Université d’Ottawa University of Ottawa · 2017-07-27 · with her own research grant. t his two-day symposium, held on february 27th and 28th, (held, fittingly enough, in the

Printemps 2017 Spring 1INITIATIVES

InStItut d’étudeS canadIenneS et autochtoneSInStItute of canadIan and aborIgInal StudIeS

arts.uOttawa.ca/canada

Printemps 2017 Spring | 46

Université d’Ottawa | University of Ottawa

2 Printemps 2017 SpringINITIATIVES

Year in review: An Overview from the Director

2016-2017 has been a busy academic year at the Institute for canadian and aboriginal Studies. When I took over as director, in July 2016, one of my key initial priorities was to estab-lish a more current IcaS website (https://arts.uottawa.ca/

emma anderson, director of IcaS 2016-2017. Photo credit: clémence labasse


canada/en); to initiate the Institute’s presence on social media (please find us ontwitter: @IcaS_Ieca or facebook at www.facebook.com/IcaS.uottawa) and; to create an attractive, immediately identifiable IcaS logo.

Work on all three of these goals began during the summer months, though the achievement of the first two objectives was only made possible with the hiring of the Institute’s first Student communications coordinator, Janie Pépin.

during Janie's year of service she has helped to make great strides regarding the Institute’s visibility within the university community and beyond (for a thoughtful essay written by Janie, please see p. 14).

les visiteurs de notre Institut pendant les mois d’été étaient ravi Mishra, de l’université Jindal global en Inde, dont la recherche portait sur l’histoire du canada

Janie Pépin, Student communications coordinator for IcaS

français ainsi que Mimi chakrabarty de l’universität Wien à Vienne, en autriche, dont le projet explorait les femmes autochtones disparues et assassinées au canada (pour en savoir plus sur les visiteurs IcaS de cette année et leurs spé-cialités de recherche, voir p. 27).

la vague d’étudiants de l’université d’ottawa revenant pour le trimestre d’automne a apporté une foule d’activités et d’évènements spéciaux à IcaS, y compris les déjeuners d’accueil pour les étudiants de l’Institut et ses facultés. Vers la fin du mois de septembre, en concert avec nos coauteurs du Projet religion et diversité, l’Institut a eu l’honneur d’ac-cueillir l’historien bien connu du catholicisme américain, le Prof. robert orsi, de l’université northwestern, qui a donné une très bonne conférence, engageante, intitulée «What is Catholic about the Clergy Sexual Abuse Crisis?»

Professor robert orsi (right) visits Parliament hill with emma anderson (left) and anne dance (photographer, not pictured)

Pour la réponse réfléchie de l’élève evelyn asselin à son discours, veuillez vous reporter à la p. 14. conformé-ment au nouveau mandat de l’IcaS pour souligner la participation pédagogique des chercheurs invités et des conférenciers invités, le professeur orsi a également donné une conférence invi-tée à une classe de premier cycle.



en octobre 2016, une délégation de chercheurs en études canadiennes de l’université de trèves en allemagne, dirigée par Wolfgang Klaus, a déjeuné avec nous à l’IcaS lors de leur visite dans le but de renforcer et formaliser les liens institu-tionnels entre nos universités, en particulier par le biais de facultés et d’échanges d’étudiants.

Members of the trier delegation on the steps of the William commanda building with dean of arts Kevin Kee (bottom right) and Professor emeritus cornelius Jaenen (back centre).

nous avons également été honorés, lors du mois d’octobre, d’accueillir le dr Yousef Jabareen, un membre palestinien de la Knesset israélienne.

dr. Jabareen

dr. Jabareen consults IcaS faculty, visitors, and students

Jabareen était au canada pour une mission d’enquête sur nos politiques fédérales en matière de multiculturalisme et pour explorer le traitement de nos peuples autochtones ainsi que pour consulter avec la faculté d’IcaS, les étudiants et les chercheurs en visite.

november brought with it two important IcaS events. the first was a conference entitled “Yiddish in the new Millen-nium: a Symposium on new Yiddish language and culture,” organized by our own Professor rebecca Margolis, the pro-ceeds of which are slated for publication in 2019.

Participants in the Yiddish Symposium organized by IcaS Professor rebecca Margolis (centre, in black, above the seated participant holding the event poster).

(for more on this event, and other activities of the Vered canadian Jewish Studies sector, please see p. 16).

the second event was a much-anticipated bronfman lecture with dr. taiaiake alfred of the university of Victoria, who de-livered a wonderful, cogent, and challenging lecture entitled “The Death and Rebirth of the Noble Savage,” which explored how the image of Indigenous people in canada has always been a distortion of the truth of Indigenous existence. as said by alfred: Indigenous people have been and continue to be understood not in terms of their authentic cultures, lived his-tories, true personalities and self-determined identities, but as

stereotypes constructed to serve Canada’s colonial agenda. In the past, the violence of the conquest of this continent required a violent opponent so that Canadians could mor-ally justify themselves in this land, and one was imagined: The Noble Savage. Existing apart from modernity, tied to

old ways, capable of living only in the doomed forest, the Noble Savage was the perfect moral foil for the White conquest of nature and brutal imposition of the idea of progress in North America. Today, there are signs of the rebirth of the Noble Sav-age in the wake of the residential school experience, in this era of (supposed) Reconciliation, as once again Canadians construct an image of Indigenous people that satisfies their need for moral righteousness, and their contem-porary colonial agenda.

dr. alfred also gave a guest lecture in one of Professor tracy coates’ popular introductory courses.

taiaiake alfred presents the 2016 bronfman lecture


Prof. alfred with members of the university community, including IcaS students and administrators, President Jacques frémont (to the left of dr. alfred) and dean of arts Kevin Kee (to his right).

ChAntAl hébert tO Deliver the 2017 brOnfmAn leCtUre

Well-known franco-ontarian journalist chantal hébert has graciously agreed to give the 2017 bronfman lecture, a

the 2016 bronfman was particularly memorable not only for its passionate speech, but also because it marked the last such event organized by long-time administrative assistant houria Messadh, who retired in november, 2016. as of the writing of this report, her position has not yet been filled. thank you for a great 30 years houria!

houria Messadh, (left) with Métis chair brenda Macdougall, (right)

prestigious annual lectureship organized by the Institute of canadian and aboriginal Studies. the event will be held on Monday, october 16, 2017, in the evening. hébert will make her speech in french, and will take questions from the audience in both english and french. hébert is expected to speak on some aspect of her speciality, the dynamics of politics in canada, as is only fitting in light of this year’s mar-king of the 150th anniversary of canadian confederation.

ChAntAl hébert effeCtUerA lA COnférenCe brOnfmAn 2017

la célèbre journaliste franco-ontarienne, chantal hébert, a gracieusement accepté de donner la conférence de bronfman 2017, une prestigieuse conférence organisée par l’Institut d’études canadiennes et autochtones. l’évènement aura lieu à l’université d’ottawa lors du lundi 16 octobre 2017, pendant la soirée. hébert fera son discours en français et répondra aux questions du public en anglais et en français. hébert devrait parler de certains aspects de sa spécialité, de la dynamique de la politique au canada, comme il se doit à la lumière de cette année, le 150e anniversaire de la confédération canadienne.



2016 was rounded out with IcaS’s hosting of a talented Indigenous film-maker, Steven Martin of Konnected.tV.

IcaS was proud to sponsor the ontario premiere of this challenging and beautifully produced 13-part documen-tary series which explores Indigenous champions across the americas. IcaS students had the opportunity to see two

Steven Martin at the eastern ontario premiere of his documentary series

episodes of this incredible series even before they debuted on aPtn! Steve’s debut of his series marked the beginning of a wonderful collaboration between himself and IcaS, as he was able to return to campus for the May 2017 confer-ence restorying canada.

In addition to planning and hosting its own events, IcaS also supported a number of other conferences and colloquia planned by other units during the fall of 2016. In december the Institute was delighted to provide funding for the book launch of lisa Monchalin’s The Colonial Problem: An Indigenous Perspective on Crime and Injustice in Canada and her public lecture.

during the fall term, IcaS was also fortunate to host a number of distin-guished Visiting researchers, including Sujit Kumar basak of uQÀM, who re-searched Indigenous health issues, and anne dance, who is also the director of the Parliamentary Internship Programme. dr. dance became extremely involved in many Institute functions and events throughout the academic year, and was always willing to roll up her sleeves to help with major events like the bronfman lecture and Restorying Canada (even down to tote-bag stuffing, postering, and publicity). She was joined during the winter term by danae Jacobson, a fulbright fellow and Ph.d. candidate at notre dame university, whose doctoral research explores the experiences of female religious (e.g. nuns) across colonial north america in the nineteenth century (for more on the bios and research spe-cialties of visiting researchers, please see p. 27).

Winter 2017 at IcaS also witnessed numerous events. In early January, IcaS expertise in the areas of canadian and Indigenous Studies was consulted by the Political and Public affairs Section delegation of the european union to canada, who sought better to under-stand the situation of canada’s contem-porary Indigenous peoples. throughout the term, IcaS students, along with the whole student body of the univer-sity, were invited to participate in the collective building of a traditional birch-bark canoe (for more on this event, please see p. 19). In March, university of ottawa Professor emeritus donald hogarth gave a well-attended public lecture in the IcaS conference room entitled “the great Ice floe trip, 1872-1873” about the ill-fated voyage of george emory tyson’s Polaris.

another very prominent event among our winter activities was a major internal symposium organized by carolyn laude, tracy coates (whose photo graces our cover this year!) and a talented group of research assistants including diana el richani (see her essay on her mentor, Prof. coates on p. 18), Marissa Mills, Kiera brant, and Katelyn cody. undergraduate

Vice-dean Sylvie lamoureux generously funded the event with her own research grant. this two-day symposium, held on february 27th and 28th, (held, fittingly enough, in the former oblate chapel in tabaret) brought together students, staff, and faculty to explore ways forward for the university of ottawa, given its historically troubled relationship with Indigenous peoples since its 1848 foundation.

conducted in response to the truth and reconciliation commission's recommendations, the event explored strat-egies for making our institution more responsive to the needs of Indigenous peoples and more accepting of In-digenous ways of knowing, being, and doing. Indigenizing and Decolonizing the Academy featured sharing circles led by elders fred Mcgregor and annie Smith St. georges of the



algonquin nation. their presence and prescient commentary helped members of the university of ottawa community to think more clearly about the important but often unacknow-ledged role played by indigenous peoples in our institution’s past, present, and future.

Sharing circle at the Indigenizing conferencea sisterhood of conference organizers. the two women with name tags, tracy coates (left) and carolyn laude (right), were integral to the conference's conception and organization.

Professor tracy coates, along with a talented group of students, also spearheaded another major initiative during the winter 2017 semester, the development of a Student research Portal on the IcaS website. this Portal allows IcaS

this successful february event will be followed up by an even larger symposium that Professor coates is currently or-ganizing. for more on the upcoming event, please see p. 20)

un autre grand évènement parrainé par IcaS a été restituer canada: reconsidérer la religion et la mémoire publique en 2017, une conférence de trois jours et deux nuits dans le but d’explorer collectivement les expériences et les identités religieuses canadiennes 150 ans après la confédération.

l’une de mes tâches préférées en tant que directrice de l’Institut était d’organiser cet évènement, notamment avec l’appui de hillary Kaell de l’université concordia et Pamela Klassen, de l’université de toronto.

students to share their research with one another, the broader university community, and the world at large. (for more on the portal, please see p. 21 or visit the portal at https://arts.uottawa.ca/canada/en/research/student-research)



financé par des subventions internes généreuses de l’uni-versité d’ottawa, ainsi que par le financement externe du SShrc et du ministère du Patrimoine canadien, nous avons pu planifier et exécuter un évènement qui a réuni des uni-versitaires, des journalistes, des écrivains, des cinéastes, des poètes, des étudiants et artistes visuels d’un peu partout au canada. restituer canada a été le premier évènement mar-quant le 150e anniversaire de la confédération canadienne à l’université d’ottawa.

la conférence a abouti à deux conférences publiques du soir. la première, intitulée Decolonizing the Canon : An Eve-ning of Poetry, Performance, and Painting, présenté par l’ar-tiste visuel indigène, Kent Monkman, le cellist/composer cris derksen et le poète afroacadien, george elliot clarke. la deuxième partie présentait l’activiste chrétien de l’envi-ronnement, leah costamo et l’étonnante romancière cana-dienne, Margaret atwood. Intitulé « The Future of Religion in Canada : Utopia or Dystopia ? », il s’agissait d’une discussion modérée, avec des questions et réponses explorant le rôle de la religion dans la fiction d’atwood et son renversement dans l’activisme de la vie réelle de l’organisation de Kosta-mo, qui est la vraie version fictive des « god’s gardeners » de Margaret atwood.

Moderator emma anderson (far left) with panelists leah Kostamo (middle) and Margaret atwood (right) discuss the nature of religion

Pour écouter le spectacle, visitez http://www.cbc.ca/radio/ tapestry/episode-margaret-atwood-leah-kostamo-on-uto-pia-and-dystopia-1.4144171. Pour plus de la couverture médiatique de restituer canada, veuillez consulter: ncPr.org, “the handmaid’s tale, religion, and the environment: Margaret atwood in ottawa, » « artsfile, “Restorying Canada: MargaretAtwood, Leah Kostamo on the Yin and Yang of Utopia and Dystopia,” cbc radio, all in a day, “How has religion shaped the country we live in today,” uottawa gazette, “Reimagining our storied past,” artsfile, “Margaret Atwood, Kent Monkman, George Elliot Clarke part of Restorying Canada conference at uOttawa.” le site web de resituer le canada est le suivant : http://artsites.uottawa.ca/restorying-canada/en ou http://artsites.uottawa.ca/restorying-canada/fr/

Indigenous artist Kent Monkman explains one of his paintings, which shows the forced removal of Indigenous children to attend residential schools

d’ailleurs, le spectacle de la radio religieuse de cbc, Tapestry with Mary hynes, a enregistré cet évènement, le diffusant le 4 juin 2017 à une audience internationale.

religious Studies scholar and conference attendee cameron Montgomery engages Margaret atwood

during the winter semester IcaS was also honoured to fi-nancially sponsor and publicize other worthy events. the Institute aided the Interculture research group in obtaining the funding necessary for their ambitious april 2017 con-ference entitled “From Matrilineal Kinship to Matriculture: Establishing a Canadian Agenda.” It also underwrote the graduate conference in law put on by gSledd (gradu-ate Students in law/etudiant(e)s diplome(e)s en droit) in May. finally, William commanda’s conference room host-ed a major national conference in June, 2017, entitled “The Future of First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Broadcasting: Conversa-tion and Convergence.”

IcaS was also delighted to fund two graduate student awards (in the amount of $2,000 each) to defray the research and travel costs of two outstanding graduate students. the first awardee, Melissa green, is exploring different approaches to palliative care (for more on her research, please see p. 22).

the second, alexandre Michaud, a part-time Professor at IcaS and recipient of an IcaS travelling fellowship, is investigating eight-eenth-century Indigenous sover-eignty and their fraught political and military relationships with the french, the english, and the emer-

gent americans (for more on Michaud’s research, please see p. 23).

2016-2017 a également été une année d’activisme et de plaidoyer pour IcaS. les étudiants, les enseignants et le personnel autochtones ont travaillé à promouvoir un vaste programme de changements aux plus hauts niveaux de l’administration de notre université, à la fois par la conférence « Indigenizing and decolonizing the academy » et par une série de rencontres avec le nouveau président Jacques frémont (pour leurs demandes et recommandations, s’il vous plait voir p. 20). l’une des principales priorités de l’Institut était de trouver un moyen d’intégrer les savoirs traditionnels et les pratiques cérémonielles (y compris les taches) dans les salles de classe de notre université. aujourd’hui, comme je l’écris, c’est encore une lutte constante. cependant, ici, dans le contexte plus limité de William commanda hall, des progrès importants ont été réalisés. le siège de l’IcaS a été créé comme une zone amicale. en outre, l’achat de tables

roulantes pour notre salle de conférence et pour notre salle de classe principale, 108, a facilité la transformation facile de l’espace, de la salle de conférence formelle et occidentale à un espace flexible pouvant être utilisé dans les cercles de partage traditionnels. en outre, la salle 108a, étant initiale-ment une salle de stockage, bloquée en un espace de sépa-ration, fut transformée en une salle attrayante, spacieuse, qui par conséquent laisse place aux possibilités pédagogiques

christine laurin enjoys the new IcaS breakout room, off the conference room

À ces nouvelles possibilités pédagogiques, on ajoute le renouvellement de dalie giroux et de darren o'toole, qui ont tous deux été professeurs actifs avec IcaS dans le passé. nous sommes ravis de les retrouver avec nous et nous attendons en particulier les plans ambitieux du professeur o’toole pour l’instauration de nouveaux cours de langue indigène. les profes-seurs actuels, tels que brenda Macdougall, continuent également de créer des cours novateurs. Prof. Macdougall a négocié avec succès un nouveau cours pratique en concert avec le Musée canadien de l’his-toire à gatineau (pour plus d’informations sur ce nouveau cours et les autres nouvelles de Prof. Macdougall, voir p. 24 et p. 25)

It has been a true honour and pleasure leading IcaS during 2016-2017. Many thanks to all who have contributed their time, insights, and labour to making all of its initiatives such a success. My best wishes go to the incoming IcaS leadership team, which will likely include tim Stanley of the faculty of education as director and tracy coates as coordinator of aboriginal Studies.



Pourquoi études canadiennes et autochtones?

Par Janie Pépin

dire, les européens ont imposé leurs façons de faire mais les autochtones avaient déjà un système politique en place, un mode de vie évidemment différent mais qui fonctionnait très bien.

c’était ma première leçon sur les autochtones, mais aussi ma dernière. Pendant mon séjour au secondaire, on ne m’a rien enseigné sur la culture autochtone. J’ai entendu des blagues racistes et des discussions qui allaient à l’encontre des mouvements autochtones qu’on voyait ou entendait aux nouvelles tels que Idle no More et ce, tout en ayant des élèves autochtones dans ma classe. Je saisis maintenant qu’on a manqué de m’informer au sujet du general allotment act (1857), du Indian reorganization act (1934), de la loi sur les Indiens (1876), les expériences d’assimilation, le camp de concentration de dear Island, le 60`s Scoop, the trail of tears, les effets à long terme des écoles résidentielles et les viola-tions des traitées.

c’est grâce au cours Introduction aux études autochtones à l’université d’ottawa que j’ai pu apprendre la vraie his-toire des autochtones en plus d’en apprendre sur les fausses conceptions et les stéréotypes qui existent. depuis, ma per-ception des peuples autochtones a changé drastiquement. J’avais pris ce cours par choix. Si ce n’était pas de ce cours, je vivrais encore avec cette fausse idéologie et perception et c’est ce qui est inquiétant. Il reste un grand nombre de canadiens qui sont mal informés et je me demande com-ment ils vont faire pour connaître la vérité. Je pense à tous ceux qui n’auront pas l’opportunité de prendre ce cours et ils resteront mal informés.

Je ne blâme pas mes parents ou mes professeurs pour mon manque de connaissance sur notre véritable histoire parce que je suis consciente qu’ils l’ont appris de la même façon que moi. Ils, comme plusieurs autres canadiens, n’ont pas eu l’occasion d’en apprendre davantage sur la véritable histoire de notre pays. c’est un peu le problème n’est-ce pas?

Cette réflexion d’une de nos étu-diantes de l’iéCA Janie Pépin explique son trajet et sa transformation depuis qu’elle a changé sa mineure aux études autochtones à l’Université d’Ottawa. elle souligne l’importance de l’éduca-tion aborigène et canadienne.

en grandissant, les deux seules choses que je connais-sais au sujet des autochtones étaient qu’ils ne payaient pas d’impôts et que leur éducation postsecondaire

était payée. c’est triste à admettre mais malheureusement c’est ce que plusieurs canadiens connaissent aussi.

J’ai grandi dans une petite ville très francophone dans le nord de l’ontario, avec des gens qui sont fiers de leur langue et de leur culture. Malgré ceci, ma communauté a omis de m’enseigner et de me faire vivre la culture des nations du nipissing (nbising) qui était aussi présente dans une réserve nommée garden Village à seulement 10 kilomètres de chez-moi. Pour la plupart de ma vie, je ne savais même pas que cette communauté existait, et encore moins au sujet de leur culture, leur passé et leurs défis. ceci est très problématique.

tout au long de mon éducation, j’ai été montrée d’hono-rer le fameux Jacques cartier pour avoir planté son drapeau et d’avoir découvert le canada. Il était célébré, respecté mais plus que ça, il était un héros. c’est en 8e année lors d’une leçon d’histoire où on m’a enseigné pour la première fois au sujet des écoles résidentielles. Mais même là, dans cette heure de leçon, l’enseignante nous l’a appris en nous disant que les actions et les intentions de nos ancêtres européens étaient bonnes et justifiées. on nous a appris que les français étaient venus coloniser et civiliser les autochtones et leur rendre la vie meilleure. ce qu’ils ont négligé de nous ensei-gner, c’est que les façons de faire des européens n’étaient pas nécessairement mieux que celles des autochtones. À vrai

nous avons des générations et des générations de fausses informations sur notre histoire. et nous semblons penser que l’histoire fait partie du passé, mais c’est faux. notre histoire est transmise dans les histoires que nous partageons au su-jet du passé aux générations futures. au fil des années, nous avons placé les peuples autochtones sous un microscope, de même manière un scientifique le ferait avec un insecte. celui qui observe a le pouvoir de définir. ensuite, nous apprenons sur notre histoire et réalités basées sur ces définitions et inter-prétations qui sont le plus souvent faux.

Je me sens choyée et privilégiée d’apprendre les diffé-rentes cultures autochtones au canada. J’apprends beau-coup sur leur culture, sur ce qu’ils ont vaincu et enduré, sur les défis auxquels ils ont fait face ainsi que sur les problèmes qu’ils luttent encore aujourd’hui. Même avec leur passé difficile c’est incroyable de voir comment ils ont su surmonter ce dur passé et comment ils continuent à braver leurs défis. Malheureusement, le processus de guérison et de réconcilia-tion ne sera pas possible si tous les canadiens ne sont pas conscients et au courant de ce qui s’est réellement passé et des nombreux défis encore présents aujourd’hui.

Personne ici ne devrait se sentir coupable pour ce que nos ancêtres ont fait et le désordre et le désespoir qu’ils ont causés. nous ne sommes pas responsables pour leurs actions,

par contre, nous sommes pleinement responsables pour les actions que nous décidons de prendre aujourd’hui. Je pense que, ensemble, avec le soutien des initiatives gouvernemen-tales, les établissements d’éducation et les organisations, nous pouvons bien éduquer notre pays sur notre histoire. ensemble, nous pouvons sensibiliser et éliminer les fausses perceptions au sujet des peuples autochtones. les opinions fixes et discriminatoires que la société a envers les autoch-tones peuvent être éliminées si tout le monde a la chance d’apprendre la vérité – une opportunité qui ne m’a pas été offerte avant l’âge de 19 ans.

Je le sais que je suis juste une ‘’ fille blanche ‘’ qui parle de grands sujets duquel j’ai tellement encore à apprendre. Je ne pourrai peut-être jamais comprendre ce que c’est être autochtone dans notre monde d’aujourd’hui, mais j’essaie. les cours, les lectures et les discussions que j’ai eus avec des personnes autochtones m’ont aidé à comprendre que peu importe si quelqu’un est de Premières nations, Métis, Inuit ou non-autochtone, nous sommes tous frères et sœurs de la même nation humane. J’espère que nous marcherons en-semble vers l’avenir et nous continuerons sur ce chemin vers le respect mutuel et la réconciliation. Il y a tellement de choses à apprendre.

robert orsi: “What is catholic about the clergy Sexual abuse crisis?”

Pensées d’une étudiante, Évelyne Asselin

le jeudi 30 septembre 2016, j’ai assisté au séminaire « What is catholic about the clergy Sexual abuse crisis? » donné par robert orsi à l’université d’ottawa. bien

que le sujet ai été profondément recherché dans la dernière décennie, ce que j’ai trouvé le plus particulièrement fascinant de la présentation de Mr. orsi a été la nouvelle manière avec laquelle il présente le matériel du point de vue des survivants. de cet façon, il agit comme une voix pour eux, une voix qu’ils, autrement, n’auraient pas la chance d’avoir. Souvent, quand on entend parler des abus sexuels à l’église catholique, on

entend presque qu’exclusivement parler des accusés eux-mêmes ou des scandales de l’église à qui tenté de camou-fler l’affaire. Il est très rare d’entendre parler des survivants, de leurs chemins vers la guérison, ou comment les terribles événements qu’ils ont dû vivre affectent leur nouvelle rela-tion avec le catéchisme.

Pendant la présentation de son séminaire, Mr. orsi nous a relaté l’histoire d’une femme, victime d’abus sexuel de la part d’un prêtre, avec qui elle a partagé son récit lors de leur



rencontre dans un groupe de survivants à chicago. elle lui a décrit sa nouvelle relation avec le catéchisme en faisant un lien avec une scène du film « le Magicien d’oz », produit par Mervyn leroy en 1939. Vers la fin du film, dorothée, le personnage principal, et ses amis toto, l’épouvantail, le lion peureux et l’homme de fer parviennent enfin à rencontrer le Magicien d’oz. le magicien est, à première vue, un person-nage impressionnant, magique, puissant et presque mys-tique pour les visiteurs. tout cela change quand toto, le chien de dorothée, tire un rideau au fond de la pièce et révèle aux personnages que le magicien n’est rien d’autre qu’un homme qui opère une machine. Il n’est rien de plus que quelques effets spéciaux, un bon éclairage et une machine à vapeur. J’ai trouvé cette analogie particulièrement poignante parce qu’elle nous donne une perspective interne de ce qui se passe dans la tête d’une survivante en nous permettant de voir comment ces expériences traumatiques affectent profon-

dément une personne de plusieurs façon, notamment spiri-tuellement. cette église qui était autrefois un impressionnant établissement de vérité, droiture et spiritualité, n’est main-tenant rien de plus qu’un bâtiment dirigé par des hommes ordinaires qui commettent des péchés comme tout le monde. J’ai trouvé que la voix de Mr. orsi en était une très humaine: Il a dédié deux ans de sa vie non seulement à exposer les cas d’abus sexuels dans l’église catholique, mais aussi à aider les survivants en les écoutants et en leurs donnant la chance de s’exprimer publiquement. J’ai récemment visionner le film « Spotlight », dirigé par tom Mccarty en 2015, et bien que je l’ai trouvé extrêmement engageant et révélateur, j’ai trouvé qu’il manquait d’ampleur en ne s’attardant pas sur les survivants des ces actes terribles. robert orsi, de son côté, a fait l’opposé : Il a vu des hommes, des femmes et des enfants derrière ces scandales religieux et il leurs a donné une voix.

Programme d'études juives canadiennes Vered 2015-16

Par Seymour Mayne, coordinateur / directeur

au cours de l’année scolaire 2015-16, le programme d’études juives canadiennes Vered a offert des cours auxquels ont participé avec enthousiasme les

étudiants inscrits et les membres du public qui y prennent part à titre d’auditeurs libres. ces cours contribuent à promouvoir la compréhension de la vie, de la culture et de l’histoire juives au canada.

les cours et les séminaires suivants ont été donnés par les professeurs et les instructeurs du programme Vered: Leonard Cohen : Poet, Novelist and Troubadour, portait principalement sur les écrits de l’auteur, ses recueils de poèmes, ses deux romans et son vaste répertoire lyrique; Histoire des Juifs du Canada, donnait un aperçu de l’histoire de la communau-té juive au canada, du régime anglais jusqu’à la période contemporaine; et Yiddish Literature and Film traitait de thèmes importants dans les films et les œuvres littéraires yiddish, ainsi que sur les contextes sociaux et culturels der-rière leur création.

en outre, les professeurs du programme ont présenté des conférences et des lectures de textes littéraires sur le campus et hors campus. le programme Vered a également parrainé le concert annuel d’anniversaire de leonard cohen auquel a assisté un vaste public au café nostalgica. des professeurs ont également participé au festival annuel d’apprentissage de limmud ottawa qui s’est tenu au centre communautaire juif à l’automne. en partenariat avec l’association Sephardi d’ottawa, le programme Vered a presenté une projection publique de Tinghir - Jérusalem, Echoes from the Mellah, de Kamal hachkar. dans le film, le cinéaste et historien Kamal hachkar, un musulman berbère né à tinghir, au Maroc et élevé en france, va à la recherche d’une communauté juive disparue - et ce faisant, doit faire face à des questions fonda-mentales au sujet de sa propre identité.

les 5 et 6 novembre 2016, quinze érudits du yiddish du monde entier et plus d’une centaine de participants se sont


rassemblés pour Le yiddish dans le nouveau millénaire : un symposium sur la langue et la culture yiddish. organisé par la professeure rebecca Margolis, le but du Symposium était d’examiner les innovations et recherches récentes dans la langue et la culture yiddish, plus particulièrement les déve-loppements en ethnomusicologie et en musique, pédagogie, parole, numérisation, littérature, cinéma et en théâtre et per-formance. les articles du symposium seront publiés dans un recueil d’essais rédigés par la professeure Margolis qui sera publié en 2019.

les recherches et les publications des professeurs du pro-gramme Vered continuent de mettre en valeur les études juives canadiennes grâce à leurs profils académiques presti-gieux à l’échelle nationale et internationale. l’objectif du pro-gramme Vered est de continuer d’améliorer la communauté d’universitaires, de chercheurs et d’étudiants dans le domaine des études juives canadiennes et domaines connexes.

Seymour Mayne has recently published two related works. the first, In Your Words: translations from the Yiddish and the hebrew, is a harvesting of renditions drawn from years of practice. this ‘personal anthology’ offers translations from the work of Yiddish canadian poets and a moving sequence of poems by abraham Sutzkever, one of the great poets of the holocaust. complementing the Yiddish is a selection of poetry in translation from notable contemporary hebrew poets. careful attention to imagery and voice yield poems in translation that read with the fluency of originals.

the second collection, dream the living into Speech, comprises a double issue of the los angeles journal, Shirim. It is composed of a selection of some of his best known poems interwoven with autobiographical prose passages that highlight how life in eastern europe trans-ported itself and adapted to the multilingual immigrant neighbourhoods of Montreal. the work as a whole is a homage to the resonance of Yiddish in canadian writing.

Prof. tracy coates: a Student’s reflection

by Diana El Richani

another success was the “decolonizing and Indigenizing the academy Symposium” held at the university of ottawa. the symposium brought together Indigenous and non-In-digenous faculty, staff and students from various disciplines at uottawa, as well as elders, Indigenous academics and researchers from outside of the university. the symposium was organized into panels and breakout groups that ad-dressed the relationship between uottawa and Indigenous peoples, including faculty, staff and students. this included recognition of uottawa’s history as a catalyst for residential schools among other topics. one of the main objectives of the Symposium being to develop recommendations on how uottawa can implement the truth and reconciliation committee’s recommendations and take steps towards decolonizing and Indigenizing. the symposium employed a number of Indigenous pedagogical and research methods, including using sharing circles as a means of transmitting and gathering knowledge. this differentiated substantially from the conventional presentation and Q&a session seen in most Western academic symposiums and conferences. In part, this is because the sharing circle format inherently recognizes and affirms the value of the knowledge held by every participant and aims to support opportunities for everyone to contribute. this collaborative space does not hold one person’s knowledge as superior, but instead seeks to utilize one person’s expertise in order to help facilitate a discussion and the overall knowledge production and learn-ing process.

being a helping hand to tracy has been an eye-opening experience allowing me access to learning about Indigenous knowledges and societies in a way that I would otherwise have not experienced. tracy is keen on sharing her knowledge using Indigenous practices and teaching methods that truly make the learning process more human and personal. What I learnt throughout my time with tracy has pushed me to reexamine and contemplate numerous issues that cannot be taught in traditional institutionalized academic classes, in part because they require the application of a non-western lens.

I was a graduate student finishing up my Master’s in anthropology when I met Professor tracy coates (who goes by just “tracy”). at that time, I had just submitted

my thesis and was on the lookout for research opportunities. I met tracy for an interview for a very small research job, and soon after I got caught up in her whirlwind of initiatives and projects as her new assistant. over the past few months, I have assisted tracy with the Indigenizing and decolonizing Symposium held in february, the launch of the IcaS Student research Portal, hosting 250+ elementary students to learn about first nations, Métis and Inuit knowledges, her research methods class in conducting an Indigenous Student Well-being Index, and working on the birch bark canoe building project (literally and figuratively), and many other activities. these initiatives created space for Indigenous knowledges to be recognized and acknowledged at uottawa, an acade-mic institution with a history of colonization and assimilation of first nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples. all of these initia-tives, headed by tracy, provided the uottawa community, myself included, with opportunities to learn about Indige-nous knowledges through Indigenous knowledge sharing practices.

under the guidance of Marcel, a proud algonquin and Metis person, students, faculty, and staff built the birch bark canoe on campus utilizing Indigenous knowledge for each step. the making of nibi aki, the magnificent canoe, provided an opportunity to explore Indigenous culture guided by Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous individuals.

as well, the history of first nations is explored by tracy’s students and showcased through the IcaS Student research Portal (Métis and Inuit forthcoming). this portal provides ac-cess to the research work and knowledge gathered by eaS students about first nations societies, cultures and know-ledge pre-contact to the present, and is now accessible through the IcaS website.



together, we built a birch bark canoe

by Janie Pépin

canoe name: nibi aki

from January 24 to March 23, students, faculty, staff and members of the uottawa community and the ottawa public were invited to participate in the construction

of a 13-foot birch bark canoe in support of the truth and re-conciliation commission’s calls to action.

Participants had the opportunity to explore aspects of anishinabeg and Metis culture and examples of how Indigenous ways of knowing, being and doing inter-sect with the disciplines of art, engineering, and sci-ence in a hands-on and interactive setting. the canoe

building was led by Marcel labelle, a proud Metis and algonquin husband, father, and grandfather, who has conducted similar projects throughout academic in-stitutions in ontario. he grew up in Mattawa, a small town in northern ontario and spent most of his child-hood on the trapline, where he learned how to live with and from the forest. he has been recognized as a sen-ior artist by the ontario arts council since 2008 and has received oac aboriginal arts Projects grants every year since. today, he is an aboriginal awareness speaker, an auth-or, and offers special canoe building projects at universities, colleges and english and french School boards in northern and Southern ontario. his work has received International recognition. Marcel teaches canoe building at laurentian university’s School of architecture in Sudbury.

uottawa, in collaboration with the Institute of canadian and aboriginal Studies, the Indigenous Students asso-ciation, and the Student federation of the university of ottawa, were proud to host this project. going forward, an important lesson learned from this project, is to ensure the involvement of local algonquin first nation communities on future initiatives.


forthcoming: Indigenizing and decolonizing the academy Symposium: Phase 2

University of Ottawa, by Tracy Coates, Ruth Kane & Sylvie Lamoureux, conference organizers

Need For and Significance of the Conference: In august 2016, gord downy of the tragically hip challenged non- Indigenous canadians to build bridges with the Indigenous people of canada. this is but the latest catalyst, of what has been more than two decades of reconciliation initiatives, formal and informal, including the closing of the last Indi-an residential school in 1996, the final report from the roy-al commission on aboriginal Peoples in 1996, and the 1998 Statement of reconciliation of the Minister of Indian affairs. If the 2007 implementation of the Indian residential Schools Settlement agreement (IrSSa) has been a catalyst for con-temporary reconciliation between Indigenous and non- Indigenous canadians, the reports and recommendations of the trc are a call to action for all canadians, but particularly for educational institutions including universities.

as graduate student Kiera brant has noted “truth is a requi-site of reconciliatory praxis.” It lays the foundation for a new sense of awareness and acknowledgment of the past and allows for a deeper and more meaningful engagement with the process of reconciliation. the cornerstones of reconcili-atory justice for the general public are truth-telling, history redressing and education – however the role of education is essential in conceptualizing and enacting our future relations with Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities. If we are to renew ethical partnerships between these communities, then we must both Indigenize and decolonize the university. It’s the only way we can re-story and (re)tell the truth about canadian relations.

In attempts to respond to the truth and reconciliation commission’s Calls to Action, as well as the greater call for reconciliatory praxis in canada, educational institutions must reflexively consider their own positionality and history in the

theme and Objectives of the Conference: the second symposium will continue to build on the collaboration and shared leadership of professors, staff and stu-

dents from uottawa,in order to act on the truth and recon-ciliation commission (trc) recommendations to Indigenize and decolonize by bringing about important changes at the university of ottawa as a whole. this symposium will bring together students, staff and professors from across the uni-versity of ottawa, with Indigenous scholars and researchers, advocates, elders and members of Indigenous communities, the goal being to continue to bring truth to the forefront, build bridges, nurture relationships and foster understan-ding.

In order to Indigenize and decolonize the academy, we must create moments where all members of the university community can hear Indigenous peoples’ voices, and come to understand Indigenous knowledges and ways of knowing. awareness, the first necessary step to Indigenizing and decolonizing the Institution, can lead to integration of In-digenous ways of knowing into everyday practice at the university. this was the focus of the first symposium at the university in february 2017. the objective of the Phase 2 Symposium is to build on that awareness and identify the next steps to actions that will guide and implement the revision of what and how we teach, of the rebuilding of our relationships and for the true Indigenizing and decolonizing of the institution to begin. It will bring to the forefront In-digenous research frameworks, Indigenous epistemologies, and Indigenous ways of knowing and being through the presentations of experts from across canada and beyond. these will inform participants’ discussions and frame the foundations of the University’s action plan and recommen-dations on Indigenization and decolonization.

colonization of Indigenous peoples. as one of canada’s oldest universities, the university of ottawa has a unique history as a catalyst for Indian residential schooling system – such as the training of oblate residential school teachers – which has yet to be formally acknowledged by the institution. as highlighted by the Final Report of the trc (2015), the popular canadian discourse often marginalizes and silences Indigen-ous narratives, which we see resonating in the reality that it is a fractional minority of our university of ottawa faculty, staff, and students that are aware of uottawa’s role in Indian residential schooling. redressing history to reflect Indigen-ous histories is not a simple process, however. Michi Saagiig nishnaabeg scholar, leanne Simpson (2011), emphasis the importance of placing Indigenous perspectives, epistemolo-gies and pedagogies at the forefront of our reconciliatory and resurgence efforts – which can be a difficult feat in the acad-emy, given the lack of Indigenous representatives in these institutions. Moreover, the relationship between Indigenous peoples and the academy is incredibly contentious if we con-sider the ways in which Western science and academe have served a colonial agenda, at times at the expense of Indigen-ous peoples’ physical and mental wellbeing. despite the shortcomings of the academy, however, there are active and prominent Indigenous scholars who continually work against the inherent colonial nature of post-secondary institutions, and academia more generally.

If we seriously wish to consider deconstructing these colonial legacies in academia – or decolonizing the academy, if you will – then we must be honest with how problematic engaging non-Indigenous canadians in a critical, reconcili-atory discussion can be. It is far too easy for non-Indigen-ous canadians to dismiss the necessity of reconciliation because it makes them feel guilty or ashamed of their can-adian identity and history. In fact, many canadians are very comfortable in distancing themselves from Indigenous real-ities – both historical and contemporary realities – whereby they may feel sympathetic to Indigenous injustice, while at the same time actively protect themselves from their own attachment/responsibility to rectifying these injustices. despite our own discomfort with these issues, however, canadian universities are now accountable to the Indigen-ous Principles on Indigenous Education (universities can-ada, 2015), as well as the trc’s Calls to Action. considering this, what steps must uottawa take as a canadian post- secondary institution, which has an overwhelmingly active role in the history of Indian residential schools, in decoloniz-ing and Indigenizing our curricula, pedagogies, and overall framework? as an institution with overwhelmingly non- Indigenous students, faculty and staff, as are the majority of PSe institutions in canada, we must actively create space where Indigenous voice and expertise can inform a new direction for the university of ottawa.

IcaS Student research Portal

by Janie Pépin

everyone was welcomed to come and celebrate the launch of the IcaS Student research Portal on friday, March 24th 2017. the launch featured the work of over

80 students from Professor tracy coates aboriginal Studies and canadian Studies courses.

the Student research Portal, which can be found on the IcaS website, is intended to celebrate the amazing work that students have developed. It includes different types of stu-dent research on a variety of Indigenous and canadian issues, including:

• Story maps with information on the histories of various first nations (Métis and Inuit content coming soon!) and the histories of various canadian social and political movements;

• a variety of research reports such as a class submission on Voting reform and a community Wellbeing Index for Indigenous students at uottawa; and

• a collection of student reflections and commentaries on diverse issues and topics.



the content was all produced by students in courses taught by a first nation’s professor, tracy coates, using Indigenized teaching methods.

on the site you can explore the social, political, and eco-nomic dynamics of social policy and colonization, with a focus on the processes of power, historical discourse, and In-digenous self-determination. the students whose research is presented here have established a foundation of critical, normative, and empirical knowledge that has developed their understanding of first nations, Métis and Inuit nations which they are happy to share it with everyone. It is our hope that it may be of help to developing greater understanding for others so all peoples can begin to move forward together in a good way.

If you would like to join us on this learning journey and ex-plore the Student research Portal, please visit the Institute’s website: arts.uottawa.ca/canada/en

chi-miigwetch! nia:wen-kowa!

IcaS graduate Student, Melissa green, funded to research canadian Palliative care Practices

Melissa green, a graduate student at the university of ottawa, is one of two recipients of IcaS’s Student travel fund Scholarship for 2017. her

research examines canada’s aging population, the rising impacts of palliative care, and more specifically the role of palliative care volunteers. Melissa has chosen to examine the city of Pembroke, located in ontario’s ottawa Valley. the national percentage for the population age 65> was 14.8% in 2011, Pembroke’s was 23.5%, perhaps presenting an accelerated vision into the future of canada’s aging reality (Statistics canada, 2012).

Pembroke’s community care access centre (ccac), offers palliative home healthcare services to community members, services which are characterized by limited growth in spending in health care resources and financial uncertainties. In addition, carefor (a non-profit community health organ-ization) has recently formed and trains volunteers to work directly with patients requiring palliative care – to provide support to patient’s “physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering” and “ease the burden of dealing with a terminal illness” (carefor, 2016). Individuals who volunteer need no

specific experience or education, but must undergo criminal record checks and a course-based training program. What does it take to become a volunteer who works with patients on their journey towards death in palliative care? Medical an-thropologist Karla erickson found that palliative volunteers were able to confront death as a privilege rather than a burden, but what exactly is involved in this work with death and dying, and how can one become capable of doing this work? these are the anthropological questions Melissa aims to ad-dress.

through fieldwork in Pembroke, from June 2017 to September 2017, Melissa will investigate the role of the palliative care volunteer through a foucauldian approach of subjectivation. Melissa plans to produce an ethnographic film on the process of becoming and being a palliative care volunteer. her hope is that the ethnographic film and accompanying analysis will act as valuable resources for members of communities across canada, with a goal of bet-tering an anthropological understanding of the role and work involved in becoming a palliative care volunteer. this under-standing can also provide knowledge for program planners


to prepare and support volunteers in their roles. Working together within palliative care settings – as academics, pro-fessionals, communities and individuals – this research hopes

to add to the discourse on providing aging canadians the highest quality of end-of-life experience.

alexandre Michaud receives IcaS travel scholarship

Alexandre Michaud, llb (udM), MSc (lSe-uK), Phd candidate (ufo)

alexandre Michaud est un avocat qui poursuit des recherches doctorales (appuyées par crSh) dans les domaines de l’histoire intellectuelle coloniale et

autochtone avec le département d’histoire de l’université d’ottawa. Plus spécifiquement, il regarde la question de la conceptualisation des clauses indiennes (Pays indien) de la Proclamation royale de 1763 à la lumière de la commission franco-britannique sur les frontières coloniales en amérique du nord (1750-1756) concernant l’argumentaire juridico- diplomatique sur le traitement en droit des populations indigènes. la subvention de voyage des études canadiennes vient appuyer ses recherches en couvrant des frais encourus pour accéder aux archives pertinentes.

avant de se joindre à l’université d’ottawa, alexandre a vécu sur la réserve Sekwel’was (cayoose creek –peuple St’at’imc – lillooet, c.-b.) dans le cadre du programme Jeunesse canada Monde. lorsqu’il était avocat-conseil et analyste principal à élections canada, il a travaillé à l’orga-nisation de l’élection du chef de l’assemblée des Premières nations et sur les programmes éducatifs dont l’objectif est d’encourager le vote des autochtones lors des élections fédérales. alexandre a obtenu son baccalauréat en droit de l’université de Montréal et sa maîtrise du london School of economics and Political Science (r.-u.).

an abstract of his research project follows:

A ‘Country free to the Natives’? The genesis of the 1763 Royal Proclamation & the 1750s Franco-British diplomacy

the 1763 royal Proclamation (‘rP’) remains to this day of great significance to first nations-crown relationships in canada. historically, one of the most striking features of the

royal Proclamation was the creation of a large Indian coun-try under direct british crown’s ‘Sovereignty, Protection, and dominion’. this paper explores the intellectual genesis that led the british authorities to adopt such arrangement vis-à-vis the numerous Indian nations and their territories west of the appalachians.

My research and findings suggest that the rationales of the Indian clauses presented in the 1763 rP are a direct product of the protracted franco-british diplomatic disputes preced-ing the official declaration of the Seven Years’ War. the idea of creating an Indian country emerged during these nego-tiations as a means to stop franco-british colonial hostilities so as to preserve the ‘tranquility of europe’. the goal was to avoid any direct anglo-french boundaries since the two nations could not live side-by-side in a time of intense rivalry. the creation of an Indian buffer zone inserted in between french and british colonies was seen as the better solution to the specter of a european war being sparked by colonial border conflicts. the discussed parameters of this country ‘free to the natives of the country’ meant that large terri-tories, mostly in the ohio country and the south shores of ontario and erie lakes, would be possessed by natives only, free from both french and british sovereignty claims and the presence of their respective settlers and soldiers. diplo-macy of peace failed, war ensued and the removal of french authorities in 1763 dramatically changed the geo-political situation for the british (new opportunities) and Indian nations (‘Pontiac’s war’).

the 1750s franco-british intellectual work about Indian rights, however, was not lost. to the contrary, there would be readily available legal material that would in turn direct the

british framers of the 1763 rP. evidence show that the royal Proclamation’s Indian clauses are based on the 1750s work as adjusted for the new opportunities of 1763 – the removal of the french rival from north america. the end result of the british authors’ frame of mind, as embedded in the royal Proclamation’s wording, shows a much-diminished final version of Indian rights when compared to an Indian country free from imperial claims and interventions. consequently, we suggest that the end of the french rival in north america led to a royal Proclamation that was a serious setback inso-far as native rights were concerned.

In fact, the genesis of the royal Proclamation is better understood as a reflection of the 1750s franco-british in-terpretations of article XV of the 1713 utrecht treaty – one that denies native land ownership and independence from european imperialism. In this light, the 1763 rP as a force for good can only make sense if we focus on the resilience and political tenacity of the aboriginal nations who infused their meaning to this important constitutional document (s.25 of the Canada Act, 1982), which bore positive outcomes 200 hundred years later amid aboriginal resurgence in canada.

Indigenous community calls to action for the university of ottawa

In January and May 2017, the President and Provosts met with a committee of Indigenous uottawa community members that included Indigenous faculty and staff, re-

presentatives from the Indigenous Students’ association, Indigenous law Students’ association and the Indigenous graduate Students’ association, members of the aboriginal education committee (aec), and local Indigenous commu-nity representatives. during these meetings, the university administration was asked to support the following:

1. Increased hiring of Indigenous professors in all faculties and remove barriers to hiring Indigenous people.

2. that a standing committee on Indigenous issues be struck that is embedded in the university governance structure in a manner that takes Indigenous voices into consideration. the committee should include Indige-nous professors, staff, students, aec and local Indigenous community members. the work of these individuals must be duly recognized and compensated out of uni-versity funds, not from Ministry funding. Members of the committee must be collectively determined by the on-campus Indigenous community and surrounding In-digenous communities. the first meeting should be held during the first week of august, 2017

3. that the university, in partnership with Indigenous repre-sentatives, explore options for a governance model that embeds Indigenous issues, for example by establishing

an office of Indigenous Initiatives or a vice-president on Indigenous issues.

4. that the university commit to dedicating core funding for a full-time indeterminate senior Indigenous position by May 2018.

5. that the restructuring of the aboriginal resources cen-tre, including the development of the terms of reference and hiring of all positions on the aboriginal portfolio, be guided by the Indigenous uottawa community.

6. that the university adopt language recognizing that it is situated on the unceded unsurrendered territory of the algonquin nation.

7. that the President and Provost endorse the recommenda-tions from the Summary of Symposium findings. these recommendations come from Phase 1 of the Indigenizing and decolonizing the academy Symposium held at the university of ottawa in february 2017. over 100 students, staff, and faculty from uottawa participated in the event and provided the feedback included in the recommenda-tions.

8. that the university act in good faith to work towards meeting the calls to action that Indigenous students sub-mitted in an online petition in december 2016, as well as those submitted by the Indigenous Studies Students’ as-sociation in 2012.



brenda Macdougall instigates new course in concert with the canadian Museum of history

nal collection at the canadian Museum of history. Students enrolled in this course will acquire and apply theory and methodological skills in the field of material history using archival records and three-dimensional artifacts. the course will be co-taught by dr. timothy foran, the curator of british north america at the canadian Museum of history and Katie Pollock, who will by then have completed her doctorate in history with an emphasis on Métis material culture production.

In the Winter of 2018 the university of ottawa will be offering an aboriginal Studies special topics course in part-nership with the canadian Museum of history: EAS 3102,

From Horse Days to Red Rising: Plains Material Cultures, 1670-2018 (short title: Plains Material cultures). While exploring the northern great Plains as a zone of contact, interaction, and exchange, and as a crucible for the production of new for-ms of cultural expression, this course will draw on the natio-

rapport de la chaire de recherche sur les Métis

en congé universitaire depuis le 1er juillet 2016, brenda Macdougall continue de travailler sur un certain nombre de projets de recherche pendant son absence

de l’université. Ses efforts ont été consacrés aux activités continues du projet de base de données sur les archives numériques (projet dad). les dossiers récemment transcrits, en particulier ceux de la région des grands lacs, seront dis-ponibles en ligne à http://dadp.ok.ubc.ca, d’ici la fin de l’été 2017. le mandat du projet dad consiste à rendre les don-nées accessibles au grand public, c’est-à-dire à quiconque effectue des recherches à des fins politiques, généalogiques, scolaires ou autres. l’accès à ce type de document est présentement limité à des spécialistes de la recherche

archivistique, mais avec le soutien généreux de la direction générale des relations avec les Métis et les Indiens non- inscrits du Ministère des affaires autochtones et du nord canada, nous avons pu mettre l’information à la disposition de toute la communauté de recherche.

en août 2016, Katie Pollock, candidate au doctorat du département d’histoire de l’université de l’alberta, a com-mencé à gérer les activités du laboratoire de recherche sur les familles et les collectivités métisses, et à superviser tous les projets de recherche associés à la chaire de recherche sur les Métis. en juillet 2017, elle assumera un nouveau rôle en tant qu’étudiante postdoctorale avec le dr Macdougall.

9. that a committee be struck to explore how to expand the aboriginal studies program and position it and all aboriginal support services more effectively and promi-nently within the university of ottawa.

10. that the university explore ways to support language studies (particularly the algonquin language).

11. that the university dedicate funding for a strategic plan to be undertaken by an external source and overseen by the senior aboriginal position.

Pursuant to the United Nation Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), Article 18, the Indigenous uot-tawa community must have the right to select their own Indigenous representatives on any and all of these issues. Specifically, article 18 states that: “Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures, as well as to maintain and develop their own Indigenous deci-sion-making institutions.”


IcaS Visitors, 2016-2017

Sujit Kumar Basak

Mimi Chakrabarty

It is perhaps one of the most scandalous ‘open secrets’ that the missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWg) phenomenon has gripped our country for years

on end, as intersectional discrimination continues to inhibit access to justice in a systematic manner. emerging efforts in refining national justice mechanisms have proved, more or less, to be a strategic give-and-take of political capital among engaged stakeholders. My research examines how ongoing tensions between relevant institutional agendas result in outrageous implementation gaps in investigations and violence prevention, further distancing canada’s Indigenous women from their rightful claim to safety and justice. to grow my exposure to contemporary fieldwork, I am volunteering part-time in Violence Prevention and Safety at the native Women’s association of canada. I aim to analyze my findings for my Master’s thesis in human rights, and hope to engage actively in the advan-cement of women’s rights throughout the course of my career.

Anne Dance

Thanks so much to IcaS and especially the indefatigable emma anderson for welcoming me. It has been wonderful to work alongside such enthusiastic,

smart colleagues in William commanda hall. highlights include learning from tracy coates and her class of marvelous students, talks by robert orsi and taiaiake alfred, and of course the reStorying canada conference.

dr. anne dance is a historian by training and currently serves as the executive and academic director of the non-partisan cPSa Parliamentary Internship pro-gramme. While at the Institute, she has been researching agriculture editor and feminist cora hind (link: http://activehistory.ca/2017/01/rediscovering-the-or-acle-of-wheat/) and continues to study how legislators, security experts, and ordinary citizens access Parliament hill (link: http://ottawacitizen.com/news/local-news/u-k-attack-triggers-heightened-security-on-hill-a-potentially-attract-ive-target-in-2017 ).

She is also in the process of transforming her Ph.d. into a book thanks to IcaS’s proximity to the national archives.

Danae Jacobson

My time in canada has been productive academically, and the Institute for canadian and aboriginal Studies has been a perfect home base. one of my colleagues and

office mates is also an environmental historian; she has connected me to other scho-lars and events happening in the region, such as talks, conferences, and book launches. Since I am not taking classes, having an office (with lovely natural light!) and being a part of the Institute really helped me get connected to a wider academic community than I otherwise would have been able to access. In addition, the restorying canada confe-rence was a remarkable gathering that I am so glad I was able to participate in. already (it was about two weeks ago), I have been in email dialogue with several scholars from the conference.

While in canada, my project has matured significantly. I came here with an accepted dissertation proposal and passed exams, but with nothing really written for the dis-sertation. over the past months, the dissertation has really begun to emerge (both in my mind and on paper). this is due to a combination of research in canadian archives, conversa-tions with canadian scholars and historiographies, and time to think and write. I am currently writing the second chapter, and plan to finish the third by the end of the year.

the dissertation, in its current iteration, is an environment-al and cultural history of canadian and uS religious sisters living in places they would have considered the “frontier” in north america. I examine several communities of Sisters as they moved from eastern places, like Kentucky and Quebec,

to western places, like new Mexico territory and Montana territory. I look at the roles of nineteenth-century sisters in settler-colonialism in canada and the uS, and I argue that religion and religious actors embody a crucial (though often overlooked—especially in u.S. historiography) part of this story. My dissertation examines these broad processes through looking closely at two case studies. I chose these places and orders because they literally crossed the con-tinent as a part of their efforts (including the international border between canada and the u.S.). I am very grateful for the support of the fulbright research grant, which enabled me to come to canada, and for emma anderson’s provision of institutional support at the Institute for canadian and aboriginal Studies.

ravi mishra

The conquest of canada by the british in 1763 is often regarded as the beginning of a struggle for survival by the canadians, who had by this time emerged as a distinctive

north-american french community with its own, culture, institutions, socio-economic organization, and identity. apart from their inherent strength as a close-knit, cohesive, and fiercely independent community, it was the historical trajectory of north america over the next few decades that provided a favourable situation for the autonomous future of the french-canadians. the Quebec act and the constitutional act of 1791, both originating in and shaped by the context of the american revolution and the sub-sequent independence of the american colonies, together represent a british colonial framework of pragmatic accommodation which ensured social and cultural continuity for the french-canadian community and helped them maintain their distinctive identi-ty over the next two centuries and more.

forthcoming Visitors to the Institute, 2017-2018:

Kristina Baudemann

Je suis présentement en train de rédiger mon mémoire sur les futurismes indigènes (la science-fiction des

amérindiens et des autochtones). dans mon projet, j’exa-mine les représentations de l’avenir et de l’avenir dans les littératures futuristes, les arts et les espaces numériques indigènes, du roman spéculatif 1978 de gerald Vizenor

au collage numérique 2008 de debra Yepa-Pappan Live Long and Prosper (Spock Was a Half-Breed) et Skawennati Machinima TimeTraveller ™ (2007-2013). Mes recherches dans l’Institut des études canadiennes et autochtones sont consacrées à l’histoire, aux histoires et aux réalités des autochtones, des arts et des cultures autochtones : j’espère



apprendre plus sur les antécédents historiques et culturels, ainsi que sur la méthodologie afin de mieux comprendre les futurs métis et mohawk construits dans des œuvres d’art futuristes canadiennes et indigènes. bien sûr, je suis toujours à la recherche de projets futuristes indigènes par des artistes autochtones dont je n’ai pas encore entendu parler.

d’autres intérêts de recherches portent sur la culture et les théories postmodernes, les études post-structuralistes et sémiotiques, la science-fiction et les études fantastiques, utopiques, ainsi que l’horreur et le « new Weird ».

ruth bradley St. Cyr

Mes recherches portent sur l’industrie canadienne de l’édition de livres et sur la politique culturelle qui l’entoure et le soutient. Ma thèse de doctorat a examiné les raisons de la

vente de The Ryerson Press à McGraw-Hill (1970) et mes recherches continuelles portent sur la commission royale sur l’édition du livre (1971-1973), fondée en réponse à la vente. les ques-tions générales de ma recherche sont les suivantes: 1) quelles mesures de politique culturelle sont nécessaires pour que le canada possède une industrie de l’édition de livres en plein essor? 2) les politiques culturelles sont-elles mises en place après l’érosion de la commission royale d’aujourd’hui? 3) Si oui, abordons-nous un autre point de crise dans l’édition canadienne?

luc-André brunet

Je suis présentement un conférencier pour l’his-

toire européenne du XXe siècle à l’université open au royaume-uni. aupa-ravant, j’étais chercheur de Max Weber à l’Institut universitaire européen à florence, en Italie, et cher-cheur à Pinto Post-docto-rat à la London School of Economics, où j’ai éga-

lement obtenu mon doctorat. Mon premier livre, Forging Europe: Industrial Organisation in France, 1940-1952 (2017) examine les continuités précédemment négligées de Vichy france aux premières institutions supranationales en europe, notamment à ce qui à trait à la communauté européenne du charbon et de l’acier (précurseur de l’union européenne d’aujourd’hui).

Mon projet de recherche principal, au sein de l’IcaS, porte sur les relations diplomatiques et économiques entre le canada et Vichy france pendant la Seconde guerre mondiale. alors que le royaume-uni et la france ont coupé les relations diplomatiques peu de temps après la mise en place du ré-gime de Vichy, le canada a maintenu ses relations avec Vichy jusqu’à la fin de 1942. le canada a poursuivi une politique étrangère distincte de londres, informée par des facteurs nationaux et internationaux. S’appuyant sur une recherche réalisée en france, au royaume-uni, en allemagne, en afrique du Sud et en australie, ce projet vise à placer les relations franco-canadiennes dans son contexte interna-tional pour évaluer l’émergence d’une politique étrangère véritablement autonome au milieu du XXe siècle.

J’étudie également l’Initiative de paix de Pierre trudeau de 1983, en mettant l’accent sur la façon dont l’initiative a été reçue par les alliés du canada à l’otan, en m’appuyant sur des documents archivistiques récemment déclassifiés prove-nant d’une demi-douzaine de pays.


matthew hayday

Matthew hayday est professeur d’histoire

canadienne à l’université de guelph. Ses intérêts de recherche se concentrent sur la période de l’après- seconde guerre mondiale, avec un accent particulier sur l’histoire politique, la politique linguistique et les façons dont les iden-tités canadiennes ont été

façonnées par les politiques gouvernementales et les acteurs du mouvement social.

Son projet actuel, financé par le SSHRC, est une biogra-phie du très honorable Joe clark, le 16e premier ministre du canada, qui a également été ministre des affaires exté-rieures, ministre des affaires constitutionnelles, chef de l’opposition et chef du Parti progressiste-conservateur du canada.

Matthew a publié de nombreux articles sur des questions liées à la politique linguistique, aux célébrations et aux com-mémorations (y compris l’histoire de la fête du canada), l’histoire culturelle et l’histoire politique. Ses livres les plus récents sont: So They Want Us to Learn French: Promoting and Opposing Bilingualism in English-speaking Canada (ubc Press, 2015) et la collection éditée Celebrating Canada, vol. 1: Holidays, National Days, and the Crafting of Identities (university of toronto Press, 2016).

Jean-Pierre nguede ngono

resilience of baka facing Socio-environmental Change

My research fields are located in cameroon, with the baka, one of the traditionally nomadic hunter-gatherer societies. My initial research with

the baka of cameroon is mainly in the field of social anthropology with an analysis of cultural systems and local theories of behavioral ecology. My work with the baka led me to the field of resilience, the analysis of current processes of affirmation of identity and territorial claims. What I call indigenous “resilience” refers to the dynamics and practices of baka resistance, accommodation and engagement in their relationships with the state and the majority society.

Documents

Université d’Ottawa University of Ottawa · 2017-07-27 · with her own research grant. t his two-day symposium, held on february 27th and 28th, (held, fittingly enough, in the