyzed. More precisely, it will be shown that one of the theoretical lines, that implicitly underpin Foucault’s lectures Society Must Be Defended, can be identified in a critical dialogue with Schmitt. Or, differently said, we can notice that the Foucaultian’s polemocritical model has some relevant theoretical proximity with Schmitt’s theory of the political, but in fact develops as a radical critique of it. 

SPEAKER

Valentina Antoniol holds a PhD in Political Philosophy from the University of Bologna, in joint supervision with the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales (EHESS) of Paris, with a dissertation focused on the concept of war from the work of Michel Foucault and Carl Schmitt. Currently, she is a post-doc researcher in Political Philosophy at the University of Bologna and Visiting Scholar at CUNY, with a project aimed at investigating the relationship between conflict, urban spaces, and architecture, starting from a critical redefinition of the concept of stasis. She is author of various essays, including “Biopolitics Beyond Foucault. A Critic of Agamben’s Analysis of the Pandemic,” in Soft Power(2023), and “Civil War and Modernity. Foucault, an Anti-Schmittian Genealogy,” in Politica & Società (2021). Her book Foucault as a Critic of Schmitt. Genealogies and War is forthcoming in Italian and French in 2023.

Co-sponsored by SFU’s Institute for the Humanities, Faculty for Future, Protect the Planet, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - BC Office, SFU350, and Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust.

About the panel

Canada continues to spend billions of dollars expanding our fossil energy infrastructure. For example, the cost of the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion has ballooned from $4.5 to $26 billion since the project was bought by the Canadian government in 2018. This panel will examine some of the hidden costs of such projects including costs to Indigenous rights, health and social costs through increasing emissions and future costs associated with selling the project in a world transitioning away from fossil energy.

MODERATOR

Elodie Jacquet, Manager of Knowledge and Practice at Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue. 

SPEAKERS

• Kevin Cromar, program director at the Marron Institute of Urban Management and an Associate Professor of Environmental Medicine and Population Health at New York University Grossman School of Medicine.
• Eugene Kung, staff lawyer with West Coast Environmental Law Association.
• Erin Hansen, manager of the Sacred Trust Initiative and policy advisor at the Tsleil-Waututh Nation in their Treaty, Lands and Resources Department.
• Marc Lee, senior economist with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives and co-director of the Climate Justice Project, a research partnership with UBC’s School of Community and Regional Planning.
• Chloe Hartley, policy analyst with the Sacred Trust Initiative.

Presented by Chetna Association of Canada and in partnership with the Institute for the Humanities at SFU and the Center for India and South Asia Research at UBC.

FILM SYNOPSIS

Rohith Vemula, a Dalit Ph.D research scholar and activist at University of Hyderabad who was persecuted by the university administration and Hindu supremacists, died of suicide on January 17, 2016. His suicide note, which argued against the “value of a man being reduced to his immediate identity” galvanized student politics and solidarity movements. The ensuing outrage gave rise to protests across India, calling the neglectful treatment and systemic oppression faced by Dalit people into question, and encouraging solidarity with minority groups facing similar discrimination from Hindu nationalists, students, administration and aligned governing authorities.

ABOUT THE DIRECTOR

Deepa Dhanraj is a writer and award-winning filmmaker based in Bangalore, South India. She has been actively involved with the women’s movement, with a focus on political participation, health, and education, since 1980. Deepa has taught video to women activists from South-East Asia and regularly lectures on media theory in both academic and public settings across India. She was one of the lead researchers on a multi-centered research study, ‘Minority Women Negotiating Citizenship’. Deepa is also the founder of Bangalore-based filmmaking collective Yugantar, an organisation that produced films about women’s labour and domestic conditions in Southern India. In addition to her extensive work on women’s rights, her activism also extends to issues related to education, particularly problems faced by children who are first generation learners.

In the context of the climate crisis and what has been referred to as the “great redistribution” of life on earth, this talk considers human and more-than-human mobility from the perspective of climate solidarity. Part travelogue, part poetics statement, the talk is grounded in the author’s participation in an ongoing, yearly walk in solidarity with refugees and asylum seekers. It also takes stock of the author’s current position, in the middle of writing a long poem called The Middle, which itself engages with pilgrimage and mobility through a re-writing of Dante’s Purgatorio.

SPEAKER

Stephen Collis is the author of a dozen books of poetry and prose, including The Commons (2008), the BC Book Prize winning On the Material (2010), Once in Blockadia (2016), and Almost Islands: Phyllis Webb and the Pursuit of the Unwritten (2018)—all published by Talonbooks. A History of the Theories of Rain (2021) was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award for poetry, and in 2019, Collis was the recipient of the Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize. He lives near Vancouver, on unceded Coast Salish Territory, and teaches poetry and poetics at Simon Fraser University.