York University, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences Invite Community to Reckon and Re-Imagine at Canada’s Largest Academic Conference this Month
For the first time in four years, Canada’s largest academic gathering – the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences (Congress) – will be held in person from May 27 to June 2 at York University in Toronto.
Organized in partnership with the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (the Federation), this 92nd edition of Congress will bring together 9,000 scholars, graduate students, community members, and policymakers on one of Canada’s most diverse campuses to hold vital conversations about the most pressing issues facing the world today.
“Since its inception, York has been committed to its core values of advancing social justice and equity and championing diversity and inclusivity. Congress 2023 will provide a critical forum to reflect and act on these values, and to better understand the intersectional complexities of race, gender, Indigenous and geopolitical issues as we seek to advance our combined impact on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals,” says Rhonda Lenton, York University president and vice-chancellor. “I’m thrilled that Congress attendees and our community members will have the opportunity to see those values in action throughout the coming days. I’m grateful to Professor Andrea Davis for her leadership in ensuring that Congress 2023 tackles some of the most complex and pressing societal issues of our time.”
This year’s theme, Reckonings and Re-Imaginings, invites attendees to place Black and Indigenous knowledges, cultures, and voices at the heart of Congress discussions, as a lens through which to reckon with the past and re-imagine the future. Behind this vision is Academic Convenor Andrea Davis, Professor in the Faculty of Liberal Arts and Professional Studies at York University, who believes this call to action is paramount in sparking conversations that are meaningful, rather than performative.
“Positive change begins by having open, honest and sometimes difficult conversations that encourage us to expand our vision of the university and the world, and to pursue a future that embraces freedom and justice. At Congress this year, we are seeking to open doors to a better future that commits to decoloniality, anti-racism, justice, sustainability and equity,” says Davis.
For this Congress, Dr. Davis also wanted to engage with the university’s surrounding community, making sure their voices are heard, while breaking down walls between academia and the wider society. In one such initiative, twenty-one high-school students from the Jane-Finch community who identify as Black or Indigenous will attend two of Congress 2023’s Big Thinking lectures as well as a private lunch with former Governor General the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, and Indigenous filmmaker Alanis Obomsawin.
This community engagement effort is part of a broader set of initiatives aimed at shifting the culture of Congress, against the backdrop of the Federation’s commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization (EDID).
“We committed to making Congress more equitable, diverse, and inclusive for all members of our community, and we’ve been working hard to make that happen,” said Gabriel Miller, President and CEO of the Federation. “There is no better place, or better partner than York University to help us effect this type of change, and we look forward to writing this new chapter in the history of Congress.”
Congress 2023 will commence on May 27 with a community opening celebration Arts@Congress, followed by 68 scholarly conferences and 200+ open events over the course of seven days.
Registration is available at www.federationhss.ca/congress2023/register.
Media can request accreditation at www.federationhss.ca/congress2023/media.
