Canadian Studies Announcements

In this issue:

NEXT WEEK

Studying Religious Symbols and Bias in Court Proceedings

November 9 | 12:30 pm | 223 Moses Hall | RSVP here

Canadian Studies Sproul Fellow Nicholas A. R. Fraser will discuss research that examines bias against religious minorities within Canadian judicial procedures. Using original experimental data gathered in collaboration with Colton Fehr (Simon Fraser University), Dr. Fraser will use the example of courtroom oaths as a window into how Canadian cultural expectations can subtly affect an immigrant’s experience of “integration.”

Nicholas A. R. Fraser is a John R. Sproul Research Fellow with the Canadian Studies Program. He is a political scientist specializing in the impact of organizational culture on policy application. He holds M.A.s from the University of British Columbia and Waseda University (Japan), and received his Ph.D. from the University of Toronto, where he was previously an associate at the Munk School of Global Affairs and Public Policy.

This event will be held in-person at UC Berkeley; however, a live webcast will be available for those who would prefer to attend virtually. Please RSVP for more details.

This event is cosponsored by the Berkeley Interdisciplinary Migration Initiative, the Center for Race and Gender, and the Center for the Study of Law and Society.

Last Chance to Get Your Official Remembrance Poppy!

Every year, from the last Friday of October to November 11, tens of millions of Canadians wear a poppy as a visual pledge to honour Canada’s veterans. In partnership with Royal Canadian Legion US Branch #25, the Canadian Studies Program is honoured to serve as an official distributor of red poppies. Interested persons may pick up their poppies at our office in 213 Moses Hall on the UC Berkeley campus, weekdays between 9am-5pm. While the poppy is free, the Legion gratefully accepts donations towards their Poppy Fund, which directly supports Canadian veterans and their families. Learn more about the Poppy Campaign here.

The Remembrance Poppy Celebrates its 100th Anniversary

Throughout Canada, the United Kingdom, and other Commonwealth countries, it’s common see people wearing red artificial poppies in their lapels around Remembrance Day on November 11. In official ceremonies, war memorials are decorated with wreaths and garlands of the flowers, sometimes numbering in the thousands. But what is the origin of this tradition, and how did it become popular across so many countries?

The symbolism of the poppy dates back to World War I. In 1915, a Canadian army medic named John McCrae wrote and published the poem “In Flanders Fields”. McCrae was inspired to write it after presiding over the funeral of a fellow soldier, and its famous opening line (“In Flanders fields the poppies blow between the crosses, row on row”) created some of the conflict’s most enduring imagery. While McCrae died not long after its publication, the poem’s popularity and impact only grew following his death.

In 1918, an American humanitarian, Moina Michael, became the first to propose using the poppy as a symbol of remembrance after reading McCrae’s poem. However, its widespread adoption was thanks to the efforts of a Frenchwoman, Anna Guérin. Madame Guérin sold silk poppies to raise funds for French veterans and widows and orphans of war, and campaigned for other Allied nations to follow suite. Canada adopted the poppy in 1921 after a visit by Guérin, becoming the first Commonwealth nation to do so (Britain followed shortly afterwards). 100 years later, the poppy remains an enduing symbol of the sacrifices made by Canadian soldiers, and the service given by Canada’s veterans to the country both in times of war and peace.

Deadline Extended: ACSUS Biennial Call for Papers

New deadline: December 1, 2021

In celebration of the its 50th anniversary, the Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) will host its 26th biennial conference, March 24-27, 2022, in Washington, D.C. The conference is open to all proposals with a significant focus on Canada or Canadian-American relations, but encourages proposals that address this year’s theme: ‘Canada: Near and Far’. How is Canada perceived and portrayed from outside its borders, and by the international community? How is Canada understood by its expatriates? What is ACSUS’s role in these larger questions?

Notifications of acceptance will be sent out by December 15th, 2021 and early registration will be available until January 1, 2022. Individuals who submitted a proposal prior to the previous deadline will receive notification of acceptance by November 15.

Learn more and apply here.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

American Indian Film Festival, Season 46

November 5-13 | Online | Buy tickets

Several films by Indigenous Canadians will be screened at this year’s American Indian Film Festival. The films include: Kímmapiiyipitssini: The Meaning of Empathy; Evan’s Drum; Nalujuk Night; Mary Two-Axe Earley: I Am Indian Again; and The Lake Winnipeg Project. Films are available to stream on-demand online beginning November 5. The AIFF is a project of the San Francisco-based American Indian Film Institute, which seeks to foster understanding and appreciation of the cultures and issues of contemporary Native people and develop audiences for voices historically excluded from mainstream cinema.

Remembrance Day Ceremony

November 11 | 10:00 am | Petaluma, CA

Join US Branch 25 of the Royal Canadian Legion (representing the San Francisco Bay Area) for their annual Remembrance Day Service from Liberty Cemetery in Petaluma, California. The annual service will be streamed live from the cemetery through Zoom webinar and can be watched by registering here.

Stanford Live Presents: William Prince

November 11 | 7:00 pm | Stanford University | Buy tickets

Enjoy an evening with Manitoba-based Indigenous Canadian folk and country musician William Prince in a special Stanford Live performance cosponsored by the Digital Moose Lounge. A singer-songwriter of magnitude, Prince has earned critical accolades for his synthesis of country and gospel music with acoustic guitar and messages about the human condition.

Please note that all attendees must wear a mask and bring proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test taken within 72 hours of attendance.

Canada and the United States: Exploring the Nuclear Option

November 12 | 12:30 pm | Online | RSVP

Join the Wilson Center’s Canada Institute for a panel discussion on nuclear energy and how the governments of Canada and the United States can work together to reach their climate change goals. The United States and Canada, both parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), are faced with the challenge of meeting climate change commitments while sustaining jobs in the energy sector. Nuclear energy, responsible for approximately 52% of carbon-free energy in the United States and 15% of all energy in Canada, will be critical for clean energy security in both states.

This event will be hosted in partnership with Ontario Power Generation and the Council of the Great Lakes Region. The discussion will be moderated by Canada Institute director and Canadian Studies board member Dr. Christopher Sands.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Moses Hall #2308

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