Annual conference of the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada
February 13-15, 2008, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Omni Mont-Royal Hotel
1050 Sherbrooke Street West
FINAL PROGRAMME – English/Français[.pdf]
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13TH, 2008
Admission to the Wednesday evening session is free and open to the public. Kindly RSVP by luke [dot] moreau [at] mcgill [dot] ca (email) if you only wish to attend the Wednesday evening session.
| 3:00 p.m. | REGISTRATION |
| 5:00 p.m. | WORDS OF WELCOME WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University HEATHER MUNROE-BLUM, O.C., FRSC, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, McGill University MINI-BEATTY LECTURE
Presented by the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada in association with the Centre for Developing Area Studies and the Department of Hispanic StudiesCARLOS MONSIVÁIS, Writer, Journalist & Mexico's Leading Cultural Critic The Other North AmericaIntroduced by: JESÚS PÉREZ-MAGALLÓN, Professor and Chair, Department of Hispanic Studies, McGill University Thanked by: EDGARDO FLORES RIVAS, Consul General of Mexico in Montréal This lecture is made possible by a grant from the Beatty Memorial Lectures Committee COCKTAIL TO FOLLOW LECTURE |
| 7:00 p.m. | CBC RADIO ONE PUBLIC FORUM |
Join CBC Radio One Montreal for the interactive forum and debate: "Are We American." It will be moderated by Mike Finnerty, host of Daybreak, CBC Radio One's morning show in Montreal. Guests include: Len Blum, a Montreal screenwriter of Hollywood comedies; former federal and provincial cabinet minister Liza Frulla; Deni Yvan Bechard, author of Vandal Love; Graciela-Martinez Zalce, an expert on Canadian culture at UNAM in Mexico City and Ojibway author Drew Hayden Taylor.
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2008
| 8:00 a.m. | REGISTRATION |
| 8:30 a.m. | WORDS OF WELCOME ELSBETH HEAMAN, Associate Professor, Department of History & Program Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University (Master of Ceremonies - Morning) WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University ALEX K. PATERSON, O.C., O.Q., Q.C., Co- Chair, Board of Trustees, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada & Chairman, Greater Montreal Foundation ANTHONY MASI, Provost, McGill University |
| 8:45 a.m. | KEYNOTE ADDRESS DAVID H. WILKINS, United States Ambassador to Canada |
| 9:15 a.m. | SESSION I - ARE WE AMERICAN? |
Must the phrase “American culture” refer exclusively to the culture of the United States? Do we feel “North American” in any genuine sense, or is North American integration a myth? Have Canada, the United States and Mexico each developed unique forms of cultural expression that convey each nation’s distinctiveness? Is North American becoming, like Europe, a “continent of regions”?
| MODERATOR: | KENNETH WHYTE, Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Maclean's Magazine |
| SPEAKERS: | ANDREW COHEN, Associate Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, Norman Paterson School of International Affairs, Carleton University JIAN GHOMESHI, Broadcaster, CBC Radio & Television NOREEN GOLFMAN, Professor & Interim Dean of Graduate Studies Memorial University of Newfoundland ANAÍ LÓPEZ, Screenplay writer and teacher for the writing skills workshop, Universidad Iberoamericana, Mexico ÉMILE MARTEL, Poet, Translator and President of the Quebec Centre of P.E.N. International |
| 10:45 a.m. | BREAK |
| 11:00 a.m. | SESSION II - MEDIA, NATION & POLITICS |
May we speak of a “cultural citizenship” that is distinct from civic or political citizenship? What is the role of media in producing and maintaining this citizenship? Do the media of Canada, the United States and Mexico reflect differences in the political cultures of these countries? Are social and political processes throughout North America being "Americanized"?
| MODERATOR: | DARIN BARNEY, Canada Research Chair in Technology & Citizenship, McGill University |
| SPEAKERS: | JOHN CRUICKSHANK, Publisher of CBC News, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation SHARON M. JEANNOTTE, Senior Fellow, Centre on Governance, University of Ottawa STEPHEN J. FARNSWORTH, Associate Professor of Political Science and International Affairs, University of Mary Washington FERNANDO FRANCISCO CASTAÑOS ZUNO, Chair in Contemporary Mexican Studies |
| 11:00 a.m. | SESSION III - WORDS & PERFORMANCE |
Fourteen years after the signing of NAFTA, have the literary imaginations of North Americans been integrated? How do national boundaries affect the movement of writing and writers throughout the continent? How have the literature of Canada and the U.S. been shaped by cultural diversity? How do Francophone and Anglophone creative expression travel differently in North America? Where, in North America, are writers and performers more respected? More secure? More influential?
| MODERATOR: | MARIANNE ACKERMAN, Author & Co-founder, THEATRE 1774 |
| SPEAKERS: | WAYDE COMPTON, Writer in Residence, Simon Fraser University JEAN-FRANÇOIS CÔTÉ, Associate Professor, Department of Sociology, Département de sociologie, Université du Québec à Montréal BARRIE HOWELLS, Producer, Director, Productions Camex Productions, Mexico LINDA LEITH, Novelist, Founder of Blue Metropolis Foundation & Artistic Director of the Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival |
| 12:30 p.m. | LUNCH |
| MASTER OF CEREMONIES | GRETTA CHAMBERS, Chancellor Emerita, McGill University, Member, Board of Trustees, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada |
| 2:00 p.m. | SESSION IV - HUMOUR |
Why are there so many successful English-Canadian humourists and comedy writers working in the United States? Why, in contrast, as there so few successful English Canadian comedy films? Does our brand of humour translate to mass audiences around the world more easily than American humour? Does Canadian humour adequately represent the diversity of Canadian society and culture?
| MODERATOR: | PIERRE LANDRY, Cultural Columnist, Daybreak, CBC Radio, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |
| SPEAKERS: | ANDY NULMAN, President and CMO, Airborne Mobile BEVERLY RASPORICH, Professor Emeritus, University of Calgary, 2006 Fulbright Scholar, Canadian Studies in the United States DREW HAYDEN TAYLOR, Playwright, journalist, novelist, filmmaker, humourist JOYA BALFOUR, Online Producer, National Broadcasting Corporation (NBC) |
| 3:30 p.m. | BREAK |
| 3:45 p.m. | SESSION V - CULTURAL BRANDING |
How do the cultures of Canada and Quebec “brand” themselves as they move elsewhere in North America? What images of Quebec or Canada are most appealing to North Americans? What compromises are necessary on the part of cultural producers in Canada seeking success outside of their home culture?
| MODERATOR: | NATHALIE COOKE, Professor & Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Arts, McGill University |
| SPEAKERS: | MELISSA ARONCZYK, Researcher, Department of Media, Culture, and Communication, New York University MICHELE BYERS, Associate Professor of Sociology and Criminology, Graduate Coordinator, Women and Gender Studies, Saint Mary's University MICHEL LAFLEUR, Director, International Affairs and Intergovernmental Relations, ministère de la Culture, des Communications et de la Condition féminine du Québec SERRA TINIC, Associate Professor of Media Studies, Department of Sociology, University of Alberta |
| 5:15 p.m. | BREAK |
| 5:30 p.m. | SPECIAL EVENT - STAR-MAKING IN CANADA |
How do Canadians become stars? Does Canada serve as an invaluable training ground for up-and-coming actors, writers and directors? Does Canadian international leadership in the area of cultural festivals (jazz, film, comedy) enhance opportunities for Canadian artists? Has the international success of Canadian musicians, film stars and visual artists weakened a Canadian cultural infrastructure, or has that success trickled down so as to strengthen our cultural infrastructure? Are English-Canadian artists forced to relocate to the United States in order to be ‘successful’ at their craft?
| MODERATOR: | TRINA MCQUEEN, CTV Chair in Broadcast Management, Schulich School of Business, York University |
| SPEAKERS: | DAVID JULIAN HIRSH, Actor & Producer SLAWKO KLYMKIW, Executive Director, Canadian Film Centre MICHAEL LEVINE, Partner, Goodmans LLP & Chairman, Westwood Creative Artists Limited DAVID ROTENBERG, Artistic Director, the Professional Actors Lab & Novelist for Penguin books |
| 7:00 p.m. | COCKTAIL DÎNATOIRE |
Will Include Montreal's Famous Smoked Meat from Schwartz's
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15TH, 2008
| 8:00 a.m. | REGISTRATION |
| 8:30 a.m. | WORDS OF WELCOME IAN RAE, Visiting Professor, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University (Master of Ceremonies) WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University CHRISTOPHER MANFREDI, Professor & Dean, Faculty of Arts, McGill University |
| 8:45 a.m. | KEYNOTE ADDRESS ALLAN GOTLIEB, Former Canadian Ambassador to the United States, Senior Advisor, Bennett Jones LLP |
| 9:15 a.m. | SESSION VI - QUÉBEC IN VEGAS |
From Robert Lepage to Cirque du Soleil, why is it that Québecois artists have been so successful in ‘America’s playground’? Why has Las Vegas, often considered the quintessentially American city, embraced Céline Dion and the Cirque du Soleil, two cultural phenomena born in the distinctly home-grown traditions of Quebec street performance and regional song festivals? How much do Robert Lepage, Celine Dion and Cirque du soleil alter their work for a Las Vegas audience? What mix of entrepreneurial strategies, government policies and cultural affinities explains the success of Quebec artists in Las Vegas?
| MODERATOR: | JENNY BURMAN, Assistant Professor, Communication Studies, McGill University |
| SPEAKERS: | KAREN FRICKER, Department of Drama and Theatre, Royal Holloway, University of London ERIN HURLEY, Assistant Professor, Department of English, McGill University PATRICK LEROUX, Assistant Professor, Department of English and Department of French, Concordia University CARL WILSON, Writer & Editor, Globe and Mail & Author of Let's Talk About Love: A Journey to the End of Taste |
| 10:45 a.m. | CANADA & THE UNITED STATES AS SEEN THROUGH THE EYES OF CARTOONISTS TERRY (AISLIN) MOSHER, Cartoonist, The Gazette Hosted by MICHAEL GOLDBLOOM, Vice-Principal (Public Affairs), McGill University |
| 11:15 a.m. | BREAK |
| 11:30 a.m. | SESSION VII - MUSIC |
Is it possible to pursue a musical career while working exclusively within Canada? Has NAFTA produced a North American market for music in any real sense? If Canada’s multicultural diversity is one of our country’s most trumpeted features, why are the Canadian musical stars who succeed elsewhere in North America (and the world) almost always of Anglo-Celtic backgrounds? What sorts of government policies in the music/sound recording sector have worked? Which have not?
| MODERATOR: | WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University |
| SPEAKERS: | STEVE JORDAN, Founder and Executive Director, Polaris Music Prize PIERRE PERPALL, Producer & Entertainer, Permont Music Inc. PATTI SCHMIDT, Host & Producer, Cinq à Six, Inside the Music & Canada Live, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation DOMINIQUE ZGARKA, President, Koch Entertainment Canada (Entertainment One) |
| 11:30 a.m. | SESSION VIII - OBSERVING CULTURE |
Is it possible to define and measure the cultural activity of nations? What is the appropriate role of governments in gathering and disseminating information on the cultural sector? How has the Cultural Observatory movement, often considered a European invention, fared in the Americas? What are the successes and failures of cultural observatories in North America and elsewhere?
| MODERATOR: | VICTORIA DICKENSON, Executive Director, McCord Museum |
| SPEAKERS: | ALFONSO CASTELLANOS RIBOT, National Coordinator for Strategic and Prospective Studies, National Council for Arts and Culture, Mexico AIMEE FULLMAN, Consultant CLAUDIO PRADO, Coordinator of Digital Policy, Ministry of Culture, Government of Brazil VLADIMIR SKOK, Director, Canadian Cultural Observatory, eCulture HEATHER DE SANTIS, Researcher, School of Journalism and Communication, Carleton University |
| 1:00 p.m. | LUNCH |
| 2:30 p.m. | SESSION IX - LANGUAGE, CITIZENSHIP & CULTURE |
Sponsored by: Centre d'Études et de Recherches Internationales Université de Montréal
Do linguistic differences within North America weaken or strengthen notions of citizenship? What is the relationship of cultural diversity to linguistic diversity? In what ways does cultural expression (literature, cinema, etc.) contribute to strengthening citizenship within each North American society and between them? What is the appropriate role of public policy in the linguistic realm, and what lessons might the different nations of North America learn from each other in this regard?
| MODERATOR: | JEAN-FRANÇOIS LISÉE, Executive Director, Centre d’études et de recherches internationales, Université de Montréal (CÉRIUM) |
| SPEAKERS: | LOUISE BEAUDOIN, Responsible for International Francophonie Issues, Centre d’études et de recherches internationales, Université de Montréal (CÉRIUM) RAINER ENRIQUE HAMEL, Professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana, Mexico RON SCHMIDT, Professor, Department of Political Science, California State University, Long Beach |
| 4:00 p.m. | BREAK |
| 4:15 p.m. | SESSION X - THE IDEA OF AMERICANITÉ |
The notion of an Americanité, of a hemispheric American identity, has been developed by thinkers and critics working for the most part outside the Anglophone world. This idea has had particular resonance within Quebec in recent years. How useful is the notion of Americanité for generating productive ways of thinking about cultural identity in the so-called New World.
| MODERATOR: | ROBERT SCHWARTZWALD, Chair, Department of English, Université de Montréal |
| SPEAKERS: | YVAN LAMONDE, Professor, Department of French, James McGill Professorship of French, McGill University JOHN H. THOMPSON Professor, Department of History, Duke University GRACIELA MARTINEZ-ZALCE, Researcher, Centro de Investigaciones sobre América del Norte, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México |
| 5:30 p.m. | CLOSING REMARKS WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University |
| COCKTAIL |
Admission to the Gilberto Gil lecture is free and open to the public
| 6:00 p.m. | SPECIAL PUBLIC LECTURE Media@McGill and the McGill Institute for the Study of Canada are pleased to present... GILBERTO GIL, Singer/Songwriter, Minister of Culture, Government of Brazil Digital Culture: Re-inventing America's New World Dream |
“We must be ever vigilant as digital technology, like any other technology, can be used against individuals and society’s interests. That’s why I am sure we have not only to humanize, but also politicize these technologies. Make them available to society and every citizen.”
| Introduced by: | MARC RABOY, Professor and Beaverbrook Chair in Ethics, Media and Communications, Department of Art History and Communication Studies, McGill University |
| Thanked by: | WILLIAM STRAW, Professor, Department of Art History and Communication Studies & Acting Director, McGill Institute for the Study of Canada, McGill University |
