Vanier College is pleased to announce that this year's Social Science Festival running Oct. 16-20, 2023, will explore important Canadian and global social, political and environmental issues. Under the theme of "Speaking Truth to Power", the festival will offer thought-provoking viewpoints from presenters and workshop leaders who share a passion for identifying unjust situations, standing up for what is right and trying to build a better world. All events are free of charge and open to the public
One of the highlights of the week will be Keynote speaker, Dr. Gwynne Dyer, Canadian journalist, author and military analyst, who is best known for his radio and television documentaries about war. He originally trained as a historian, served in the naval reserves of three countries and taught at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and Oxford University. His topic will be "War in the 21st century". He will speak at 2:30 pm on Tuesday, October 17.
Other highlights include: a Student Panel on "Experiences of Muslim Students In CEGEP: A Participatory Action Research Project"; an interactive "World Café": "Intergenerational dialogue on laws to protect French in Quebec"; anthropologist Jacky Vallee giving a lecture entitled "The Whites Came and Tried to Destroy Us": The Spirit of Resistance among Eeyou Drinkers; and Ted Rutland and Maxime Aurelien discussing racial profiling and violence in policing in Montreal.
Events take place in the Vanier Auditorium and are open to the public. Other presentations, include the following.
Monday Oct. 16
- 8:30 a.m. Leila Bdeir, Krista Riley and students: Panel on "Experiences of Muslim Students In CEGEP: A Participatory Action Research Project"
- 11:30 a.m. Nakuset, Director of The Native Women's Shelter of Montreal, will talk on the 60s Scoop and ongoing issues with foster care of indigenous children
- 1:00 p.m. Kimberlee Desormeaux will lead an interactive "World Café": "Intergenerational dialogue on laws to protect French in Quebec."
- 2:30 p.m. Award winning science journalist, author and playwright, Alanna Mitchell will present "Sea Sick: How Carbon in the Atmosphere Affects the Ocean."
Tuesday Oct. 17
- 10:00 a.m. Jacky Vallee: lecture on "The Whites Came and Tried to Destroy Us": The Spirit of Resistance among Eeyou Drinkers
- 11:30 a.m. Montreal Steppers (performance dance collective) -- interactive workshop
- 2:30 p.m. Gwynne Dyer: lecture on "War in the 21st century"
Wednesday Oct. 18
- 9:30 a.m. Danielle Altidor, lecture on « Noirs Invisibles, voix censurées : L'Ecole et la suite d'une oppression »
- 11:00 a.m. Eric Lamoureux: interactive workshop on "How the Third World Got to be Third"
- 12:30 p.m. Quiz Show with Moderator Peter Gantous
- 4:00 p.m. Ted Rutland and Maxime Aurelien: lecture on racial profiling and violence in policing in Montreal
Thursday Oct. 19
- 11:30 a.m. Daniel Green (Green party candidate): lecture on "Does electoral politics work anymore?"
- 1:00 p.m. John Stubbs: lecture "Ukraina: on the edge"
- 2:30 p.m. Peter Vogopoulos: lecture on Antifragility in Organizations
- 4:00 p.m. Dr. Martin Geoffroy, director of CEFIR, will lecture on "The Far Right", focusing on the social psychology of people who join right wing extremist groups in Quebec
Friday October 20
- 8:30 a.m. Rafa Islam and Antonia Mabeke (Vanier Social Science students): talk about the Me-Too Movement
- 11:30 a.m. Matthieu Sossoyan: lecture on "Buzkashi is the hockey of Afghanistan: the games people play and what they mean"
- 2:30 p.m. Alexandre Boulerice (NDP MP for Rosemont-La Petite Patrie) lecture
