The School of Canadian Studies hosts two annual Lecture Series:

The Vickers-Verduyn Lecture in Canadian Studies

The Vickers-Verduyn Speakers听Series was established in 2011 to commemorate the 10th anniversary听of the 杏吧原创-Trent joint-PhD听in Canadian Studies. Since its inauguration the School of Canadian Studies has invited a wide range of scholars, activists and artists to address the ways in which their work potentially challenges or influences approaches to Canadian Studies research.

There are no upcoming events scheduled at this time.

From Black Lives Matter to the War on Woke: the (Homegrown) Politics of Backlash in Canada with Dr. Debra Thompson
April 11, 2025 4:00 p.m.
DT 1811

This presentation examines the rise of this political backlash in Canada, reflecting on this time of political upheaval and flux. It considers the collapse of old political norms, the uncertainty surrounding emerging alternatives, the influence of American culture wars, and the pressing question of whether Canadian democracy can withstand the challenges ahead.

In the summer of 2020, hundreds of thousands of Canadians across the country marched under the rallying cry of Black Lives Matter, in protest against endemic police violence and systemic anti-Black racism. Now, less than five years later, former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, once the avatar of centre-left progressivism, is wildly unpopular, forced to concede his leadership of the Liberal Party. In addition, there are widespread attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in universities and corporate Canada alike, public consensus on the benefits of immigration has fractured, and Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has successfully mobilized simmering resentment to wage a war on wokeism.

听is an Associate Professor of Political Science and a Canada Research Chair in Racial Inequality in Democratic Societies at McGill University. An internationally recognized expert on the comparative politics of race, her research focuses on the relationships among race, the state, public policy, and inequality in Canada and beyond. She is the author of the award-winning books,听The Schematic State: Race, Transnationalism, and the Politics of the Census听(2016) and听The Long Road Home: On Blackness and Belonging听(2022). Dr. Thompson produces and hosts the Institute for Research on Public Policy鈥檚 In/Equality podcast and is also a contributing columnist for Canada鈥檚 national newspaper,听the Globe and Mail.

Past Lectures in the Vickers-Verduyn Annual Speaker Series:

Title Speaker(s) Date
Canadian Studies in Turbulent Times 鈥� Ideas, Challenges, Opportunities Moderator:
Dr. Pauline Rankin;
Dr. Jane Philpott;
Prof. Adrian Harewood;
Senator Yuen Pau Woo; Frank Graves,
President of EKOS		 April 17, 2024
Teraanga Commons
Colonialism and Everyday Life in Qu茅bec Dalie Giroux March 29, 2023
鈥楽he Commonly Wears a Handkerchief round her Head鈥�: Expanding and Complicating the Concept of Creolization for the study of Transatlantic Slavery Charmaine Nelson March 10, 2022
The Caribbean Sea in Canada: Notes on Tributaries Rinaldo Walcott April 16, 2021
Deconstruction ‘The God of Gods’: A Canadian Play Deanna Bowen November 19, 2019
Hungry Listening, Ethnographic Redress Dylan Robinson October 11, 2018
鈥淚 Learned It From Law and Order鈥�-

American Media as Educators on Sexual Violence

 Julie S. Lalonde March 28, 2017
Nowhere to Go: LGBTQ2S Youth Homelessness in Canada Alex Abramovich March 24, 2016
Reclaiming Shingwauk Hall Jeff Thomas March 25, 2015
Authenticity and Indigeneity: Reclaiming Algonquin Identity in 21st century Ontario Bonita Lawrence February 27, 2014
Black History, the Multicultural Present and the Future of Canadian Studies Rinaldo Walcott February 28, 2013

The Herb Stovel Memorial Lecture in Heritage Conservation

Save the date! The 2025 Herb Stovel lecture will be held on April 26, 2025 at Library and Archives Canada. More information will be posted in early April 2025.

The Lecture is being held in conjunction with the 17th Annual 杏吧原创 University Heritage Conservation Symposium听ON THE EDGE OF COLLAPSE: CHANGING HERITAGE FOR A CLIMATE IN CRISIS听

This year鈥檚 organizing committee has invited submissions that address the critical intersections of听climate justice听and听heritage conservation,听including Decolonizing Climate Action in Heritage, Social Justice in Heritage Conservation, and Reimagining Heritage in a Changing World. More information is available here.

Organizers and speakers at the 2024 Symposium in Library Archives Canada’s Pellan Room.

Past Lectures in the Herb Stovel Memorial Lecture series:

The Herb Stovel Memorial Lecture in Heritage Conservation was established in 2012 to honour Herb Stovel, who was Associate Professor and coordinator of the Heritage Conservation program in the School of Canadian Studies at 杏吧原创 University from 2004 to 2012. Past lectures were often held in conjunction with the graduate symposium in heritage conservation.

From 2002 to 2017 the School also hosted the annual听New Sun Conference on Aboriginal Arts.
The archives of these conferences are hosted on the New Sun Conference website.