Category Archives: Canadian Studies Program UC Berkeley

Resisting the “51st State”; New faculty affiliate studies Indigenous law & lit

A newsletter from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area.


Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Canadian Studies News

• Happy Canadian Thanksgiving & Indigenous Peoples’ Day

• New faculty affiliate Cheryl Suzack studies Indigenous law and literature

News from Canada

• Statistics Canada podcast explains Canada’s ongoing tariff woes, and why Canadian tourists are avoiding the United States

Upcoming Events

• The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism Since 1775

PROGRAM NEWS

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

Canadian Studies extends our warmest wishes to our friends across North America. As we gather around the proverbial table with our loved ones, we affirm the value of human connection at a time where it’s more important than ever. We are grateful to all of you for your continued support of the program, and were happy to see the strength of our Bay Area Canadian community at our party last week! (If you couldn’t attend, check out photos from our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner here!)

Image: Thanksgiving turkey designed by Freepik.

… and Happy Indigenous Peoples’ Day

Today also marks Indigenous Peoples’ Day in the United States. This holiday, which started in Berkeley, celebrates the rich cultures, histories, and contributions of Indigenous communities across North America. It’s a time for recognition, reflection, and respect, as we listen to Indigenous voices and learn about the ongoing fight to assert their rights and sovereignty. May this day inspire meaningful conversations and a commitment to justice and reconciliation.

Canadian Studies is proud to support research promoting a deeper understanding of Indigenous issues, both historical and contemporary. Recent Hildebrand Fellows working on Indigenous topics include:

  • Hannah Jasper, who is revealing how theater advertising for Nanook of the North profoundly shaped perceptions of Inuit people and culture
  • Jessica Jiang, who is uncovering the surprising connections between Indigenous communities and Chinese migrants in the 19th century Pacific Northwest
  • Luis Amaya Madrid, who is exploring the history of Indigenous identity among Pacific Coast Native peoples from British Columbia to Mexico
  • Andrew Zhao, who is measuring the political legacy of Canada’s residential schools and their impact on persistent, localized anti-Indigenous beliefs

We are also pleased to announce an exciting new faculty affiliate specializing in Indigenous studies – see below!

New Faculty Affiliate Cheryl Suzack Studies Indigenous Law and Literature

The Canadian Studies Program is pleased to celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ Day with a warm welcome to Cheryl Suzack, our newest faculty affiliate.

Professor Suzack joined the UC Berkeley faculty this year as a Chancellor’s Professor in the Department of Ethnic Studies. A member of the Batchewana First Nation (Ojibwe), her teaching and research focus on Indigenous law and literature, with a particular emphasis on writing by Indigenous women. She comes to Berkeley from the University of Toronto, where she held joint appointments in English, Indigenous Studies, and Law.

Professor Suzack received her PhD from the University of Alberta and has held visiting fellowships at the University of Naples, Smith College, and McGill University. In 2018, she was a Fulbright Fellow at Georgetown University, and she served as a research collaborator with the Centre for Humanities Research at the University of the Western Cape and the Jackman Humanities Institute at the University of Toronto.

Professor Suzack employs interdisciplinary frameworks informed by race, gender, and sexuality studies to examine how Indigenous communities are located and politically contained through multi-levelled practices of gender and racialization. Through literary and legal analysis, she highlights topics such as tribal membership discrimination; the removal of Indigenous children; imposed blood quantum categories; and colonial forms of land dispossession as issues of injustice entangled with Indigenous self-determination. Her monograph Indigenous Women’s Writing and the Cultural Study of Law analyzed these issues as portrayed in Indigenous women’s storytelling. Professor Suzack also collaborated with Canadian Studies affiliate, Shari Huhndorf, as a co-editor and contributor to the award-winning collection, Indigenous Women and Feminism: Politics, Activism, Culture (UBC, 2010).

Professor Suzack’s current research is forthcoming in Law & Critique and in Ravens Talking: Indigenous Feminist Legal Studies (University of Toronto Press). Her interdisciplinary research on Indigenous law has appeared in the Elgar Concise Encyclopedia of Law and Literature as well as numerous journals.

Statistics Canada Podcast Explains Canada’s Ongoing Tariff Woes, and Why Canadian Tourists are Avoiding the United States

Statistics Canada’s Eh Sayers podcast has recently published two episodes that shed new light on how the tensions between Canada and the United States are affecting the economies of both countries.

In Episode 26: A Tariff on Both Your Houses!, Statistics Canada Chief Economic Advisor Guy Gellatly explores what’s going on with trade between the US and Canada, what the early numbers suggest about the conflict, and what impact it might have on Canada’s economy.

Then, in Episode 27: Canadians Just Aren’t California Dreamin’ These Days, Jane Lin, of the Tourism Statistics Program at Statistics Canada, digs into StatCan’s tourism data to talk about how travel is different these days, as more Canadians reconsider their plans to vacation in the United States.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism Since 1775

Tues., Oct. 14 | 12:30 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

Since their founding era, Americans have periodically tried to convince their northern neighbors to join them in a continental union, sometimes by force. This talk will offer a sweeping survey of the prospect – or threat – of the American annexation of Canada (and its colonial antecedents) over the past 250 years. It will highlight major turning points in the cross-border relationship and the responses of government officials, the press, and Canadians more broadly. Extending the focus through the 2025 Canadian federal election, it will examine how generations of politicians and opinion-makers have harnessed opposition to annexation for political purposes.

About the Speaker

Dr. Gregory Wigmore is an associate teaching professor in the Department of History at Santa Clara University, where he teaches early US and Canada history. He received his bachelor’s in journalism and history from Carleton University, and his PhD in history from UC Davis. His research and teaching focus on the intersection of social and political history and foreign relations in North America, especially the role of frontiers and borders. He is currently working on a book manuscript based on his dissertation, “The Limits of Empire: Allegiance, Opportunity, and Imperial Rivalry in the Canadian-American Borderland.” His op-ed articles have appeared in The Globe and Mail and the National Post.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

Website | LinkedIn | Email | Donate

Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

New grad fellow studies Hong Kong diaspora; Thanksgiving photos

A newsletter from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area.


Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Canadian Studies News

• New Hildebrand Fellow Alex Chow studies politics of Canada’s Hong Kong diaspora

• Photos from our 8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Upcoming Events

• The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism since 1775

External Events

• Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

• San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

• Annual Pancake Breakfast Hike at Mt Tam

PROGRAM NEWS

New Hildebrand Fellow Alex Chow Studies Politics of Canada’s Hong Kong Diaspora

The Canadian Studies Program is pleased to announce that Alex Yong-Kang Chow has received an Edward E. Hildebrand Graduate Research Fellowship for Fall 2025.

Alex is a PhD candidate in the Department of Geography. His research examines the political economy of Hong Kong and its diaspora, focusing on the interplay of emotions, institutions, and decolonization in shaping contested ideals of freedom, fairness, and justice. His dissertation traces how successive generations of Hong Kong activists and communities – from the Cold War era to the present-day diaspora – have redefined freedom under shifting geopolitical and economic conditions.

Alex’s Hildebrand Fellowship project, “Affective Politics and Shifting Alliances: The Hong Kong Diaspora in Canada”, explores how waves of Hong Kong immigrants since the 1970s have shaped and been shaped by Canadian society. Through oral histories with community leaders and activists in Toronto, Vancouver, and Calgary, along with archival research, the project investigates how memories of colonial Hong Kong and experiences of Canadian multiculturalism inform divergent political stances within the diaspora. It highlights the affective and institutional forces behind debates on Canadian domestic issues, foreign policy toward China, and Canada-U.S. relations.

This research contributes to Canadian studies by providing a nuanced account of how diasporic communities engage democracy not as a unified bloc, but through diverse and sometimes divided visions of belonging, solidarity, and resistance. It sheds light on how historical traumas and contemporary geopolitical tensions resonate in the Canadian political landscape, offering new insights into migration, identity, and transnational politics.

Alex holds an MSc in City Design and Social Science from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a BA in Comparative Literature from the University of Hong Kong.

Photos From Our 8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Yesterday, Canadian Studies and our friends at the Digital Moose Lounge celebrated our annual Canadian Thanksgiving dinner with friends from around the Bay. Nearly 100 Canadians and friends of Canada joined us for a fun evening celebrating all things Canadian, including representatives from the Consulate, the Royal Canadian Legion, and Air Canada. Notably, this year we had many Berkeley students attend!

After opening remarks, guests enjoyed a delicious turkey dinner. We then held a much-anticipated raffle. Prizes included gifts bags donated by the Canadian consulate and Digital Moose Lounge; tickets to Kim’s Convenience; sports tickets; curling lessons; and a grand prize of two Air Canada tickets! Next, we hosted with a panel where members of our Canadian Studies community shared what Canada means to them, and what the US can learn from Canada. We closed out the evening with Nanaimo bars, pumpkin pie, and Tim Horton’s coffee direct from Toronto. We’re already looking forward to next year!

Top left: Canadian Studies board members, staff, and grad fellows.

Top right: We had a high number of UC Berkeley students attend this year’s dinner!

Bottom left: Guests listen to opening remarks while waiting for dinner.

Bottom right: Panelists discuss their favorite things about Canada.

UPCOMING EVENTS

The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism since 1775

Tues., Oct. 14 | 12:30 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

Since their founding era, Americans have periodically tried to convince their northern neighbors to join them in a continental union, sometimes by force. This talk will offer a sweeping survey of the prospect – or threat – of the American annexation of Canada (and its colonial antecedents) over the past 250 years. It will highlight major turning points in the cross-border relationship and the responses of government officials, the press, and Canadians more broadly. Extending the focus through the 2025 Canadian federal election, it will examine how generations of politicians and opinion-makers have harnessed opposition to annexation for political purposes.

About the Speaker

Dr. Gregory Wigmore is an associate teaching professor in the Department of History at Santa Clara University, where he teaches early US and Canada history. He received his bachelor’s in journalism and history from Carleton University, and his PhD in history from UC Davis. His research and teaching focus on the intersection of social and political history and foreign relations in North America, especially the role of frontiers and borders. He is currently working on a book manuscript based on his dissertation, “The Limits of Empire: Allegiance, Opportunity, and Imperial Rivalry in the Canadian-American Borderland.” His op-ed articles have appeared in The Globe and Mail and the National Post.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

Thurs., Oct. 9 | San Francisco, CA | Buy tickets

The Exploratorium invites you to buckle in for an evening of mystery, adventure, and airborne entertainment! Prepare to be dazzled by a performance from Earth Circus, where jaw-dropping moves from acrobatic dancers will have you questioning gravity. Uncover the secrets behind aerobatics with the Snowbird squadron, Canada’s iconic flight demonstration crew. And don’t miss a special cabaret co-hosted with our friends at KQED, where stories of flight – from the world of winged arthropods to the death of a daredevil aviator – will inspire your curiosity to soar.

San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

Oct. 10-12 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the acrobatic squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, will be participating in this year’s SF Fleet Week Air Show! Held annually between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, the air show attracts fans from all over the globe. The waterfront event, sponsored by United Airlines, is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and is the only air show in the United States with a commercial airliner, the United 777, to perform a fully choreographed act. The Snowbirds will join this awe-inspiring performance to showcase the exceptional teamwork, skill, and dedication that defines members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Annual Pancake Breakfast Hike at Mt Tam

Sun., Oct. 12 | 9:00 am | Stinson Beach, CA | RSVP

The San Francisco Canadian Expat Meetup Group invites you to join them for <4-mile hike and pancake breakfast on beautiful Mt. Tam! What could be more Canadian than pancakes with maple syrup?

West Point Inn on Mt. Tamalpais is famous for its pancake breakfast fundraisers! Great views, group exercise and pancakes starting at $13 per plate. All are welcome – friends, family, dogs, etc. Attendees will meet at the Rock Springs Trailhead in Stinson Beach.

Please RSVP on Meetup for more information.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

Website | LinkedIn | Email | Donate

Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Canadian Thanksgiving 2025

Earlier this evening Branch 25 was present for this Digital Moose Lounge and Canadian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley – a beautifully curated Thanksgiving Dinner at the UC Berkeley Canadian Studies Alumni House. Members celebrated the special occasion with their Bay Area “family” with fallen leaves and fresh fall air on the patio in beautiful Berkeley.

The menu included:

  • Classic Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings
  • Two drink tickets to enjoy a curated selection of Canadian wine, beer and non-alcoholic options
  • A Selection of Desserts
  • Gluten-free and vegan/vegetarian options available
  • Raffle with fabulous prizes
  • Entertainment

Branch 25 was on hand to launch its annual Poppy Campaign

Thank you to our co-host the Canadian Studies Program at the University of California, Berkeley and the Digital Moose Lounge, as well as the Canadian Consulate in San Francisco and Air Canada for their continued partnership with this special event!

“Kim’s Convenience” brings together Bay Area’s Canadian & immigrant communities

A newsletter from a fellow Canadian organization in the Bay Area (and the Branch thanks them for their plug).


Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Canadian Studies News

• Bay Area Canadians celebrate Canada’s immigrant story at Kim’s Convenience

Local News

• Bay Area’s Royal Canadian Legion branch celebrates members’ contributions to community

Upcoming Events

• 8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner – Last call for tickets!

• The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism since 1775

External Events

• Kim’s Convenience at ACT San Francisco

• Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

• San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

PROGRAM NEWS

Bay Area Canadians Celebrate Canada’s Immigrant Story at Kim’s Convenience

On Sunday, Canadians from all corners of the Bay Area converged at the Toni Rembe Theater for a special performance of Kim’s Convenience, celebrating our local Canadian community and Canada’s immigrant story more broadly.

A special “Canada Night” showing was organized by the Digital Moose Lounge, the Bay Area’s most established Canadian expat group, in collaboration with the Canadian consulate and ACT San Francisco. Attendees enjoyed an evening of theater as they followed an alternately hilarious and heart-warming day in the life of a Korean-Canadian family that runs a Toronto corner store. (A story that is surely familiar to anyone who is a fan of the hit CBC sitcom based on the play!)

The Canadian Studies Program was grateful to be invited to participate. Program representatives included Program Director Hidetaka Hirota, graduate students, and several board members.

The San Francisco production features a Canadian cast headed by playwright Ins Choi, who plays the titular Mr. Kim. Choi’s performance is the highlight of the show, as noted in the San Francisco Chronicle’s favorable review. Choi, who immigrated to Canada with his family as an infant, wrote the play to reflect his own experiences, and as a tribute to the many ways that immigrant families have contributed to Canada.

The production brought a little slice of Toronto into San Francisco with a replica of one of the city’s iconic corner stores. Torontonians in the audience were delighted by nostalgic touches from the sound of Ontario’s lottery jingle to the bags of milk in Mr. Kim’s refrigerators. Boxes of Canadian-branded goods and souvenirs stacked across the set were brought directly from Canada.

However, while the show is firmly rooted in Toronto, its themes also resonate in the Bay Area, particularly for the region’s Asian immigrant community. To celebrate the show’s opening, ACT partnered with local businesses for a photo exhibit titled “Our Store: Your Story” that celebrates San Francisco’s own immigrant-owned corner stores and the families behind them. And Mr. Kim himself gives a monologue about a Korean shopkeeper whose friends in the Black community saved his business during the 1992 Los Angeles riots. These stories demonstrate the intergenerational grit and cultural pride that permeate similar communities across North America.

After the show, friends of Canadian Studies were among the attendees invited to a special meet-and-greet with the play’s cast. Choi discussed how he had written the show to spark conversations about potentially difficult subjects such as identity, family, and legacy, and how he had updated the script to keep it relevant since its debut in 2011. Cast members also expressed their deep appreciation for the support shown by the local Canadian community, and their enjoyment of San Francisco. They were both surprised and delighted to discover that a world-renowned university like UC Berkeley has a program to study Canada!

Kim’s Convenience runs through October 19. See below for a special discount on tickets from our friends at DML!

LOCAL NEWS

Bay Area’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch Celebrates Members’ Contributions to Community

Last week was National Legion Week, celebrating the important work done by the Royal Canadian Legion. The Legion is Canada’s largest veterans’ organization, supporting members of Canada’s armed forces, their families, and their communities. In the Bay Area, US Branch #25 (covering Northern California) has put together a series of entries highlighting the service and contributions of local branch members and affiliates: read more here.

UPCOMING EVENTS

8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Sun., Oct. 5 | 5:00 pm | Alumni House | Buy tickets

Canadian Studies is proud to partner with the Digital Moose Lounge to bring you a Canadian holiday tradition! Join us in celebrating the Bay Area’s Canadian community with a delicious turkey dinner and the chance to mingle with your fellow Canadians. Tickets include a classic Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings; a raffle with fabulous prizes; entertainment; and a chance to meet Canadians and friends of Canada from around the Bay!

Special Offer for UC Berkeley Students! Thanks to the generosity of our friends, Canadian Studies is able to provide subsidized tickets to UC Berkeley students. Please email canada@berkeley.edu to learn more.

The 51st State? Canadian Resistance to American Annexationism since 1775

Tues., Oct. 14 | 12:30 pm | 223 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

Since their founding era, Americans have periodically tried to convince their northern neighbors to join them in a continental union, sometimes by force. This talk will offer a sweeping survey of the prospect – or threat – of the American annexation of Canada (and its colonial antecedents) over the past 250 years. It will highlight major turning points in the cross-border relationship and the responses of government officials, the press, and Canadians more broadly. Extending the focus through the 2025 Canadian federal election, it will examine how generations of politicians and opinion-makers have harnessed opposition to annexation for political purposes.

About the Speaker

Dr. Gregory Wigmore is an associate teaching professor in the Department of History at Santa Clara University, where he teaches early US and Canada history. He received his bachelor’s in journalism and history from Carleton University, and his PhD in history from UC Davis. His research and teaching focus on the intersection of social and political history and foreign relations in North America, especially the role of frontiers and borders. He is currently working on a book manuscript based on his dissertation, “The Limits of Empire: Allegiance, Opportunity, and Imperial Rivalry in the Canadian-American Borderland.” His op-ed articles have appeared in The Globe and Mail and the National Post.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Kim’s Convenience at ACT San Francisco

Sept. 18-Oct. 19 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

The hilarious and heartwarming, award-winning comedy drama that inspired the popular Netflix hit show is coming to SF! This feel-good play about a Korean family-run corner store is an ode to generations of immigrants who have made Canada the country that it is today. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canada-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the title character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.”

Kim’s Convenience is showing at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) Toni Rembe Theater through October 19. Thanks to our friends at the DML, you can click here or use code DML to save 20% on tickets!

Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

Thurs., Oct. 9 | San Francisco, CA | Buy tickets

The Exploratorium invites you to buckle in for an evening of mystery, adventure, and airborne entertainment! Prepare to be dazzled by a performance from Earth Circus, where jaw-dropping moves from acrobatic dancers will have you questioning gravity. Uncover the secrets behind aerobatics with the Snowbird squadron, Canada’s iconic flight demonstration crew. And don’t miss a special cabaret co-hosted with our friends at KQED, where stories of flight – from the world of winged arthropods to the death of a daredevil aviator – will inspire your curiosity to soar.

San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

Oct. 10-12 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the acrobatic squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, will be participating in this year’s SF Fleet Week Air Show! Held annually between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, the air show attracts fans from all over the globe. The waterfront event, sponsored by United Airlines, is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and is the only air show in the United States with a commercial airliner, the United 777, to perform a fully choreographed act. The Snowbirds will join this awe-inspiring performance to showcase the exceptional teamwork, skill, and dedication that defines members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

Website | LinkedIn | Email | Donate

Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US

Today: student showcase; Fellow speaks at major conference

A newsletter from one of our fellow Canadian organizations in the Bay Area.


Canadian Studies Announcements

In This Issue:

Canadian Studies News

• Graduate fellow Andrew Zhao presents research at top political science conference

Upcoming Events

• Student Research Showcase (Today!)

• “The Soul and Its Demons in New France: Possession and Obsession in The Life of Catherine of Saint Augustine, a French Missionary in Canada”

• 8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner (Now with student discount!)

Academic Opportunities

• Nominations open for ACSUS service awards

External Events

• Kim’s Convenience at ACT San Francisco

• Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

• San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

PROGRAM NEWS

Graduate Fellow Andrew Zhao Presents Research at Top Political Science Conference

Two weeks ago, Canadian Studies Hildebrand Fellow Andrew Zhao travelled to Canada to speak at the annual conference of the American Political Science Association (APSA), the most important political science conference in North America. Andrew presented a research project funded by Canadian Studies, exploring the political legacy of Canada’s residential schools.

Andrew is a second-year PhD student in the Travers Department of Political Science at UC Berkeley. His research focuses on the intersection of identity and politics. Originally from Alberta, he completed his undergraduate degree at the University of Toronto and worked in public opinion research for several years before coming to Berkeley. He has received two Hildebrand Fellowships from Canadian Studies.

APSA is the oldest and largest professional organization for political scientists in the United States, and its annual meeting is the most important gathering of its kind in North America. This year’s conference, the 121st APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition, was held from September 11-14 in Vancouver, Canada. It drew over 5,000 scholars and experts from across the United States, Canada, and even further afield.

Andrew spoke as part of the session “Indigenous Identities and Contextual Politics”. His presentation, “The Political Legacy of Indian Residential Schools”, was based on research he conducted over the summer, largely funded by the Canadian Studies Program through our Hildebrand Fellowship. It examines whether the physical presence of Indian residential schools had durable, measurable effects on voting patterns in nearby communities in Canada. His Fellowship supported travel archives in Edmonton, Victoria, and Vancouver, as well as translation services for French documents. Canadian Studies also sponsored Andrew’s attendance at APSA, to share his findings with the broader political science community.

If you are interested in learning more about Andrew’s work, don’t miss his presentation during today’s Canadian Studies colloquium. See below for additional information.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Student Research Showcase

Mon., Sept. 22 | 12:30 pm | 201 Philosophy Hall | RSVP

Learn about the research Canadian Studies funds through our Edward E. Hildebrand Graduate Research Fellowships, as recipients present overviews of their projects.

Measuring the Societal Benefits of Public Investment in Sport in Canada

Sophie Helpard, Master’s student, Public Policy

Sophie’s research examines how public investment in sport affects social welfare. Her fellowship supported her capstone project, a policy benefit-cost analysis on the impacts of increasing federal funding to Canada’s national sports organizations. It examines whether increased funding leads to general improvements in outcomes in wellbeing measures such as mental health, physical health, and labor productivity.

The Political Legacy of Indian Residential Schools

Andrew Zhao, PhD student, Political Science

​Andrew’s research explores the intersection of identity and politics. His fellowship supported a study on the long-term political impacts of Canada’s Indian residential school system on surrounding communities. The schools left a well-documented legacy of physical and psychological harm to survivors and their kin. But another legacy remains under-explored: how did the schools affect the politics and beliefs of nearby communities, and does that impact persist to this day?

The Soul and Its Demons in New France: Possession and Obsession in the Life of Catherine of Saint Augustine, a French Missionary in Canada

Tues., Sept. 23 | 5:00 pm | 3401 Dwinelle Hall

Part pre-hagiography, part autobiography, the Vie de Mère Catherine de Saint-Augustin (1671) alternates between the voices of Catherine and her biographer, the Jesuit Paul Ragueneau. The latter quotes extensively from the writings left by Catherine upon her death, in which she describes the diabolical attacks she claims to have experienced throughout her life. Ragueneau insists that God possesses Catherine – it is “only” that she is obsessed and besieged by demons. Catherine, who is experiencing a “martyrdom of love,” constantly questions what is driving her (God, demons, passions?), and interprets what she is experiencing as a way of keeping within her the “demons” that threaten to besiege New France at a time when the colony is in great uncertainty about its survival, and even its mission (political? economic? religious?). Both reflect on the tormented exchanges that take place between the outside and the inside, between the individual and the group. They question the alteration or even the dispossession of the soul, the difficulty of discerning what is driving us, and the intimate relationship that develops between an individual and “their” place.

About the Speaker

Anne Régent-Susini is professor of 17th-century French literature at Sorbonne Nouvelle University in Paris. She specializes in early modern religious discourse, rhetoric, polemics, the history of emotions, the writing of history and the history of pedagogy. She is the author of L’Éloquence de la chaire (Pulpit Eloquence), and Bossuet et la rhétorique de l’autorité (Bossuet and the Rhetoric of Authority).

This event is sponsored by the Department of French with the support of the France-Berkeley Fund and is cosponsored by the Canadian Studies Program, the Berkeley Center for the Study of Religion and the Renaissance and Early Modern Studies DE.

8th Annual Canadian Thanksgiving Dinner

Sun., Oct. 5 | 5:00 pm | Alumni House | Buy tickets

Canadian Studies is proud to partner with the Digital Moose Lounge to bring you a Canadian holiday tradition! Join us in celebrating the Bay Area’s Canadian community with a delicious turkey dinner and the chance to mingle with your fellow Canadians. Tickets include a classic Thanksgiving turkey dinner with all the fixings; a raffle with fabulous prizes; entertainment; and a chance to mingle with fellow Canadians from around the Bay!

Special Offer for UC Berkeley Students! Thanks to the generosity of our friends, Canadian Studies is able to provide subsidized tickets to UC Berkeley students. Please email canada@berkeley.edu to learn more.

ACADEMIC OPPORTUNITIES

Nominations Open for ACSUS Service Awards

Deadline: October 1

The Association of Canadian Studies in the United States (ACSUS) is seeking nominations for its two most prestigious awards, which recognize dedication to Canadian Studies and to the ACSUS Community.

EXTERNAL EVENTS

Kim’s Convenience at ACT San Francisco

Sept. 18-Oct. 19 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

The hilarious and heartwarming, award-winning comedy drama that inspired the popular Netflix hit show is coming to SF! This feel-good play about a Korean family-run corner store is an ode to generations of immigrants who have made Canada the country that it is today. Mr. Kim works hard to support his wife and children with his Toronto convenience store. As he evaluates his future, he faces both a changing neighborhood landscape and the gap between his values and those of his Canada-born children. Playwright Ins Choi, who will also star in the production as the title character, calls Kim’s Convenience his “love letter to his parents and to all first-generation immigrants who call Canada their home.”

Kim’s Convenience is now showing at the American Conservatory Theater (ACT) Toni Rembe Theater. Thanks to our friends at the DML, you can click here or use code DML to save 20% on tickets! Limited tickets are still available for a special Canada Night performance this coming Saturday, September 27. We hope to see you there!

Exploratorium After Dark: Dancing in the Sky

Thurs., Oct. 9 | San Francisco, CA | Buy tickets

The Exploratorium invites you to buckle in for an evening of mystery, adventure, and airborne entertainment! Prepare to be dazzled by a performance from Earth Circus, where jaw-dropping moves from acrobatic dancers will have you questioning gravity. Uncover the secrets behind aerobatics with the Snowbird squadron, Canada’s iconic flight demonstration crew. And don’t miss a special cabaret co-hosted with our friends at KQED, where stories of flight – from the world of winged arthropods to the death of a daredevil aviator – will inspire your curiosity to soar.

San Francisco Fleet Week Air Show

Oct. 10-12 | San Francisco, CA | Learn more

The Canadian Forces Snowbirds, the acrobatic squadron of the Royal Canadian Air Force, will be participating in this year’s SF Fleet Week Air Show! Held annually between the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz, the air show attracts fans from all over the globe. The waterfront event, sponsored by United Airlines, is headlined by the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and is the only air show in the United States with a commercial airliner, the United 777, to perform a fully choreographed act. The Snowbirds will join this awe-inspiring performance to showcase the exceptional teamwork, skill, and dedication that defines members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Canadian Studies Program

213 Philosophy Hall #2308

Website | LinkedIn | Email | Donate

Canadian Studies Program | Univ. of California, Berkeley 213 Philosophy Hall #2308 | Berkeley, CA 94720 US