New Books - October 2011

A selection of new books added to the catalogue in October 2011, including a number of books purchased to support our growing collection in human rights, which support the Institute's MA in Understanding and Securing Human Rights

Moyn, Samuel. The last utopia : human rights in history. Cambridge, Mass. : Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 2010.

Gatwa, Tharcisse. The churches and ethnic ideology in the Rwandan crises, 1900-1994. Milton Keynes : Paternoster, 2005.

Bronkhorst, Salomé. Climate change and conflict : lessons for conflict resolution from the Southern Sahel of Sudan. Umhlanga : African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), 2011.

Dinstein, Yoram. The conduct of hostilities under the law of international armed conflict. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2010.

Kalshoven, Frits and Liesbeth Zegveld. Constraints on the waging of war : an introduction to international humanitarian law. Cambridge, UK ; New York : Cambridge University Press, 2011.

Sibomana, André. Hope for Rwanda : conversations with Laure Guilbert and Hervé Deguine, translated and with a postscript by Carina Tertsakian ; foreword by Alison Des Forges. London ; Sterling, Va. : Pluto Press ; Dar Es Salaam : Mkuki na Nyota Publishers, 1999.

Hoffman, David and John Rowe. Human rights in the UK : an introduction to the Human Rights Act 1998. Harlow : Longman, 2010.

Hutching, Megan. Leading the way : how New Zealand women won the vote. Auckland : HarperCollins Publishers, 2010.

Bunte, Thimna and Laureline Monnier. Mediating land conflict in Burundi. Umhlanga : African Centre for the Constructive Resolution of Disputes (ACCORD), 2011.

Seecharan, Clem. Mother India's Shadow over El Dorado : Indo-Guyanese politics and identity, 1890s-1930s. Kingston ; Miami : Ian Randle Publishers, c2011.

Social accountability & poverty reduction in Ghana : community assessment of five districts / by the Centre for Budget Advocacy (CBA) of ISODEC ; with the support of the Department for International Development (DFID), through the Institute for Policy Alternatives (IPA), and of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA), through Diakonia. Accra : Centre for Budget Advocacy (CBA) of the Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), [2005]

Wednesday 30th November - library will close at 3.00pm

Please note that the library has a planned closure of 3.00pm on Wednesday 30th November.

This is to enable arrangements for the University's Foundation Day. This year is the 175th anniversary of the University and also coincides with the 75th anniversary of the opening of Senate House (1936) and the completion of the refurbishment of the Senate House Libraries. Linking these significant milestones together the University plans to create an event that showcases our history, our standing, our vision and our people.

As part of Foundation Day celebrations Honorary degrees will be conferred by the Chancellor, HRH The Princess Royal, on the following eminent individuals:


Sir Keith Ajegbo, education consultant, Doctor of Literature (Education)
William Kentridge, artist, Doctor of Literature
Mary Quant OBE, fashion designer, Doctor of Literature
Dame Alison Richard, former Vice-Chancellor, Cambridge University, Doctor of Laws
Andrew Ritchie, inventor, Doctor of Science (Engineering)
Sir Magdi Yacoub, professor of cardiothoracic surgery, Doctor of Science (Medicine)

Please note that some services may also be affected by strike action, and we recommend checking in advance of your visit.

Violence, Memory and Commemoration: Perspectives from Southern, Eastern and Central Africa

Southern Africa: History, Culture and Society Seminar Series

Centre for African Studies, University of London

Violence, Memory and Commemoration: Perspectives from Southern, Eastern and Central Africa
Tom Lodge (Limerick), ‘Sharpeville and Memory’
Rachel Ibreck (Limerick), ‘The Time of Mourning: The Politics of Commemorating the Tutsi Genocide’
Annie Coombes (Birkbeck), ‘Learning from the Lari Massacre(s): Object Lessons from Contemporary Kenya’
Discussant: JoAnn McGregor (UCL)

9 December, 2011; 13.00 – 16.30
Birkbeck College
CLO GO1
Clore Management Centre

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/maps/centrallondon.pdf

Seminar convenors: Wayne Dooling (SOAS); Rebekah Lee (Goldsmiths); Hilary Sapire(Birkbeck)
RSVP h.sapire@bbk.ac.uk

African Human Rights Case Law Analyser

The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights is the oldest human rights complaint-handling body in Africa. Established by the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights (Article 30), since 1988, the African Commission has been receiving and determining cases (called communications) on human rights violations in Africa. It has through the years developed a valuable and uniquely African body of human rights case law, which is available here in its most exhaustive collection.


The African Human Rights Case Law Analyser offers the most exhaustive access to the decisions of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights in English and French.


The African Human Rights Case Law Analyser (CLA) is a joint project of the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa (IHRDA) and Human Rights Information and Documentation Systems (HURIDOCS). Its principal aim is to promote human rights in Africa by filling the information lacuna on the African Human Rights System.

Pakistan Forum : Voice of a Progressive Pakistan

Pakistan Forum : Voices of a Progressive Pakistan


http://www.pakistaniaat.net/

Started by the editors of Pakistaniaat: A Journal of Pakistan Studies (based in the English Department of the University of North Texas, and the sponsored journal of the American Institute of Pakistan Studies) this is a public forum for all those interested in Pakistani history, culture, and politics. The website includes current affairs discussion, blog postings, book reviews and links to many Pakistan based blogs.

Independence and After: Dr Eric Williams and the Making of Trinidad and Tobago

To mark the centenary of the birth of Dr Eric Williams and in anticipation of the 50th anniversary of independence in Trinidad and Tobago, a one-day conference Independence and After: Dr Eric Williams and the Making of Trinidad and Tobago was held at the Institute for the Study of the Americas on the 27 September 2011. This conference explored the shaping of Trinidadian politics and society under the Williams’ administration and the legacies of this period today.


The conference was filmed and all panels are now available to view on:


http://americas.sas.ac.uk/events/videos-podcasts-and-papers/independence-and-after-dr-eric-williams-the-making-of-trinidad-tobago.html

(Programme below)

The Institute is grateful to the Eric Williams Memorial Collection Research Library, Archives & Museum at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad and Tobago for their generous funding of this conference.

PROGRAMME

10.00-10.05 Welcome and Introduction

10.05 – 11.15 Dissecting the Man and the Myth
• Paul Sutton, Reader Emeritus, Hull University "Ryan on Williams: An Appreciation and Critique"
• Selwyn Ryan, University of the West Indies, St Augustine "Response"
• Colin Palmer, Schomburg Center "Response"

11.30 -1.00 Politics & Ethnicity
• Colin Clarke, Professor Emeritus, Oxford University "Reflexions on Race, Religion and Politics in Trinidad and Tobago either side of Independence"
• Brinsley Samaroo, University of the West Indies, St Augustine "Dr Williams’ Academic East Indian Concerns"
• Humberto Garcia Muniz, University of Puerto Rico "The Pan-Caribbeanism of Eric Williams"

2.00 – 3.15 Politics & National Culture
• Teruyuki Tsuji, Kwansei Gakuin University "Villaging the Nation: Eric Williams and the Engineering of National Culture"
• Jacqueline Nunes, London School of Economics "Voice of the oppressed or the oppressor's tool? A quantitative analysis of the relationship between calypso and the PNM"

3.15 – 4.30 Personal Reflections on Political Times
• Raoul Pantin, journalist and writer, Trinidad and Tobago "Eric Williams: A Personal Reflection"

4.50-6.00 Legacies of the Williams Era
• Matthew Bishop, University of the West Indies, St Augustine "The Legacy of Eric Williams and Contemporary Trinidadian Politics"

• ROUND TABLE followed by open discussion: Reflections on the Williams Era, including:
- Colin Palmer, Schomburg Centre, New York
- Selwyn Ryan, University of the West Indies, St Augustine
- Brinsley Samaroo, University of the West Indies, St Augustine

Narrating the Caribbean Nation: A Celebration of Literature and Orature

Narrating the Caribbean Nation: A Celebration of Literature and Orature

Convened by Peepal Tree Press at Leeds Metropolitan University
13th – 15th April 2012

Peepal Tree Press is pleased to announce that a two-day conference, Narrating the Caribbean Nation: A Celebration of Literature and Orature, will be held on 13-15th April 2012 at Leeds Metropolitan University, UK. The conference will celebrate the Silver Anniversary of Peepal Tree Press and highlight the contribution of its own authors and other Caribbean and Black British writers to contemporary world literature.

We are also delighted that Kwame Dawes has confirmed his participation as a keynote speaker. Widely recognised as one of the Caribbean’s leading writers, Kwame is also Chancellor’s Professor of English at the University of Nebraska, and Associate Poetry Editor at Peepal Tree Press.

The conference aims to bring together writers, academics, students, teachers and people with an interest in Caribbean literature to discuss the rich body of both Caribbean and Black British writing and to explore the relationship between the two. Our investigation into the ‘narration of nation’ centres around a definition of the Caribbean nation as one rooted in a rich, unique and plural community which transcends physical borders and extends across the Caribbean and the Caribbean Diaspora.

We will examine culture, politics, identities, childhood, performance and many other topics in the context of the Caribbean and its diasporas and discuss how the past 25 years of Caribbean writing connects to, and builds on, classic texts of Caribbean literature. Moreover, the conference will offer opportunities to hear the ideas of new and established writers and to watch them perform.

The conference will juxtapose academic papers with less formal presentations from activists and practitioners in the field in order to raise the profile of writers of Caribbean heritage. Over the course of the conference, Leeds-based Peepal Tree Press, which has been the home of the best in Caribbean, Black British and South Asian literature for 25 years, will showcase new and classic works in print and in performance by its authors from around the world.

Possible paper topics may include but are not limited to:

• Caribbean identities
• Diasporic Caribbean identities
• Resistance, politics, racism
• Publishing writing from the Caribbean and its diaspora
• Gender and sexuality
• Indo-Caribbean literature
• Classic Caribbean texts
• Discovering new Caribbean writers
• Oral narratives and storytelling
• Auto/biography, memoir, life writing
• Caribbean texts in translation
• Caribbean women writers
• Caribbean poetry
• Teaching Caribbean writing
• Caribbean short story
• Intersections between Caribbean literature, orature, and visual arts
• Writing for children
• Sport and pastimes in the Caribbean and its diaspora

Please send abstracts of 200 words and brief biodata (via Word attachment) to Claire Chambers, Emily Marshall, and Emma Smith on narratingnation@gmail.com with ‘Abstract’ in the subject line by 23 December 2011.

We also welcome poster presentations (for examples, see http://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/presentations_poster.html)

Further details about the conference are available on http://www.eventbrite.co.uk/event/2458986896

Or contact Kadija George: mailto:narratingnation@gmail.com

Selected papers will be published in a journal special issue and/or an edited collection.

Understanding Canada Program

Through the Understanding Canada Program, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade fosters a greater knowledge and understanding of Canada, its values and its culture among scholars and other influential groups abroad. The Program consists of a comprehensive set of grants designed to enable foreign international academics to develop and teach courses about Canada, or to undertake research in their own discipline about an aspect of Canada, leading to publication in Canadian and foreign scholarly presses.


Grants for individuals: In programs designed for individuals, the awards assist selected academics and graduate students to undertake studies relating to Canada by contributing towards international airfare, and a flat-rate weekly or monthly allowance during their study visit in Canada, and/or research expenses within their own country and Canada.

Grants for organizations: The programs designed for organizations seek to assist foreign organizations in the promotion and development of the study of Canada (particularly through seminars, conferences, workshops and roundtables); the development of Canadian Studies programs or activities abroad; the strengthening of Canadiana library holdings in support of teaching and research about Canada; engage in research and publications about Canada and provide incentives to foreign publishing houses to publish scholarly works about Canada in the national language.

Upcoming application deadlines:

November 24th, 2011:

**Note: Please consult the attached deadline calendar as certain countries have different deadline dates: http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/feptable_en.php

• Faculty Enrichment Program (FEP): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/faculty-enrichment-program.php

• Faculty Research Program (FRP): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/faculty-research-program.php

• Doctoral Student Research Award (DSRA): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/doctoral-student-research.php

• Canada-Europe Award in Canadian Studies: http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/canada-europe-awards.php

• International Research Linkages (IRL): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/international-research-linkages.php

December 1st, 2011:

• Canada Conference Grant: http://www.international.gc.ca/studies-etudes/grantconf-subconf.aspx?lang=en&view=d

February 1st, 2012:

• Student Mobility Support Program: http://www.international.gc.ca/studies-etudes/mobility-mobilite.aspx?lang=en&view=d

Applications must be submitted to the local Canadian mission as outlined in the application.

________________________________________


Par l'intermédiaire du programme Comprendre le Canada, le ministère des Affaires étrangères et du Commerce international favorise une plus grande connaissance et compréhension du Canada, de ses valeurs et de sa culture auprès des universitaires et autres groupes influents à l'étranger. Le programme offre un ensemble de subventions visant à aider les organisations et universitaires étrangers soit à développer et offrir des cours portant sur le Canada; soit à entreprendre des recherches dans leur propre discipline et s’intéressant à un ou plusieurs aspects des réalités canadiennes et menant à des publications dans la presse savante canadienne et internationale.

Subventions pour les individus: En ce qui a trait aux programmes conçus pour les individus, les subventions ont pour objet d’aider des universitaires et des étudiants au doctorat à entreprendre des études sur le Canada, en contribuant à défrayer leurs coûts de transport par avion jusqu’au Canada, en leur versant une indemnité forfaitaire hebdomadaire ou mensuelle pour la durée de leur séjour et, dans certains cas, en incluant une allocation pour leurs frais de recherche dans leur pays et/ou au Canada.

Subventions pour les organisations: Les programmes conçus pour les organisations visent à soutenir les organismes étrangers dans leurs efforts de promotion et de développement d’études sur le Canada (notamment à travers des séminaires, des conférences, ateliers et tables rondes), d’aider les établissements d’enseignement supérieur et organismes spécialisés à créer des programmes d'études canadiennes, d’augmenter leur collection de livres canadiens afin de favoriser l'enseignement et la recherche sur le Canada, de participer à des travaux de recherche et à des publications sur le Canada et d’encourager les maisons d'édition étrangère à publier des ouvrages savants sur le Canada dans leur langue nationale.

Dates limites à venir:

24 novembre 2011:

N.b. veuillez consulter le calendrier ci-joint car certains pays ont des dates limites différentes: http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/feptable_en.php

• Bourses de complément de spécialisation (BCS): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/bourses-complement-specialisation.php

• Bourses de recherche en études canadiennes (BREC): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/bourses-recherche.php

• Bourses de recherche en doctorat (BRD): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/bourses-recherche-doctorat.php

• Réseaux internationaux de recherche (PARRI): http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/reseaux-internationaux-recherche.php

• Bourses Canada-Europe: http://www.iccs-ciec.ca/bourses-canada-europe.php

1er décembre 2011:

• Programme de conféérences sur le Canada: http://www.international.gc.ca/studies-etudes/grantconf-subconf.aspx?lang=fr&view=d

1er février 2012:

• Programme d'appui à la mobilité étudiante: http://www.international.gc.ca/studies-etudes/mobility-mobilite.aspx?lang=fr&view=d

Les demandes doivent être présentées à la mission canadienne locale tel que indiqué dans la demande.

CFP: Cultures of Decolonisation, c.1945-1970

Please see below for details of a symposium entitled 'Cultures of Decolonisation' to be held at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in May 2012. There is a particularly interest to receive contributions about cultures of decolonisation in emerging and newly-independent states as well as in Europe. The key-note speaker for the event will be Dr Bill Schwarz (Queen Mary University of London).


Please send abstracts of 250 words or expressions of interest to Dr Ruth Craggs, St Mary’s University College (craggsr@smuc.ac.uk) and Dr Claire Wintle, University of Brighton (c.wintle@brighton.ac.uk) by 30 January 2012.

Cultures of Decolonisation, c.1945-1970
Date: Wednesday, 30 May 2012
Venue: Institute of Commonwealth Studies, University of London, Senate House
Keynote Speaker: Dr Bill Schwarz, Queen Mary, University of London

This symposium will bring together scholars with an interest in the cultural practices, performances and material cultures of decolonisation, c.1945-1970.

While the problems of ‘empire’ and ‘the postcolonial’ have come under increasing scrutiny in the humanities and social sciences in recent years, and debate about the political and economic processes of decolonisation is well established, the cultural sites, spaces and social practices of this process in the middle years of the twentieth century have often been overlooked.

Yet new scholarship is beginning to point to the attention that the literary, visual and built environment paid to political, economic and social change in this period. In addition, the roles of individuals and institutions in cultural practices and performances of decolonisation are now drawing critical attention from a variety of fields. This symposium will bring together scholars from history, art and design history, cultural geography, literature, museum studies, architecture and other cultural fields to further explore these topics with regard to decolonisation between 1945 and 1970.

We invite contributions which examine aspects of cultural engagements with decolonisation. Papers may consider the peoples, sites, materials and practices of emerging and newly independent nations, as well as the processes of decolonisation as enacted in Europe. This event will lend new insights into debates about the contested nature of decolonisation, and into the impact of cultural practices on socio-political processes.

Papers might focus on:

• Cultural institutions and their reactions to and engagements with decolonisation
• Amateurs, professionals and enthusiasts in decolonisation
• Imperial knowledges, materials and collections, and their place in a decolonising world
• Specific media as arenas for political exchange
• Cultural sites of independence and decolonisation
• Visual and performance cultures of decolonisation
• Decolonising lives
• Networks of decolonisation

Symposium Website: http://commonwealth.sas.ac.uk/events/eventdetails0.html?id=10987

Supported by the Institute for Commonwealth Studies, University of London; Faculty of Arts, University of Brighton, and St Mary’s University College

CFP: Colonization and Domestic Service: historical and contemporary perspectives

CFP: Colonization and Domestic Service: historical and contemporary perspectives
16-17 July 2012, Newcastle, Australia

The aim of this symposium is to bring together scholars to share insights and to enter into a conversation about the connections between domestic service and colonization. This symposium will provide an opportunity to workshop individual papers in a collegial environment, drawing out key themes, topics and issues across different sites and times. A selection of the workshopped papers will be included as peer-reviewed chapters in a book published by an international academic press.

Scholars of domestic service from all disciplines are invited to submit proposals for papers offering specific studies, historical or contemporary, of domestic service and colonization, or broader comparative and reflective studies. Established scholars, emerging scholars, and postgraduate researchers are encouraged to submit proposals for papers to workshop, and all are welcome to attend.

Confirmed keynote speakers are Professor Mary Romero (Arizona State University) and Associate Professor Swapna Banerjee (Brooklyn College of CUNY).

Proposals should include a title, a 250-word abstract, a brief (one-page) CV and full contact details. They should be addressed no later than December 1, 2011 to:

colonization.domesticservice@newcastle.edu.au


For further information see: www.newcastle.edu.au/institute/research-institute-for-social-inclusion-and-wellbeing/activities-and-events/colonization-and-domestic-service-symposium.htm

Or contact: Associate Professor Victoria Haskins Victoria.Haskins@newcastle.edu.au
Research Institute for Social Inclusion and Wellbeing, The University of Newcastle, +61 2 4921 5221

Dr Claire Lowrie Claire.Lowrie@newcastle.edu.au
School of Humanities and Social Sciences, The University of Newcastle

ACAS Bulletin - The Sudans: Which Way?

Announcing a new issue of ACAS Bulletin – The Sudans: Which Way?


http://concernedafricascholars.org/bulletin/issue86/

Although a Commonwealth member, South Sudan has expresed some interest in exploring the idea of joining the Commonwealth.

South Sudan gained its independence on July 9, 2011. The new situation in the South and in the North requires close examination and rethinking of old categories. Six different perspectives on possible paths for the peoples of the Sudan are outlined, and placed in the context of complex, burning issues of citizenship, race, democracy, gender, international relations, and peace.

The Sudans: Which Way? BULLETIN N°86 – NOVEMBER 2011

Table of Contents

Introduction
Horace Campbell and Peter Limb, Issue editors

Articles:

The Republic of South Sudan and the Meaning of Independence
Horace Campbell

Citizenship and Identity in Post-Secession Northern Sudan
Ahmad A. Sikainga

Gendering War and Peace in South Sudan: The Elision and Emergence of Women
Caroline Faria

Genealogies of Racial Relations: The Independence of South Sudan, Citizenship & the Racial State in the Modern History of Sudan
Elena Vezzadini

The State of South Sudan: The Change is about the New Sudan
Abdullahi Gallab

South Sudan Looks East: Between the CPA and Independence

British Library Scholarship PhD Project: Narratives and depictions of slaves and former slaves in Canada: 1800 - 1900

British Library Scholarship PhD Project


Narratives and depictions of slaves and former slaves in Canada: 1800 - 1900

Supervisors: Dr Jane Hodson (School of English Literature, Language and Linguistics) and Dr Philip Hatfield (British Library)

The British Library Scholarships arise from the special relationship the University has with the British Library. They support projects that draw significantly on both the holdings and expertise of the British Library.

Project description

The aim of this research project is to explore narratives which describe experiences of slavery which took place in Canada. Canada has a positive popular reputation regarding slavery, being seen as one of the safest end points of a journey via the ‘underground railroad’. However, it also has a darker history, having witnessed both the enslavement of many Native Americans and the use of African origin slaves prior to abolition. A significant body of nineteenth-century literature by and about slaves and former slaves in Canada exists but it has been poorly researched, not least because it has often been overshadowed by American slave narratives (Clarke, 2005).

This project will work from the British Library collections to develop a database of Canadian slave narratives. The database will record information about the authoring, editing and publication of the narratives, plus a brief description and classification of the contents. Particular attention will be paid to the way in which the slave's voice, experience and perspective are handled.

The database will then be used to explore both what might be specifically Canadian about these narratives, and how these narratives relate to wider social, literary and political networks. This is of particular significance as it seems that some Caribbean narratives, such as that of Mary Prince, were sponsored and edited by prominent Canadian literary figures, in Prince’s case Susanna Moodie.

The project aims to address some of the following questions:

• To what extent do Canadian slave narratives constitute a specifically Canadian experience/depiction of slavery?
• How do these Canadian narratives connect to other nineteenth century discourses about slavery?
• In particular, how do these Canadian narratives align with key American and Caribbean narratives such as The History of Mary Prince (1831)?

Relevant Library Holdings

The British Library provides a uniquely centralised resource for considering the representation of slaves, former slaves and their narratives in Canada. The British Library collections hold the vast majority of texts published in North America which bear reference to African slave experiences. Materials published in Canada are extensively present in either original form (some of which are very rare) or reproductions. Further, and very significantly, the Library holds an extensive collection of newspapers from eastern Canada running from the mid 18th century. It has been noted that the majority of slave narratives (especially early ones) published in Canada would have been in these papers, as opposed to in monographs, and that this area requires more critical attention (Clarke, 2005).

Award details

The scholarship will cover the cost of UK/EU tuition fees and provides an annual, tax-free maintenance stipend at the standard Research Council rate (£13,590 in 2011-12). The recipient will also receive a Research Training Support Grant of £500 per year. International applicants will need to pay the difference between the UK/EU and Overseas tuition fees.

Eligibility

• Academic requirements – applicants should have, or expect to achieve, a first or upper second class UK honours degree or equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK in an appropriate area of study.
• Allowed study options – applicants should be registering on their first year of study with the University for 2012-13.
• Residency restrictions – awards are open to UK, EU and international applicants.

How to apply

• Applicants are advised to contact both supervisors (Jane Hodson j.hodson@sheffield.ac.uk; Philip Hatfield Philip.Hatfield@bl.uk) to discuss their application in the first instance.
• Complete an application for admission as a postgraduate student - http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research/apply
• On the application form please state you are applying for this project and briefly outline (in less than 500 words) your reasons for doing so.

Applicants may be asked to attend an interview.
Closing date 3 February 2012.

CFP: Contemporary Developments in Aboriginal Issues - 1st February 2012, University of Leeds, Centre for Canadian Studies

Contemporary Developments in Aboriginal Issues

British Association of Canadian Studies' Aboriginal Studies Circle

at the University of Leeds Centre for Canadian Studies, Leeds (UK)
1st February 2012
The British Association of Canadian Studies is pleased to announce a one day colloquium of its Aboriginal Studies Circle. Many diverse indigenous populations around the globe have been the victims of marginalization as they confront the vast array of issues resulting from both historical injustices and contemporary global challenges. This colloquium seeks to bring together academics and other professionals with an interest in indigenous studies to discuss the broad issues that affect indigenous peoples both in Canada and elsewhere. Through building an interdisciplinary network, it is hoped that discussions of the challenges facing indigenous peoples can be drawn from the periphery of contemporary political, social, cultural, and legal discourses and brought into the mainstream.

Keynote Speakers:

• Prof. Joy Hendry (Anthropology, Oxford Brookes University)
• Dr. Colin Samson (Sociology, University of Essex)
• Dr. David Stirrup (Literature, University of Kent)
• Dr. Roy Todd (Sociology, University of Leeds)

Call for Papers:

Proposals for 20-minute papers, to be presented in either English or French, are invited from any single disciplinary or multidisciplinary perspective including those which offer an informed view of Canada in comparative contexts. Broader possible approaches might include papers on:

* Indigenous peoples and a new history?
* Methodological and theoretical approaches.
* Self-determination and indigenous politics.
* Indigenous economic self-sufficiency.
* Indigenous law/ law and Indigenous peoples.
* Indigenous resource management & land claims.
* Environmental pressures on indigenous populations
* Indigenous languages.
* Indigenous health.
* Visual culture/film & Indigenous literature, art & culture.

This should not, however, be taken as an exhaustive list, and we welcome proposals for papers dealing with all varied interpretations of the theme.

Email abstract(s) of 200-300 words; and brief CV(s) (must include title, institutional affiliation & address(es) by 30 November 2011.

The Idea Exchange:

The Idea Exchange Session will consist of individuals at a table who are willing to spend 5 minutes to share experiences of something they are passionate about in terms of research or teaching and learning. Like a 'show and tell' but with a small group of people (2/3 max) sat a table listening to how you use a research or teaching and learning methodology/software/hardware/resource and giving them the chance to sign up/have a go/ask questions. We hope to have as many Idea Exchanges as possible running concurrently during this Session so as to maximise coverage and allow people to personalise their teaching, learning and research. This is an ideal opportunity for people who do not wish to present a full conference paper to share something that they are particularly passionate about and to gain constructive feedback. If you wish to sign-up to present an idea then you will be acting as a facilitator in order to get people engaged and familiar with your topic within 5 minutes - think guide on the side rather than sage on the stage! To register to present an idea exchanges please send a title for your session to the e-mail address below.

Registration: You can register to attend the colloquium as an audience member.

Enquiries and proposals to: c/o Thomas Snell, Tel: 44 (0) 191 222 6379. Address: rm 2.32, School of Modern Languages, Old Library Building, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU. thomas.snell@newcastle.ac.uk

Slavery collections

Please note that the Senate House Library Slavery archive subject guides have been upgraded.


They now include relevant archives held by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies Library, including Taylor Family, West India Committee, Castle Wemyss Estate and Sandbach Tinne and Co collections, adding to the Senate House Library collections, including those of the Akers Family and of William Hewitt

http://www.shl.lon.ac.uk/specialcollections/archives/slaveryarchivesources.shtml

Returns Box

Our ground floor book Returns Box is moving to the South Block reception from Monday 7th November.

The Returns Box can be used at anytime, including out of Library opening hours, but is cleared only once a day (just after the library opens in the morning).

The move to the South Block, is being done because the North Block is being closed for refurbishment from next week.

CFP: SUSTAINING CANADA: Past, Present and Future Environments, BACS 37th Annual Conference, 2-4 April 2012

SUSTAINING CANADA: Past, Present and Future Environments


BACS 37th Annual Conference


Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge, 2-4 April 2012

The British Association for Canadian Studies encourage contributions on any facet of the topic of Sustaining Canada within and beyond the field of Canadian Studies. Proposals for 20-minute papers, to be presented in either English or French, are invited from any single disciplinary or multidisciplinary perspective. Multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary and comparative panel proposals, including those from postgraduate students, are welcome.


The following aspects are indicative and not comprehensive:

• The origins and growth of environmentalism in Canada
• Inter-Provincial contrasts? The impact of NAFTA? The sub-prime recession?
• The environment of Canada and resource extraction 
• Long-term sustainability issues for energy and other sectors on a global level
• Actions to sustain the environment of Canada
• Local activism, municipal, provincial, federal dimensions
• The environment of Canada and the human scale
• Actions towards conservation: recycling, non-motorised transport
• The environment of Canada: depicted, remembered, imagined
• Idealised and devoid of human input? Or incomprehensible without it?
• The environment of Canada and policy-making
• A concern only in the good times or an enduring preoccupation?
• The environment of Canada and the Law
• Enforcement, conflict, Indigenous peoples’ land rights etc
• The environment of Canada and ecological fragility#
• Threatened environments: when, where, how?
• The environment of Canada and the Business sector
• Implications for corporate social responsibility: business costs, business practices

The British Association for Canadian Studies' Literature Group is pleased to issue the following Call for Papers for the 2012 BACS conference. We encourage contributions on any facet of the topic of Sustaining Canada in relation to Canadian literary and cultural study. Proposals for 20-minute papers, to be presented in either English or French, would be particularly welcome in the following areas:

• Ecocriticism in a Canadian context
• Narratives and/or poetics of environmentalism and activism
• Indigenous literature and culture
• Regional literature and culture
• Border studies
• Urban studies
• Landscape
• Representations of animals in Canadian culture
• Settler-invader narratives
• Travel literature
• The impact of literature and culture upon the environment
• Canadian culture in relation to different kinds of 'environment', e.g. domestic environment, national/international environment, linguistic environments, publishing or production contexts, etc.
• Sustaining Canadian culture, materially and/or ideologically
• Sustaining the culture of specific communities in Canada

Enquiries and proposals to:

Jodie Robson, BACS Administrator bacs@canadian-studies.org

Conference website https://sites.google.com/a/canadian-studies.org/bacs2012/

Proposals (panel and individual) and deadline:

Email abstract(s) of 200-300 words and brief CV (please do not exceed one page) which must include your title, institutional affiliation, email and mailing address by 20 November 2011.

Submissions will be acknowledged by email. Postgraduate students are especially welcome to submit a proposal and there will be a concessionary conference fee for students. BACS regrets that it is unable to assist participants with travel and accommodation costs.

Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement Conference - 18 November 2011

Canada-European Union Free Trade Agreement Conference

Macdonald House, Grosvenor Square, London, UK
18 November 2011

Since 2009, diplomats from Canada and the European Union have been in negotiations to produce a comprehensive trade agreement known as CETA. For people in the EU, the agreement would provide improved access to the Canadian market, a relatively small but prosperous country. For Canadians, CETA is perhaps even more important, for it provides alternatives to export dependency on the United States.

On 17 October, the ninth and final round of negotiations began. It is now a good time for academics to discuss the agreement and its implications for Canadians and Europeans. A small conference about CETA has been organized. It will take place at Macdonald House in London, UK on 18 November. [Nearest Tube Station: Bond Street]

Programme: Canada-EU Trade Agreement Conference

1pm Brian Parrot, Minister Counsellor (Commercial and Economic), Canadian High Commission. Welcome statement.

1:10pm Alan Hallsworth, Portsmouth Business School, and Tim Rooth, University of Portsmouth (40 minutes plus 10 minutes for discussion). "Historical Perspectives on CETA"

2:00pm Malcolm Fairbrother, Lecturer in Global Policy and Politics, University of Bristol. "Canadian Trade Policies from the FTA to the CETA: Myths and Facts" (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

2:30pm Andrew Smith, Coventry University. "Applying the Concepts of Cultural Distance and Imagined Communities to Understanding Canadian Economic Diplomacy" (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

3:00pm COFFEE BREAK

3:15pm Robert Hage, (retired Canadian diplomat), "Changing Canada: the Canada-EU Free Trade Agreement." (20 minutes for presentation, 10 minutes for Q&A)

3:45pm Roundtable Discussion

4:15pm Conference Ends

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP Andrew Smith before 15 November 2010.

This conference has been generously supported by Coventry University, the London Canadian Studies Association (LoCSA), and the Canadian High Commission.

Royal Society journal archive - free open access

The Royal Society has announced that its world-famous historical journal archive – which includes the first ever peer-reviewed scientific journal – has been made permanently free to access online. Around 60,000 historical scientific papers are accessible via a fully searchable online archive, with papers published more than 70 years ago now becoming freely available. These include both historic and modern papers on Africa, the Caribbean, the Pacific and South Asia, as well as the British colonies of Australia, New Zealand and Canada. Early papers include descriptions of plants, animals and diseases; observations of earthquakes, magnetism, meteors, and atmospheric conditions; and letters and reports from expeditions.

The Royal Society is the world’s oldest scientific publisher, with the first edition of Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society appearing in 1665. Henry Oldenburg – Secretary of the Royal Society and first Editor of the publication – ensured that it was “licensed by the council of the society, being first reviewed by some of the members of the same”, thus making it the first ever peer-reviewed journal.

The move is being made as part of the Royal Society’s ongoing commitment to open access in scientific publishing. Opening of the archive is being timed to coincide with Open Access Week, and also comes soon after the Royal Society announced its first ever fully open access journal, Open Biology.

Search the journal archive here

Trotskyist collections

Please note that the Senate House Library Trotskyist archive subject guide has been upgraded. This now include relevant archives held by the Institute of Commonwealth Studies, including material from the CLR James, Baruch Hirson, Workers' Party of South Africa, and political pamphlets collection:

http://www.shl.lon.ac.uk/specialcollections/archives/archivestrotskyistsources.shtml

Lift now in operation!

With a sigh of relief I am pleased to announce that lift access is now available between 4th, 5th and 6th floors of the Senate House Library.
The old lift was stripped out in the refurbishment process and it has taken a little while to set up list access. This has now been done and the lift went operational yesterday morning.

IHR lift that will, for the time being at least, act as the public lift within Senate House Library will open to readers shortly after I send this email.




The sets of double doors on the 4th, 5th and 6th floors will be wedged open. New secondary doors have been fitted to screen off the stairwell (staircase 7). These doors have been fitted with “screamer” style alarms and obviously signs that instruct readers not to use the doors except in an emergency. For those who may not already know I will leave instructions at the Enquiry Desk as to how the alarms can be re-set in the event of activation and will also tell those whose offices are nearest on each floor.

Please ask library staff for directions. The lift is located next to the Convocation Hall (ex-Exhibition Hall) on the 4th floor, in area 529 by the French collection on the 5th floor, and adjacent to the Commonwealth Studies collection and start of the Philosophy sequence on the 6th floor. The new lift (like the old one) unfortunately does not serve the 7th floor.