“The World Needs More Canada”?
Changes and Challenges in Contemporary CanadianCulture and SocietyInternational Conference Canada,
North American Studies Department,
Radboud University Nijmegen,
The Netherlands
June 15-16, 2017
Call for Papers
From booksellers and rock artists to diplomats and the President of the United States, many
people have echoed the sentiment that Canada has something important to offer to the world.
The 150th anniversary of Confederation in 2017 represents an excellent occasion to consider
and highlight current social, cultural and political developments and critically explore theways in which Canada defines itself and its place in the world. Can Canada be a blueprint forthe world? To what extent can Canadian policies and solutions be transferred to othercontinents and cultures? Does the world indeed need more Canada?
With the election of Justin Trudeau, Canada seeks to move in different political, social andeconomic directions from the ones initiated and implemented by former president Steven
Harper. At the same time, the legacy of Harper and his predecessors, including Pierre
Trudeau, needs to be (re)negotiated and adapted to the realities of the 21st century.
For this conference, we call for proposals that seek to critically examine Trudeau’s emphasison change and the promise of revision. Specifically, we seek papers that explore continuities
and discontinuities in Canada’s approaches to the following subset of themes: immigration,
justice and security; issues of indigeneity; the theory and practice of Canadianmulticulturalism and the ideal of the “inclusive society;” Canada in global perspective.
Proposals may include but are not limited to the following topics:- New (transcultural) perspectives on Canadian national identity: still “our famous problem”(Northrop Frye)? Identity and issues of language, immigration and integration.
- Canadian multiculturalism: the legacy of Pierre Trudeau, (dis)continuities in Justin
Trudeau’s present-day policies, theory and practice.
- Canadian culture: revision and change in the production, reception and study of Canadianliterature, film, art and music, especially as related to multiculturalism and recent
developments in transnational literary and cultural studies.

- Being indigenous in Canada Canada’s relation to indigeneity: First Nations and the world;
the plans and policies of Justin Trudeau to wield change and bridge continuing social,economic and cultural gaps; “Idle No More” and related activist initiatives involving
visibility, land claims and the protection of the environment; outcomes of and follow-ups tothe Truth and Reconciliation Committee; contemporary indigenous literature, film, art, music.
- Canada and the world: Canada’s response to the international refugee crisis; CETA: curse orblessing? The Canadian North as conflicted space; Canada and the US; Canada and Europe:
partners in peace?; The legacy of WWII: memory, memorialization, and the prospect ofglobal peace.
- Canada and (inter)national issues of security, justice and human rights.
Please send your proposals (300 words) and a brief CV to the conference organizers Prof. dr.
Hans Bak and Dr. Mathilde Roza at canadaconference@let.ru.nl by February 1, 2017.