Wednesday April 15, 2026, 1:00 - 2:00 pm ET |

Speaker: Dr. Raymond Blake, Professor, History, University of Regina

Since confederation, prime ministers have created narratives and stories based on a series of unifying national ideas that have been reformulated and expanded over time to keep Canada, a geographically large, ethnically diverse, and regionalized nation, together. This paper shows how prime ministers were identity entrepreneurs: regardless of political stripe, they worked to build national unity, forged a citizenship based on inclusion, and defined a place for Canada in the world. Collectively, they told a national story of Canada as a progressive liberal state with a fundamental belief in universal rights and freedoms. Mark Carney has continued that tradition, resurrecting earlier narratives about Canada’s place in the world, hope for an economic union, and rekindling a sense of identity that has been weakened in the previous decade. The challenge for him is to build a narrative of Canada that moves beyond Canadians’ anger and frustration with Mr. Trump. This talk will be moderated by Laura Bisaillon (Associate Professor, Sociology, University of Toronto).

Speaker Biography

Raymond B. Blake, Professor of history at the University of Regina and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, has written and edited more than 20 books. His 2024 book, Canada’s Prime Ministers and the Shaping of a National Identity, won the Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing. His most recent book, A History of Canada in 15 Moments: Making and Remaking a Nation since 1867, with Jeff Keshen was published earlier this year. He is with Laura Bisaillon co-president of The Canadian Studies Network-Réseau d'éudes canadiennes.

The post Defining Canada: Mark Carney in the Tradition of Canadian Prime Ministerial Rhetoric (WIHIC) appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

CHAIR

• Soma Chatterjee, Associate Professor, Social Work, �첥��Ƶ

MODERATOR

• Roopa Desai Trilokekar, Associate Professor, Education, �첥��Ƶ

SPEAKERS FROM THE RAIS COLLECTIVE

• Ann H. Kim, Associate Professor, Sociology, �첥��Ƶ
• Sophie Xiaoyi Liu, PhD Candidate, Sociology, University of British Columbia
• Lori Wilkinson, Professor, Sociology and Criminology, University of Manitoba
• Jean Michel Montsion, Professor, Department of Global & Social Studies, �첥��Ƶ

DISCUSSANT

• Lisa Brunner, Research Associate, Centre for Migration Studies, University of British Columbia

This event is co-sponsored by Fernwood Publishing and the York Centre for Asian Research.

The post Book Launch: Not Your Cash Cow, Not Your Scapegoat by the Racialization of Asian Students (RAIS) Collective appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

27 February 2026, 10:00 - 11:30 am EST |

Although ‘the public’ in public transportation is rarely defined or interrogated, discourses about public transportation are shot through with assumptions about public space, public goods, and public life. Who is the ‘public’ of public transportation? To what extent do existing public transportation offerings provide universal, accessible, sustainable, and democratic urban mobility?

In this panel, researchers from different disciplines whose work is grounded in questions of dis/ability share some of their research and thoughts on how we should frame and explore accessibility in public transportation as a question of urban politics.

Speakers

• Ron Buliung, Geography, University of Toronto
• Mahtot Gebresselassie, EUC, �첥��Ƶ
• Aimi Hamraie, Social Science, �첥��Ƶ
• Commentary from James Perttula, Director of Transportation Planning, City of Toronto

This event is organized by the CIVIS research cluster at the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies and co-sponsored by the . The event will be supported with live captioning. Please contact robarts@yorku.ca for any access needs.

The post What is ‘public’ about public transportation? The question of accessibility appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

A Robarts Connects Event

26 March 2026 | 2:00 - 3:00 pm |

This workshop will engage with questions about how to decolonize research through working with Indigenous persons and communities. It will explore Indigenous research methods, such as two-eyed seeing and the Four Rs for Indigenous engagement (Respect, Relevance, Reciprocity, Responsibility).

Speakers:

Ben Waswa (Eabametoong First Nation), PhD candidate in History, �첥��Ƶ

Dr. Elaine Coburn, Professor of International Studies, Glendon College, �첥��Ƶ

Moderator: Dr. Carolyn Podruchny, Professor of History, �첥��Ƶ, Deputy Director, Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies

The post Robarts-CIKL Connects: Decolonizing Research appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

Are you conducting research with children and/or youth? Are you interested in learning more about research ethics with these populations?

Our speakers bring a range of research experience to this panel and will be sharing some of their encounters with ethical issues and dilemmas in their research projects with young people. Join us online for thought-provoking presentations followed by an open discussion with the speakers.

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• Dr. Stephanie Fearon, Faculty of Education, �첥��Ƶ
• Dr. Abigail Shabtay, Children, Childhood & Youth Studies, �첥��Ƶ
• Dr. Julia Sinclair-Palm, Faculty of Education, The University of British Columbia
• Dr. Kael Reid, Children, Childhood & Youth Studies, �첥��Ƶ

The post Robarts-CYPIRN Connects: Ethics in Research with Children and Young People appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

21 January 2026 | 2:30 pm - 3:30 pm EST |

Join the Robarts Centre and the CITY Institute for a generative presentation and discussion with Aysha Campbell (MA in Humanities) about her award-winning major research project, Scarborough through the Lens of Sound and Literature. Her work investigates the intersections of race, space and sound through Scarborough literature. She will discuss her textual and cultural analysis of Scarborough literature to explore the ways in which sound is used to regulate and marginalize Scarborough and its residents, but also how residents use countersounds to challenge and undermine said governance and subjugation.

This conversation will be moderated by Dr. Ola Mohammed (Assistant Professor, Humanities, �첥��Ƶ).

About the Speaker

Aysha Campbell is a recent Master of Arts in Humanities graduate from �첥��Ƶ. She is the recipient of the Robarts Centre’s 2024 Leslie Sanders Prize for the �첥��Ƶ of Canada, and was awarded the 2024 Canadian Studies Network Best MA Thesis/MRP in Canadian Studies. She is also a recipient of the Blishen-Richmond Award in Sociology (2021-2022), Dean’s Award for Research Excellence (DARE) (2021), the �첥��Ƶ Continuing Student Scholarship (2019-2020), Sayre Award for Best Undergraduate Research, and the Humanities Education and Research Association (HERA) Undergraduate Research Prize (2020).

The post Scarborough through the Lens of Sound and Literature - A Conversation with Aysha Campbell appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

21 January 2026 | 2:00 - 2:30 pm EST |

The Robarts Centre invites you to the annual Council of Members to learn more about ongoing and future activities. The session will feature a short presentation from Robarts Centre Director, Jean Michel Montsion, followed by a Q&A discussion. The Council of Members will be chaired by Robarts Faculty Associate, Laura Kwak (Associate Professor, Sociology �첥��Ƶ).

Afterwards, join us for a research conversation with Aysha Campbell (MA in Humanities): Scarborough Through the Lens of Sound and Literature. Aysha was awarded the Leslie Sanders Prize and Canadian Studies Network Prize for her contributions to advancing critical Canadian Studies. The discussion will be moderated by Ola Mohammad (Assistant Professor, Humanities, �첥��Ƶ)

Questions? Email robarts@yorku.ca.

The post 2026 Council of Members appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

Click to register.

Date: Thursday, March 12, 2026
Time: 7:00 - 9:00 pm
Venue: Another Story Bookshop
315 Roncesvalles Ave.
Toronto, ON
Canada M6R 2M6

This event is endorsed by the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies, the Global Labour Research Centre, and the York Centre for Asian Research.

This is the inaugural event for of International Higher Education: Ethics, Politics, and Labour research cluster. More information about the cluster's research goals can be found here: /research/robarts/international-higher-education-ethics-politics-labour/.

The post Book Launch: "Skills to Build the Nation" by Soma Chatterjee (Social Work, �첥��Ƶ) appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

A 'What is Happening in Canada?" Event

With Dr. Emilia Nielsen, Associate Professor, Health & Society, �첥��Ƶ

Tuesday December 9, 2025 | 12:00 - 1:00 pm EST |

Disability arts and culture constitute a vibrant force in Canada with recent examples of this generativity emblematic of a commitment to make creative worlds for disability and disabled people—in the past, in the present and in the future. This presentation will be less of a lecture and more of an invitation to explore together the rich cultural landscape of disability arts and culture in Canada with specific attention paid to just a few of the great many artists, creators, and organizations at work today. It could be argued there is still much to do to reimagine the place of disability arts and culture within critical, interdisciplinary studies of Canada. As such, there are opportunities to envisage collaborative research projects that incorporate a critical disability studies framework when engaging with Canadian disability arts and culture.

This talk will be moderated by Jean Michel Montsion, Associate Professor in Canadian Studies at Glendon Campus (�첥��Ƶ) and Director of the Robarts Centre.

Speaker Biography

Dr. Emilia Nielsen is an associate professor in the Health and Society program at �첥��Ƶ. She is the author of two critically noted collections of poetry, Body Work and Surge Narrows, and her scholarly book, Disrupting Breast Cancer Narratives: Stories of Rage and Repair (University of Toronto Press, 2019), received the Elli Köngäs-Maranda Prize. Her most recent funded research explores experiential knowledge of chronic illness, hybrid forms of life-writing, and critical-creative approaches. She hosts and executive produces the podcast “On Being Ill”: Conversations on Creativity, Disability and Identity with support from the .

The post On Disability Arts & Culture (WIHIC) appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.

Join the Robarts Centre and the Centre for Feminist Research for a virtual conversation about navigating the postdoc application process. After a brief information session on such applications, current postdocs at �첥��Ƶ will share their insights and experiences.

This event will be moderated by Jessica Parish, Assistant Professor in the School of Public Policy and Administration at Carleton University.

Speakers

Kim McIntyre
Postdoctoral Services & Professional Skills Coordinator, Faculty of Graduate Studies

Ashlee Christoffersen
Adjunct Professor, Department of Politics and Associate, Centre for Feminist Research

Hazal Goktas
Postdoctoral Visitor, 2SLGBTQ+ Poverty in Canada: Improving Livelihood and Social Wellbeing Project, �첥��Ƶ

Alexandra Mourgou
MITACS Elevate Postdoctoral Fellow, �첥��Ƶ, Dept. of History

The post Robarts-CFR Connects: Navigating Postdoc Applications appeared first on Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies.