In This Issue:

Upcoming Events

• Spring Colloquium lineup: Check out what we’ve got in store!
• Next event: “Historical Connections Between Canada and American Immigration Policy”
• Plus, a preview for the rest of the semester!

Program News

• Our updated Spring course list is out now!

News from Canada

• Opinion: “The Strengths and Weaknesses of Canada’s Diplomacy Game”, by Jeremy Kinsman

Research Opportunities

• AEIQ/ACQS Research Funding for Quebec Studies
• Call for Papers: ACSUS 26th Biennial Conference

SPRING EVENTS LINEUP

Historical Connections Between Canada and American Immigration Policy

Wed., Feb. 1 | 12:30 pm PT | 223 Moses | RSVP here

Canadian Studies faculty affiliate Hidetaka Hirota will explore historical connections between Canada and American immigration policy in the long nineteenth century. Based on his earlier and current works, Professor Hirota will discuss three aspects of this history: Canada as a destination of deportation from the United States; Canadians as targets of restrictive immigration policy; and Canada as a potential ally of the United States in migration control. In doing so, he will illuminate the experiences of Irish migrants in the mid-nineteenth century, Canadian migrants in the late nineteenth century, and Japanese migrants in the early twentieth century. These migrant groups’ experiences demonstrate that Canada remained an important part of the history of American immigration policy.

About the Speaker

Hidetaka Hirota is a social and legal historian of the United States specializing in immigration, and an associate professor of history at UC Berkeley. He is particularly interested in the history of American nativism and immigration control. His first book, Expelling the Poor: Atlantic Seaboard States and the Nineteenth-Century Origins of American Immigration Policy, shows how an influx of impoverished Irish immigrants to the United States in the early 19th century led nativists to develop policies for deporting destitute foreigners to Europe and Canada, and laid the groundwork for later federal legislation. His current projects include an examination of long-running tensions between nativism and a demand for migrant labor in the United States, as well as an exploration of the Japanese immigrant experience before 1924.

• February 15: Agricultural economist Catherine Keske (UC Merced) will discuss her research on creating a secure, sustainable, and just food system in the boreal ecosystems of Newfoundland and Labrador.
• March 15: Political scientist and Sproul Fellow Eric Guntermann will discuss his research into the effect of political mainstreaming on the voting patterns of Canada’s lesbian, gay, and bisexual communities.
• April 5: Anthropologist Christyann Darwent (UC Davis) will share insights from her research, exploring how humans adapted to harsh high arctic environments.
• April 26: Grad student Hildebrand Fellows Joshua Zimmt and Taesoo Song will give short presentations on their Canadian Studies-funded research, exploring an ancient mass extinction event and the effects of speculation taxes on immigrants.

PROGRAM NEWS

As part of our educational outreach, Canadian Studies maintains a list of Berkeley courses that promote greater knowledge of Canada. We are pleased to highlight classes, often led by our affiliates, that showcase the academic breadth of Canadian Studies. As an interdisciplinary program we encourage students to take classes across a variety of subjects, and these courses reflect that diversity. Courses offered this semester include:

• “Anatomy of Criticism”: This course explores the meaning of “literary criticism” through the theories of the influential Canadian critic Northrop Frye and his 1957 magnum opus, Anatomy of Criticism.
• “French for Politics”: This class provides an introduction to French-speaking political cultures around the world, including that of Quebec.
• “Monsters and Modernity”: This class delves into fears and anxieties behind modern literary “monsters”, and what they say about society. Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale will be a highlighted text.
• “Montreal: Colonization, Urbanization, Migration”: This course, led by Canadian Studies affiliate William Burton, explores the history and development of Montreal’s cultural identity through Québécois literature and film.
• “Tourism, Heritage, and Ritual”: Former program director Nelson Graburn will teach anthropological approaches to studying tourism and cultural heritage, as well as the impacts of modern trends such as “over-tourism” and commoditization.

NEWS FROM CANADA

Opinion: “The Strengths and Weaknesses of Canada’s Diplomacy Game”, by Jeremy Kinsman

In recent years, the established international order has faced threats unprecedented in recent times. These challenges have made many skeptical of diplomacy as a tool for international change, and seem to be taking the world back to a pre-WWI era of “Great Power” force projection. Yet Jeremy Kinsman, a former diplomat who has spoken to Canadian Studies several times, argues in a new op-ed in Policy Magazine that Canada can take the lead in re-establishing the importance of dialogue as a tool of international order, while asserting its own place in that framework.

Canada, Kinsman says, should build upon the reputation for honest, multilateral communication that serves as its greatest strength. He argues that the government must reverse the persistent disinvestment in soft-power tools of recent years. Furthermore, Canada’s diplomatic corps needs additional flexibility and independence from Ottawa bureaucrats and its electoral concerns. Kinsman stresses to the importance of building international relationships on trust, and avoiding political grandstanding. “Diplomacy is not about lecturing,” he warns, arguing that public admonitions can often be counterproductive to a nation’s interests. Together, these investments can make Canada a global leader in an area that often suffers a lack of thoughtful, consistent direction.

RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES

AEIQ/ACQS Research Funding for Quebec Studies

Application deadline: February 15, 2023

The Association internationale des études québécoises (AIEQ) and American Council of Quebec Studies (ACQS) and are offering funding to support U.S.-based scholars seeking funding to participate in training or research on Québec. Fellowships are available to graduate students in the social sciences or humanities working on a thesis with a substantial relation to Quebec or its relations with the United States. The program covers up to $2,000 CAD in research expenses for travel to Quebec. Applicants must be a US citizen or permanent resident.

Click here to learn more.

Call for Papers: ACSUS 26th Biennial Conference

Submission deadline: March 1, 2023

The Association for Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) is excited to announce that its 2023 conference will take place November 16-19, 2023 at the Hyatt Regency Crystal City in Washington, D.C.

The conference is open to all proposals with a significant Canadian focus. ACSUS welcomes papers and panel proposals from students, professors, independent scholars, and practitioners on all diverse and critical perspectives related to the conference theme, “Canada: Near and Far”.

Please review the full call for papers posted online.