With the theme "Solidarités. Réseaux – Convivialités – Confrontations", the annual conference of the Association for Canadian Studies in German-speaking Countries (GKS) will be devoted to the forms and practices of solidarity in Canada and Quebec. It will examine not only the networks and forms of cohabitation that result from them, but also the inherent potential for conflict. The chosen perspective is interdisciplinary, from the angle of Francophone and Anglophone cultural, literary, and linguistic studies, historical sciences, political sciences and sociology, geography and economics, anthropology, and Indigenous studies, as well as women's and gender studies.
Since the 1980s, following the acceleration of globalization and the establishment of the (neo)liberal paradigm, the question of solidarity no longer seemed to have a place on the political and social scene. However, in societies marked by interculturality and diversity, such as those of Canada and Quebec, this question has remained very relevant in the practices of cohabitation of different groups. It also arises in international solidarity networks, for example in the context of the anti-/alter-globalization, ecological, LGBTQIA+, or anti-racist movements. Moreover, the COVID-19 crisis has also led to the emergence or updating in Canada and Quebec of discourses on intergenerational and interprofessional forms of solidarity and on solidarity mobilizations. However, the crisis has also shown their limits and the potential conflicts between the different social discourses related to them. Therefore, the theme of solidarities regarding the networks, confrontations, and forms of conviviality that it implies will be explored along three axes: solidarity and society, solidarity and space, and solidarity and artistic and cultural expressions.
Thus, the following themes could be addressed, among others:
− Practices of conviviality and solidarity as well as potential conflicts within and between different types of communities, e.g. migrants, women, First Nations, queer solidarities, disabled people
− Protest movements and their national and international networking
− Interactions or confrontations between social partners
− Corporate social responsibility and sustainability in business contexts
− Alternative models, life projects and practices of solidarity, for example in the sharing economy or in forms of urban and rural solidarities
− The role of Canada and Quebec in international networks
− Ethnic/linguistic/religious minorities in different spatial settings in Canada: forms of organization, identity-building, solidarities
− The impact of local / regional environments and settings on forms of solidarity, cooperation and cohabitation within and between different communities (e.g. the Arctic / Grand North, the Prairies, the coasts…)
− Conviviality and convivialism, but also confrontations and tensions between humans and nature, human and non-human life forms
− Literary and media representations (traditional and social media) of (practices of) solidarity and its/their negotiation
− Historical and current representations of regional and cultural-linguistic forms of solidarity
− Literary and linguistic perspectives on confrontation and/or solidarity
Contact and Abstract Submission
Paper proposals/abstracts of max. 500 words can be submitted in French or English and should outline:
- methodology and theoretical approaches chosen
- content/body of research
- which of the three axes outlined above the paper speaks to (if any)
In addition, some short biographical information (max. 250 words) should be provided, specifying current institutional affiliation and position as well as research background with regard to the conference topic and/or three axes.
Abstracts should be submitted no later than May 15, 2022 to the GKS office: gks@kanada-studien.de