A group of 16 PhD and graduate students of Canadian studies from around the world gathered to share their research and exchange ideas as part of the World Seminar on Canada held from Oct. 4-9 at the University of Ottawa.
“There was a sense we needed to promote the younger generation of scholars from around the world to study, teach and write about Canada,” said Guy Leclair, the acting director of the International Council for Canadian Studies (ICCS), which organized the event.
Leclair said that throughout regions diverse as Latin America, Europe, and the Asia Pacific there are networks of different Canadian studies associations.
“There was the sense that it would be interesting to bring this to Canada and have a world seminar with the best and brightest of Canadian studies,” Leclair said.
“It’s part of the effort to meet a global demand for more knowledge about Canada. Not just [Canadian] economics and politics, but culture, multiculturalism, indigenous peoples, the whole gamut of things,” said Richard Nimijean, assistant dean (first-year programs) of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences at Carleton.
There was a strong focus on the interdisciplinary nature of Canadian studies as well as the issue of multiculturalism in Canada.
Mihaela Vieru, a Romanian PhD student, said she chose Carleton for the interdisciplinary program in Canadian studies offered here after earning her master’s in Canadian cultural studies in Romania. Her European background helped her recognize that Canada is often viewed differently abroad, compared to how we see ourselves, she said.
“There is a perspective out there of Canada that is kind of different from our domestic perspective of Canada.”
Canadians have noticed the discrepancy as well.
“What we project, and what we say we are internationally, and what we do, well, there is a fair difference,” Leclair said.
Leclair points out that one positive feature of Canadians is our willingness to debate an issue. This attracts international students whose countries may face similar issues, and the dialogue can lead to problem solving. The interdisciplinary nature of Canadian studies is useful because it is not only concerned with the arts but also policy and economics, which may be transferable to other countries, Leclair said.
According to Cornelius Remie, past president of ICCS, Canada’s history as a multicultural nation makes it worth studying.
“That’s why we look at Canada, because we have a long experience with dealing with diversity,” he said.