Congress 2018 research looks at atheist comedy, links between The Tragically Hip and Canadian identity, and the history of professional tattooing

REGINA, May 30, 2018 – Researchers examine how humour can destabilize religion, how live streaming has influenced the gaming industry, how the Tragically Hip define Canadians, all as part of the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. Canada’s largest academic gathering, Congress brings over 5,000 of the country’s brightest researchers, thinkers, and policy-makers to the University of Regina this week.

Unique to Canada and often called the “Academic Olympics,” Congress is great fodder for journalists looking for fresh research stories in the humanities and social sciences. All of these researchers are on the University of Regina campus this week.

Highlights in research in arts and culture include:

Atheist Comedy as Reality Maintenance: Atheist comedy is found in stand‐up comedy, movies and TV shows. Rather than relying on scientists who can properly explain the group’s belief, comedians are at the forefront of a movement which hopes to destabilize and eliminate religion from the public sphere. This paper analyzes the techniques employed by several atheist comedians to analyze how their humour constructs religions and religious people as ‘Others’ who are laughable and confused at best, and manipulative or harmful at worst.

“Canada was Joined at the Hip”: Issues of Diversity in the Connections between The Tragically Hip, the CBC and Canadian Identity: This research is about the connections between the CBC and The Tragically Hip, particularly how the CBC aided in promoting The Hip as “Canada’s band”. This presentation aims to consider the implications of a band like The Tragically Hip representing a diverse, multicultural nation such as Canada, and suggests that CBC’s promotion of The Tragically Hip as “Canada’s band” creates an idea of diversity that is rather limited.

The Influence of Live Streaming and Twitch.tv on the Games Industry: Twitch.tv is the dominant market leader in the live‐streaming of video game content. It is not just affecting the play nor spectating of games, but also their production, marketing, and reviewing. This paper reviews the effects of live streaming on the games industry, and situates these changes within the broader dynamics of the contemporary video games sector.

‘Visually Interesting and Not Without Some Mystery’: The Intersecting History of Professional Tattooing in Halifax and Beyond: Aided by its position as an international port city and regional center, tattooing thrived in Halifax in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with a wide‐ranging clientele that encompassed transient and permanent populations. This research counteracts misconceptions of  tattooing as the domain of ‘low’ and ‘marginalized’ social and cultural groups, and argues that it uniquely contributed to Halifax’s urban milieu and nationwide social and cultural networks.

Congress is an annual gathering of more than 65 scholarly associations, each holding their annual conference under one umbrella. This year’s theme is “Gathering Diversities”, reflecting the history of Regina as a traditional place of gathering and rich buffalo hunting grounds for Plains cultures.

Congress is open to the public. More information about the Federation and Congress 2018 is available online through their website, Twitter and Facebook.

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For interview requests
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Nicola Katz
Manager of Communications
nkatz@ideas-idees.ca
Cell: 613-282-3489
 

University of Regina
Dale Johnson
Communications Strategist
dale.johnson@uregina.ca
Cell: 306-531-5995
 

About the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, Congress is the largest interdisciplinary conference in Canada, and one of the largest in the world. Now in its 87th year, Congress brings together academic associations that represent a rich spectrum of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences, including literature, history, theatre, film studies, education, music, sociology, geography, social work and many others. Congress 2018 is hosted by the University of Regina. For more information, visit www.congress2018.ca.

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the annual Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences. For more information about the Federation, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.

About the University of Regina
The University of Regina is constantly pushing the bounds of knowledge and pioneering new ways of thinking about the world. It’s no surprise that the University is ranked in the Top 200 by Times Higher Education in the Best Young Universities category. At the heart of its success is the institution’s commitment to growing diversity. Since 2009, it has increased its international student population by 122 percent and its Indigenous student population by 84 percent. The University of Regina is home to the country’s highest percentage of graduate students from outside Canada, and has received the top ranking in Canada for its number of international research collaborations. For more information about the University of Regina, visit www.uregina.ca.