The University of Ottawa consolidated its position as a leading research institution on Ontario, Canadian and international Francophones on October 28th by unveiling three new research chairs on the Francophone world (CRMF), as well as the first Chaire mobilité francophone (Francophone Mobility Chair).
These three chairs are part of the Collège des Chaires sur le monde francophone, which was inaugurated in March 2019 and will now be headed by Martin Meunier, a professor at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies, who himself holds a research chair in the Francophone world. Mr. Meunier will work to develop synergies between researchers from this network of Francophone Chairs and other academics working on the Francophone world. In total, the CCFM's 10 Chairs program will be funded to the tune of $4.2 million over 15 years.
The research will have tangible impacts on the daily lives of Canadians: it will examine current societal issues, such as the integration of migrant populations and access to health care services for linguistic minorities.
These three new Chairs, plus the Francophone Mobility Chair, will not only deepen the tradition of excellence in research on the Francophonies of Canada and the world at the University of Ottawa, but will also promote its experts and continue to demonstrate the relevance of interdisciplinarity in university research.
The four new research chairs are as follows:
- The Chaire de recherche de l'Université d'Ottawa et de l'Institut du Savoir Montfort sur la santé des francophones de l'Ontario (The University of Ottawa and Institut du savoir Montfort Research Chair on the health of Francophones) was awarded to Louise Bouchard, professor at the School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies (Faculty of Social Sciences), and to Jacinthe Savard (Faculty of Health Sciences), professor at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences.
The research of this Chair will help shape public policy in the health services sector and will seek to improve the planning and delivery of health services to Francophones in Ontario. In addition, this dual appointment is part of a desire to highlight interdisciplinary research.
- The Chaire de recherche sur l'immigration et les communautés franco-ontariennes (Research Chair on Immigration and Franco-Ontarian Communities) was awarded to Professor Luisa Veronis, a researcher in the Department of Geography, Environment and Geomatics (Faculty of Arts).
This Chair will aim to better understand the opportunities and challenges arising from the interaction between already established Francophone communities and immigrant populations in Ontario. Ultimately, it will make it possible to develop recommendations for the creation of public policies that will meet the needs of Francophone communities.
- The Chaire de recherche en francophonie internationale sur les politiques du patrimoine culturel (Research Chair in International Francophonie on Cultural Heritage Policies), is awarded to Jonathan Paquette, School of Political Studies (Faculty of Social Sciences).
The Chair aims to provide, through the prism of political analysis, an in-depth insight into the links between heritage policies and the decolonization of cultural heritage in the French-speaking world.
- The Chaire mobilité francophone (Francophone Mobility Chair), which will be awarded annually, has been entrusted to Ahmed Boubeker, from the Department of Sociology of the Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Étienne, Université de Lyon (France).
Professor Boubeker's research focuses on migration and ethnicity in France and on the postcolonial question. His work will contribute to expanding the field of research on the migration of Haitian and Berber Francophone communities in Canada. Professor Boubeker is also deputy director of the CNRS Centre Max Weber laboratory.
