Karen Diepeveen, Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
Idle No More protests and actions have taken centre stage over the past few weeks, with several of Canada’s political scientists weighing in. In planning surrounding last Friday’s meeting of chiefs and government officials, McMaster's Emmett Macfarlane explored the role of the Governor General. Hayden King from Ryerson broached the subject of division within the Idle No More movement – and argued that it is a good thing.
In Alberta, a good-news story around the University of Alberta’s Humanities 101 program appeared in the Edmonton Examiner. The program, which brings the study of the humanities to adults living in poverty, opens doors to the university world for those who cannot typically access it. Graduation for one of the Hum 101 cohorts happened recently, with inspiring stories emerging.
One of the Federation’s Award to Scholarly Publications Program supported books was recently announced as a finalist for the 2013 Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. Sandra Djwa received the nomination for her book Journey with No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page, published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, which explores the story of one of Canada’s great artists and poets, while also outlining the development of Canadian literature and culture in the twentieth century.