Cdn Congress of the Social Sciences and Humanities

[Jeff Deby]

Hello all,

This message contains:

(a) mostly info about the above conference, *plus*
(b) a small comment/request about the Canadian language/culture research
scene in general.

This über-conference seems to have got very little attention on the
linguistic and ling-anth lists I'm on, and I'm surprised.  I myself only
just found out about its existence, and I've been back in Canada over a
year.  It's a collection of simultaneous conferences in Edmonton,
Alberta (this year) from May 24-31 2000, expecting about 6,000
participants.  Among the dozens of groups meeting are:

-Canadian Sociology and Anthropology Association / Société canadienne de
sociologie et d'anthropologie
-Canadian Linguistics Association / Association canadienne de
linguistique
-Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics / Association canadienne de
linguistique appliquée
-Canadian Indigenous/Native Studies Association / Association canadienne
des études autochtones
-Canadian Lesbian and Gay Studies Association / Société canadienne des
études lesbiennes et gaies
-Canadian Women's Studies Association / Association canadienne des
études sur les femmes
-Canadian Communication Association / Association canadienne pour la
communication

Information in English: http://www.hssfc.ca/Cong/CongressInfoEng.html
Renseignements en français: http://www.hssfc.ca/Cong/CongressInfoFr.html

The page for the "Congrès 2000 Congress" is not so informative itself,
but contacts for the individual associations and programmes can be found
by following the "Programme chairs and local arrangements co-ordinators"
link.  You can also browse the specs of the 1999 conf.  I'd be
interested to hear from anyone who has been to this Congress before.

More generally, I am disturbed by the low profile of sociolinguistics
and linguistic anthropology in Canada. I know there are many scholars,
not just Canadians, doing their research in Canada on languages/cultural
situations here (from Kwakwala to Inuktitut to Québec French to Nova
Scotian Black English), or who like me are Canadian scholars who went to
the states for grad school.   I see this research and these scholars,
myself included, at conferences in the *US* of all places.  Conferences
such as this "Congrès 2000 Congress" make it possible for future
generations of Canadians not to have to brain-drain to the States to see
what's happening in the our field.  If anyone has any comments on this
topic either please e-mail me off-list (en français, si vous préférez);
I'd like to chat about it.  As far as I know, there isn't even an
listserv devoted to language/culture studies in Canada.

Jeff
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Jeff Deby, Georgetown University
• E-mail: Jeff_Deby at bc.sympatico.ca
• Web: http://www.georgetown.edu/users/debyj/
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
You painted a naked woman because you enjoyed looking at her, you put a
mirror in her hand and you called the painting "Vanity", thus morally
condemning the woman whose nakedness you had depicted for your own
pleasure.  -- John Berger, Ways of Seeing