Political Theory

H19 - Roundtable: In or Out? Unity and Exclusion in Canadian Politics

Date: Jun 1 | Time: 01:30pm to 03:00pm | Location: Classroom - CL 410 Room ID:15739

Chair/Président/Présidente : Sanjay Jeram (Simon Fraser University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : John Grant (King's University College, Western University)

In or Out? A Roundtable Conversation about Unity and Exclusion in Canadian Politics:

Yasmeen Abu-Laban (University of Alberta)
Kiran Banerjee (University of Saskatchewan)
Anna Drake (University of Waterloo)
Melissa Williams (University of Toronto)

Abstract: Canada promises unity through democratic politics, reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, a welfare state, and a multicultural approach to cultural relations. Taking John Grant’s book, Lived Fictions: Unity and Exclusion in Canadian Politics (UBC Press), as a starting point, this roundtable explores the controversies, promises and woes of political unity. In this thematic conversation, panelists consider how theories of political unity exclude and reflect on the ways in which assumptions about the promises of Canadian politics mask historical failures. The discussion will also touch on the institutional and intellectual changes needed to radically reform Canadian politics.