Peck has vision for Canadian Centre for German and European Studies

By Cathy Carlyle

Jeffrey Peck is the new director of the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies

Jeffrey Peck has a sweeping vision for the Canadian Centre for German and European Studies (CCGES). As its new director he envisages it as a "distinctive global intellectual site" that will take advantage of the Canadian experience.

In his inaugural speech at York in September, Peck addressed a keen crowd of 100 faculty, staff and students. He said CCGES has been uniquely Canadian from its inception in that it operates jointly at York University and the Université de Montréal, instead of being confined to one spot. "It is both global and local, taking advantage of the cultural specificity of Quebec and Ontario while at the same time connecting to global opportunities....It is bi-provincial, multilingual and above all, international.

"The fact that DAAD [German Academic Exchange Service, a principal founder of the centre] and the German government have decided to create a centre at these universities speaks to the quality and reputation of these institutions," he said in an interview. "It shows faith in the ability of these universities to collaborate. In fact, it could become a model of collaboration between Ontario and Quebec. We feel our centre has a responsibility to be a leader in this."

Peck explained that, while Germany has been constituted as a society that has been working to overcome its "burdened past" to become an example of liberal democracy, "...it is clear that its history should not be forgotten, but used as a critical tool for constant vigilance towards potential political dangers." After his speech, Peck said that centres like CCGES are a way for Germany to reinvent itself as it moves away from the legacy of the Second World War.

He wants the centre to be the leader in Canada for activities taking place in the German and European sphere, "through collaboration with other colleagues in Canada and through outreach to the broader community - the media, business people, schools," he said. Another plan he has is for students and faculty from Europe to conduct research at CCGES, and for students here to be required to spend some time studying in Germany and Europe. "That way, they'll become familiar with the culture, language and environment of another university system," said Peck.

"I would like CCGES to focus on advances in technology and on raising issues that will be taught with a more global perspective. I feel that this centre is in an environment that is different to similar centres in the US and the United Kingdom. Canada itself has a different vantage point which gives us the potential for a more critical and differentiated perspective. Migration, health, security, the environment - these are issues that are particularly important in a global context.

"We want to make the centre a physical space where intellectual and inter-cultural activities take place," said Peck. "We want to offer space in the centre to Faculties and to external organizations. It'll become a place where people are meeting and talking - a dynamic space." He spoke of the need to establish collaborative research priorities, based on the scholarly interests of the centre's faculty and on major trends. "We envision faculty members organizing research groups of colleagues and interested students that will meet regularly and create ongoing dialogues. These groups would, hopefully, be the basis for organizing seminars, colloquia and conferences."

He said that the centre is continuing the York tradition of an interdisciplinary approach to studies as a way of dissolving barriers between people and nations. He spoke of long-established borders having been demolished by war and, metaphorically, by cyberspace. "The fall of the Berlin Wall...was quite literally watched by millions and set off a geopolitical shift in Europe and the Soviet Union that transformed the international balance of powers, and reminded us that we are no longer bound by space and time. And now we are all struggling to keep up with global rearrangement and turmoil that seem to have been instigated by the 'mere' local affairs of a divided Germany....

"We must look at the new and potential iterations of German and European studies at the university level in the newly-altered global order....The challenge is, how do the centres such as this one and individual disciplines ... fit in as notions of 'areas' shift and as each of these fields continues to evolve and respond to global imperatives pushing and shoving these disciplines and practitioners in all directions. It feels a little like riding on a ferris wheel during an earthquake."

While CCGES will cross many national boundaries and cultural identities, Peck emphasized that it is well-rooted in Canada, affiliated with the universities of Alberta, British Columbia, McGill, Queens, Toronto and Victoria. Reaching beyond the nation, it has connections in Germany with several universities including the universities of Konstanz and Bonn, and the Free University of Berlin; and in the US and the United Kingdom with other centres for German and European studies.

Acknowledging the many exciting challenges ahead, Peck then spoke of his pleasure in having Mark Webber, York professor in CCGES, working with him. He praised Webber for his "tremendous commitment and effort in helping to establish the centre", adding, "I am grateful and very pleased to have him as my associate director."