Linda Hutcheon

Talks for Fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Speaker: Lucan Ahmad Way, Political Science, Munk School Title: “Russia's Invasion of Ukraine: Causes and Consequences” Introducer: Peter Hajnal Abstract: In this lecture, Lucan Way will address a most timely topic in discussing the reasons for the Russian invasion, […]

Talks for fall 2022: Wednesdays at 10 am (in person at Faculty Club and on ZOOM) Registration will open a few weeks before the event. Speaker: Chandrakant Shah, Dalla Lana School, U of T; Clinical Coordinator of Anishnawbe Health Title: “A Settlers’ Role in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples” Introducer: Mary Chipman Abstract: As a first-generation […]

Speaker:  Burton Lim, Assistant Curator of Mammalogy, ROM Title:  “Great Whales: Up Close and Personal” Introducer: Jim Gurd Abstract: The great whales include the largest animals that have ever lived on earth, but we know so little about them and some are on the brink of extinction.  A recent exhibition at the Royal Ontario Museum […]

January 11, 2023 Speaker: Sandra Rehan, Biology, York U Title: “Diversity, Decline and Sustainability of Wild Bees” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Understanding the nutritional requirements of wild bees is essential for their conservation. Remarkably little is known about wild bee habitat requirements, floral preference, and the nutritional value of pollen resources. Here I provide the […]

 January 18, 2023 Speaker: Aisha Ahmad, Political Science, U of T Title: “Why Jihadists Win” Introducer: Charlie Maurer Abstract: Why are jihadist insurgencies able to withstand massive international military interventions against them, survive long periods of occupation, and then suddenly resurge and take power again? This talk unpacks the economic logic behind this jihadist resilience, […]

January 25, 2023 Speakers:  Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada; Peter Hajnal, Librarian; John Kirton, panelists; moderator Louis Pauly, Political Science, U of T. Title: “What Is the Role of the G-20 Today?” Introducer and Chair: Peter Hajnal Abstract: With the world currently consumed by many, interconnected crises, new questions have arisen about the […]

February 1, 2023 Speaker:  Sophia Moreau, Law and Philosophy, U of T Title: “Tort Law and Social Equality: Using Unlikely Areas of the Law to Redress Social Subordination” Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract: Although Canada has robust anti-discrimination laws, these laws can only accomplish so much.  Scholars who work on other areas of law —such as […]

February 8, 2023  Speaker:  Peter Sloly, Chief of Ottawa Police Service, 2019-22 Title: “Reflections and Projections on Canadian Policing” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Peter Sloly will provide a concise but compelling set of reflections and projections about policing in Canada.  The last three years (2019-2022) has been imperfectly perfect storm - that exposed a perfectly […]

February 15, 2023 Speaker: Miriam Diamond, Earth Sciences, U of T Title: “Solutions, and why we need them now, to address the global threat of chemical pollution” Introducer: TBA Abstract: The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has named our current, global situation a “planetary emergency” that will undermine the ability of all societies, today and […]

February 22, 2023  Speaker: Michael Gervers, History, U of T Title: “What do we know about the Ethiopian Dark Ages (7th-12th centuries)?” Introducer: Marty Klein Abstract: The Axumite kingdom flourished from the 1st to the 6th century, after which economic decline set in. Several explanations have been put forward for this change: the defeat of […]

March 1, 2023 Speaker: Bence Viola, Anthropology, U of T Title: “Living on the Edge – Neanderthals and Denisovans in Central Asia.” Introducer: Susan Pfeiffer Abstract: forthcoming Bio: Associate Professor Bence Viola is a paleoanthropologist focusing on the biological and cultural dynamics of the contacts between different hominin groups in the late Pleistocene. To better […]

March 8, 2023 Speaker: Mark Osbaldeston Title: “Unbuilt University of Toronto and Queens Park” Introducer: Daphne Maurer Abstract: Mark Osbaldeston will explore two centuries of never-realized building and planningproposals for Queen’s Park and the neighbouring University of Toronto campus.Using dozens of images drawn from provincial, municipal, and university archives(and expanding on his books Unbuilt Toronto and […]

March 15, 2023 Speaker: J. Gottfried Paasche, Sociology, York U Title: “The German Aristocracy and Their Resistance, or Lack of, to Hitler and the Nazis: The case of General Kurt von Hammerstein and Three of his Daughters.” Introducer: TBA Abstract: The speaker is the grandson of Hans Paasche, pacifist, assassinated in 1920 by Nationalist German […]

March 22, 2023  Speaker:  Konrad Eisenbichler, Italian, Renaissance Studies, U of Toronto Title: “A Different Sort of Italian: Julian-Dalmatian Immigrants in Canada” Introducer: Giuliana Katz Abstract: Scholarship on Italian immigration to Canada has generally omitted the Julian-Dalmatians, a group of Italians from Istria and Dalmatia, two regions that, in the wake of World War Two, […]

May 17, 2023, 2-4:45pm - in-person only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Merrill Swain Title:  “Talking Matters:  Theory, Research and Knowledge Mobilization” AND “Talking Matters” (a play)  Introducer: Daphne Maurer   Abstract of talk:  The focus of this session is to demonstrate that theory-informed research can be transformed into accessible and actionable knowledge.  A) Theory: the theoretical concept of “languaging”, set within the […]

Wednesday Talk: May 24, 2023, 2-4pm - Zoom only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Lawrence Wiliford  Title:  "Charting a New Path: Classical Vocal Music and Canadian Visual Media Distribution”  Introducer: Linda Hutcheon   Abstract: During the COVID-19 pandemic, opera companies and other performing arts organizations embraced film and video production to enable artists to continue their craft while also […]

Wednesday Talk: May  31, 2023, 2-4pm - Zoom only (non-Fellows can participate for $10)   Speaker: Geoff Rayner-Canham  Title:  “Chemistry and Inuit Life and Culture”  Introducer: Linda Hutcheon Abstract:  Inuit have lived and thrived for millennia in one of the most challenging environments on the planet. How is this possible? It is chemistry which, in many aspects, provide the underlaying explanations for […]

June 23, 2023 Speaker: Daniel Lang Title: 'The Carnegie Foundation and University of Toronto Faculty Pensions: An "Undenominational", Un-tax-funded History”’ Abstract: When the Carnegie Foundation was established in 1905, universities in Canada and Newfoundland were eligible for grants, on strict conditions that were seen by some as “colonial,” “continentalist,” or “imperial” intrusions on autonomy; for […]

Wednesday Talk: January 10, 2024, 2-4 pm - in-person and on Zoom   Speaker: Max Friesen, Anthropology, U of T Title: “Ancient and Urgent: Climate Change Threats to the Arctic Heritage Record” Abstract: The long-term history of the circumpolar North is facing catastrophic threats from changing climates. Rising sea levels, thawing permafrost, and increasing storminess are together causing severe destruction of archaeological sites, […]

Speaker: Marlene Shore, Professor Emerita and Senior Scholar, Department of History/York University Title: “Down from the Mountain: Reckoning with Unrest, Risk, and Charlatanism in the Canadian University, 1919-1939” Abstract: In the aftermath of World War I, it was a commonly held belief in Canada, Britain, and the United States that the key to international stability […]

Speaker: Kent Roach, Law, University of Toronto Topic: “Wrongfully Convicted: Lessons from the Canadian Registry” Abstract: This talk will discuss some of the findings from the Canadian Registry of Wrongful Convictions which has recorded close to 90 remedied wrongful convictions. Among topics discussed will be why do people who are innocent plead guilty and why […]

Speaker: Ian Cusson, Composer Title: “Indigeneity in Contemporary Opera: Wolf-men and Vacations to Prague” Abstract: Ian will explore Indigenous representation in contemporary opera through examples from his body of work, including the forthcoming chamber opera adaptation of Thomas King’s Indians on Vacation, and the grand opera adaptation of Cherie Dimaline’s Empire of Wild. In addition, […]

Speaker: Nandita Bajaj, Executive Director, Population Balance Title: “Connecting the Dots between Reproductive Autonomy and Environmental Sustainability” Abstract: Human population has doubled in the last 50 years, growing from approximately four billion in 1970 to eight billion currently. There is rising public awareness that overpopulation and rampant overconsumption are driving climate change, resource scarcity, and […]

Speaker: Soren Brothers, Allan and Helaine Shiff Curator of Climate Change, ROM; Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U of T Title: “Climate, Lakes, and Museums: Intersections and Transdisciplinary Opportunities” Abstract: While climate change is riding high on many people’s thoughts around the world, few people have ever heard of a “limnologist” and even fewer could tell you […]

Speaker: Paul Stevens, English Department, University of Toronto Title: “Robinson Crusoe and the Slave Trade: A Treatise against Adventure” Abstract: The break-out of the Muslim slave trade into the Atlantic in the early seventeenth century coincides with the dramatic escalation of the European slave trade in Africa. The first enslaved Africans arrived in Virginia only […]

Speaker: Mary Nyquist, English/Comparative Literature, U of T Title: “Early Modern Freedom, Tyranny, and the Rhetorical Power of ‘Slave’” Abstract: Why is the word “slave” capable of causing such anguish for those whose ancestors have been enslaved. Why have English-language speakers recently but silently decided to replace it with “the enslaved”, who are ruled not […]

Speaker: Yvonne Bombard, IHPME, U of T Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, U of T Title: “Delivering Precision Genomic Medicine: Evidence, Policy and Equity” Genetic testing has become increasingly popular in recent years, as people seek to learn more about their health and ancestry. With advances in technology, it has become easier and […]

Speaker: Clifford Orwin, Political Science, U of T Title: “The Double 24-Hour Makeover Election” Abstract: The venerable conservative columnist George Will — a retired professor at the U of T! — recently described the choice facing American voters on November 5 as the worst in the country's history.  In fact both tickets deserved to lose the […]

Speaker: Franca Iacovetta, History, U of T, and Cynthia Wright, School of Gender, Sexuality and Women’s Studies, York U Title: “Remembering Emma Goldman in Toronto, 1920s-2020s” Abstract: Emma Goldman – the Russian-born and US-naturalized anarchist deported from the United States at the height of the First Red Scare in 1919 – is arguably one of […]

Wednesday Talk: January 8 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Elizabeth Clare, Biology, York University Title: “A Chance to Measure Life on Earth: The Potential of Airborne eDNA” Abstract: Rapid monitoring across all life is necessary to quantify biodiversity at regional and continental scales, infer trends and assess the success or failure […]

Wednesday Talk: January 15 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker:  Gerry Friesen, History, University of Manitoba Title: “The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman” Abstract: Dr. Friesen will talk about his recently published book, The Honourable John Norquay: Indigenous Premier, Canadian Statesman (University of Manitoba Press 2024). Born in the Red […]

Wednesday Talk: January 22 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Anne Urbancic, Italian; Semiotics, Victoria College, U of T Title: “Large Double Double: How Tim Hortons Coffee Ritualizes Canadian Identity” Abstract: My study takes as a point of departure a rather generous definition of ritual, not necessarily sacred and serious […]

Wednesday Talk: January 29 , 2025, at 2pm. It is in-person and on Zoom Speaker: Sharon Vattay, architectural historian, cultural heritage specialist Topic: “Toronto's Massey Music Hall: Conservation in Practice" Abstract: This lecture offers a behind-the-scenes look at the recent revitalization of a nineteenth-century music hall, updated to meet twenty-first-century standards.  The presentation will recount […]

Speaker: Matthew Light, Centre for European and Eurasian Studies, Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies, U of T Title: “Ukraine: The Stakes for Canada” Abstract: As the war in Ukraine drags on for its third year, it has somewhat dropped out of the headlines and public consciousness in Canada. Matthew Light argues that while the […]

Speaker: Tom Keymer, English, U of T Title: “Jane Austen and the Jurassic” ABSTRACT: Ecocritical scholarship on 19th-century literature has explored the impact on Victorian writers of the new geological and palaeontological science and the dizzying apprehensions of deep time that came with it. Writing a generation or two earlier, Jane Austen might seem a less […]

Speaker: Patricia Brubaker, Physiology and Medicine, U of T Title: The basic science underlying the beneficial actions of ♪O, O, O, O-zempic♪ Abstract: Drugs based on the intestinal hormone glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) have taken the   world by storm over the past 5 years, with 1 million Canadians and one in eight Americans now reporting that […]

Speaker: Netami Stuart, Senior Project Manager for Parks, Waterfront Toronto Title: “The Port Lands Flood Protection Infrastructure Project: How to Build a River” Abstract: The Port Lands Flood Protection and Enabling Infrastructure (PLFP) Project is a $1.38B project led by Waterfront Toronto, the City of Toronto, Toronto and Region Conservation Authority (TRCA) and CreateTO, with […]

Speaker: Madeleine Zurowski, Physics, U of T Title: “Searching in the Dark” Abstract: Dark Matter is a hypothesised new particle thought to make up 85% of the matter in the universe. This talk will address why we think it exists and how we go about looking for it, with a particular focus on SuperCDMS – an experiment currently under […]

Speaker: James Campbell Topic: “Music Inside Out” Abstract: James Campbell has collaborated with many legendary artists, including Glenn Gould, Aaron Copland, Janus Starker, and the Amadeus String Quartet. He will tell stories about his experiences working with them and give his view of what made them unique. He will also offer his perspective on the future of classical […]

Speaker: Mark G. McGowan, St. Michael’s College, U of T  Topic: “’Kindred Spirits’ in the North: Indigenous Peoples in British North American and their Donations to the Irish Famine Relief” Abstract: The Irish Famine (1846-1852) was one of the most traumatic events in modern Irish history. With the repeated failure of the potato crop, upon […]