Our program for 2015–16 reflects that we are in the midst of what could be the most important General Federal Election since 1867. The program’s title is taken from a TED talk given by one of our speakers, Professor Pam Palmater, Chair of Indigenous Governance at Ryerson University. Coming just prior to Justice Murray Sinclair’s release of the TRC report, Dr. Palmater drew attention to the fact that, particularly from an Indigenous perspective, Canada is in the midst of a “State of Emergency.” The most obvious example of this is the government’s stubborn reluctance to mount an inquiry into Canada’s national disgrace: the hundreds of missing and murdered aboriginal women over the past decades.” In 1940, Walter Benjamin wrote in direct response to Hitler’s “crown jurist,” the theorist of the “state of exception,” Carl Schmitt: “The tradition of the oppressed teaches us that the “state of emergency” in which we live is not the exception but the rule. We must attain to a conception of history that is in keeping with this insight.” There could scarcely be a more poignant assessment of the history of settler colonialism and its effects, particularly on First Nations, not least because such an on-going state of emergency was brought about in the name of historical “progress.”
We see such an on-going state of emergency in the economic crisis, the dramatic drop in the value of the Canadian dollar with the falling price of oil, the on-going feud between the government and the Supreme Court, the new security legislation that, according to allegations made by BCCLA, has empowered the government to illegally spy on peaceful dissidents and NGO’s such as Tides Canada and the Dogwood Initiative [CBC News Aug 12], the bombing campaign of questionable legality in Syria, the punitive use of the CRA to crack down on the government’s critics, and the stifling of the scientists whose findings constitute what Al Gore referred to as “inconvenient truths” that might undermine the government’s plan to transform Canada into a so-called “energy Superpower.”
Not to simply criticize the Conservative government, it seems that there is what could be called ideological closure in this country more generally, which is to say a lack of genuine diversity of real political options, violating what Hannah Arendt called the basic “human condition of plurality.” The Liberal Party, to its shame, supported the passage of Bill C-51, none of the main parties are courageous enough to raise claims about the inhuman treatment of the Palestinian people by the state of Israel, and, aside from the Green Party, only lip-service, it would seem, is paid to the need for a real alternative to a carbon-based economic model. Moreover, a consensus appears to centre around an austerity agenda of balanced budgets, lower taxes and diminishing social spending during a time of recession on the backs of the unemployed and underemployed, the majority of whom are under the age of 24. Even that paragon of neo-liberal orthodoxy, The Economist, has admitted in the Greek case that austerity had failed on strictly economic terms. Things, however, appear to be different in the United States when a member of the Socialist Alternative, Kshama Sawant, was elected to Seattle City Council some three years ago on a platform to raise the minimum wage to $15 per hour, and a candidate who describes himself as a “Socialist,” namely Bernie Sanders, is running, at times ahead of Hilary Clinton, for the Democratic Presidential nomination. In the UK, Jeremy Corbyn is revitalizing the prospect of genuine alternatives even if these look, perhaps, more to the past rather than the future. In Canada, by way of contrast, what we see is a state of affairs Herbert Marcuse described forty years ago of “one dimensionality.” Such a condition entailed the collapse of what was possible into what simply existed. Today, it appears uncertain that, as a species, we can survive without concrete and substantive alternatives to the current organization of state and society.
2015–16 Programming: "State of Emergency"
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Women Warriors of Kurdistan
September 13, 2015Hanna Böhman & Nissy Koye Sunday, September 13, 4:00pm–6:00pm, 1420–1430 Segal Centre, SFU... read more
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Public Lecture: Bill C-51 The Insecurity of Human Rights
September 17, 2015Alex Neve Thursday, September 17, 7:00pm–9:00pm, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by... read more
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Harperism: How Stephen Harper and His Think Tank Colleagues Have Transformed Canada
September 21, 2015Donald Gutstein Monday, September 21, 7:00pm–9:00pm, room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre It’s October 20... read more
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Taking Back Canada
September 24, 2015Pam Palmater Thursday, September 24, 7:00pm–9:00pm, ICBC Concourse, SFU’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for... read more
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Post-Communist Russia in a Multi-polar World
September 28, 2015Boris Kagarlitsky Monday, September 28, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour... read more
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Ernest Becker Legacy Conference
October 02, 2015Go Here For More Information and to Register Registration is required for the keynote and is active... read more
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Not-a-Party Election Party
October 03, 2015Care about the future we're entering after this upcoming federal election? Join Gen Why... read more
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The Rubicon Election of 2015
October 05, 20151410–1430 Segal Centre, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by SFU’s J.S. Woodsworth Chair in the... read more
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The Canadian Election and the Politics of Fear
October 06, 2015Samir Gandesha, Adel Iskandar, & Fiona Jeffries Tuesday, October 6, 7:00PM–9:00PM,... read more
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Book Launch: “Canada in Africa: 300 years of Aid and Exploitation”
October 07, 2015Yves Engler Wednesday, October 7, 7:00pm–9:00pm, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by the... read more
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Still Policing the Crisis: A Seminar and Panel Discussion on Stuart Hall’s Relevance in the Current Conjuncture
October 09, 2015Grant Farred, Ben Carrington, & Sut Jhally Friday, October 9, 4:00pm–6:00pm, Room... read more
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The Occupation of the American Mind: Israel’s PR War in the U.S.
October 10, 2015Sut Jhally Saturday, OCTOBER 10, 4:00PM–6:00PM, ROOM 7000, SFU HARBOUR CENTRE Co-sponsored by... read more
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The Future of the Agricultural Land Reserve (ALR), Climate Change, and Food Security
October 15, 2015Richard Bullock Thursday, October 15, 7:00pm–9:00pm, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by... read more
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Climate Change Conference
October 17, 2015For Our Common Home (Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, Downtown Campus) GO HERE TO REGISTER FOR... read more
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Settler-Colonialism and Genocide Policies in North America
October 27, 2015Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz ICBC Concourse, SFU's Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue, 580 W. Hastings... read more
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Comparative Xenophobia: South Africa, Europe, North America
November 04, 2015Heribert Adam Wednesday, November 4, 7:00pm–9:00pm, room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by... read more
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Arendt, Truth, and Epistemic Responsibility
November 10, 2015Yasemin Sari Tuesday, November 10, 4:00PM–6:00PM, Room 2200, SFU Harbour Centre Taking seriously... read more
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Politics in Particular: From Primo Levi to Freedom and Being in the works of Hannah Arendt and Baruch Spinoza
November 23, 2015Greg Feldman Monday, November 23, 10:00AM–12:00PM, Room 2200, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by... read more
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A Misplaced Massacre: Struggling over the Memory of Sand Creek
December 03, 2015Ari Kelman Thursday, December 3, 11:30AM, AQ 6229, SFU Burnaby ... read more
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Dismantling the Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Public Educational on the TPP & Other So Called “Trade Agreements”
December 08, 2015Lisa Barrett, Colleen Fuller, & Harjap Grewal Tuesday, December 8, 6:30PM–8:30PM, Room 7000,... read more
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Financial Bubbles and their Magic: Asset Price as a Heroic Journey in the Financial Markets
January 26, 2016Alexandru Balasescu & Apurv Jain Tuesday, January 26, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU... read more
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Migration or Escape: Journeys to Sanctuary
February 11, 2016Phinder Dulai, Cecily Nicholson, Dr. Renisa Mawani, Dr. Minelle Mahtani, & Melanie... read more
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What Does the Unconscious Know About Capitalism?: One-Way Feminist Speculations on Affect, Anxiety, and Love in the Age of Neoliberalism
February 19, 2016Alessandra Capperdoni Friday, February 19, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre The “turn... read more
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African Refugees: A Panel Highlighting a Forgotten and Excluded People
February 23, 2016Juliane Okot Bitek, Josiane Anthony, Samson Nashon, & Daniel Tseghay Tuesday,... read more
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Repeal Bill C-51 Conference
February 28, 2016Sunday, February 28, 12:30PM–4:30PM, Room 2270, SFU Harbour Centre Organized by the Working Group... read more
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Refugee Resilience: Resettlement through a Human Rights Lens
March 03, 2016Sarah Deardorff-Miller Thursday, March 3, 5:00PM–7:00PM, Room 1500, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored... read more
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The Relevance of Islamic Identity in Canada––Dialogue, Discussion and Book Launch
March 03, 2016Mohamed Abualy Alibhai, Nurjehan Aziz, Ameen Merchant, & Zool Suleman Thursday,... read more
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Oral History as a Practice of Freedom: the Tsilhqot'in Title Case in Context
March 04, 2016Lorraine Weir Friday, March 4, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by UBC's... read more
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From Proprietary Systems to Open Value Regimes: Collaborative Economies and Blockchain Technologies
March 16, 2016Michel Bauwens Wednesday, March 16, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Room 1800, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by... read more
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Husserl and America: Reflections on the Limits of Europe as the Ground of Meaning and Value for Phenomenology
March 29, 2016Ian Angus Tuesday, March 29, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 2050, SFU Harbour Centre This paper investigates... read more
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A Sinner in Mecca: Film Screening and Q&A with Director
March 30, 2016Parvez Sharma Wednesday, March 30, 5:30PM, Djavad Mowafaghian Cinema, Goldcorp Centre for the... read more
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Bone Theatre Media Hand: Circulating Currency and Neoanimisms in the Long Arm of the Roman Empire
April 04, 2016Rebecca Schneider Monday, April 4, 7:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by SFU’s... read more
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Targeting Universities in Authoritarian India
April 15, 2016Ajay Bhardwaj, Dionne Bunsha, John Harriss & Gurpreet Singh Friday, April 15,... read more
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Our Common Struggle, Making the Links––Teach in on International Instruments of Corporate Power: TPP, CETA, FIPAs & NAFTA
April 16, 2016Saturday, April 16, 10:00AM–3:30PM, Room 320, SFU Centre for Dialogue, 520 W. Hastings... read more
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"Unearthing Disaster" Film Screening and Q&A with Directors
April 29, 2016Angela Anderson and Angela Melitopoulos Friday, April 29, 4:00PM–6:00PM, Room 2270, SFU Harbour... read more
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Financialization and War: Race, Class, Gender, Sexuality and Subjectivity
April 29, 2016Maurizio Lazzarato Friday, April 29, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 1800, SFU Harbour... read more
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"Lampedusa in Winter" Film Screening and Discussion
May 07, 2016Jakob Brossmann | Austria/Italy/Switzerland | 2015 | 93 minutes Saturday, May 7,... read more
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"Flow Mechanics" Film Screening
May 13, 2016Nathalie Loubeyre | France | 2015 | 85 minutes Friday, May 13, 5:00PM, Vancity... read more
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Joshua Clover: Riot. Strike. Riot.
May 27, 2016Joshua Clover & Stan Douglas Friday, May 27, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Djavad Mowafaghian... read more
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Notes from the Field: Covering the Refugee Journey from Syria to the Balkans
July 05, 2016Natalie Carney Tuesday, July 5, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Co-sponsored by SFU's... read more
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"Flin Flon Flim Flam" Film Screening and Q&A with Director
July 12, 2016John Dougherty Tuesday, July 12, 7:00PM–9:00PM, The Cinematheque, #200 - 1131 Howe St.,... read more
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Indian Summer Festival 2016: "Border Crossings"
July 14, 2016The theme for this year’s festival (July 7–16, 2016) is ‘Border Crossings.’ Our stellar cast of... read more
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Power Games: A Political History of the Olympics
July 18, 2016Jules Boykoff Monday, July 18, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Book launch of Power... read more
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Transgendering Nietzsche: Male Mothers and Phallic Women in Derrida’s "Spurs"
July 21, 2016Willow Verkerk Thursday, July 21, 7:00PM–9:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour... read more
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The Paradox of Play: Aesthetic Resistance in Lukács, Benjamin, and Adorno
July 27, 2016Surti Singh Wednesday, July 27, 6:00PM–8:00PM, Room 7000, SFU Harbour Centre Sponsored by SFU's... read more