Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies
Encyclopedia
The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies is a research centre at York University in Toronto
, Canada
that supports interdisciplinary and discipline-specific research pertinent to Canadianists and Canada's place in the world. Faculty affiliated with the Robarts Centre are concerned with Canadian society, its history, culture, thought, goals, values, and institutions. The Centre provides supervised research and writing opportunities for graduate students from a wide range of York graduate programs, and offers a series of public seminars, workshops, and conferences on major issues related to Canadian perspectives on Communications, Culture, the Fine Arts, History, Political Economy, Public Policy, and International Relations.
(1961–1971) and seventh Chancellor of York University (1977–1982), the Robarts Centre was officially opened on May 15, 1984 by William G. Davis, the Premier of Ontario at the time.
In its early days, the Centre’s endowment funds made it possible to invite a major Canadianist from outside York to stay in residence at the Centre for a year. These Robarts Chairs included: Maria Tippet, Tom Courchene
, and Linda Hutcheon
.
Changing financial circumstances caused the Chair to be reorganized by then Director, Kenneth McRoberts. It was awarded to York faculty members who were given a teaching reduction and a small stipend.
The chairs of the Robarts Centre, from past to present, have been:
Starting in 2000, the chair was transformed into a thematic, cross-campus, year-long program. The Millennium Wisdom Symposium (organized by Susan Swan), Robert Wallace’s Theatre and the Transformation of Contemporary Canada, and The Triumph of Canadian Cinema (organized by Seth Feldman) were highlights of this innovative use of the Chair to the exploration of Canadian culture.
After 2001, the Centre changed the Robarts Chair structure once again to make it a means to allow Canada Research Chairs
Engin Isin, Paul Lovejoy, Leo Pantich, and Leah Vosko an opportunity to present their projects for which the Research Chair was established. The Centre is managed by a Director (Prof. Seth Feldman), an Associate Director (Prof. Daniel Drache
), and an Executive Committee (with the assistance of an Administrative Coordinator, Laura Taman).
, and the North American Portal of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
.
The Robarts Centre also provides supervised research and writing opportunities for graduate students from a wide range of York graduate programs, such as Communication and Culture (a joint graduate program with Ryerson University
). One of its important functions is to welcome visiting Canadianists from abroad. Recent visitors have included scholars from China, Argentina, Mexico, and Australia. In its work, the Centre offers a program of high-level seminars, workshops, and conferences on major issues focusing on Canadian perspectives in Communications, Culture, the Fine Arts, History, Political Economy, Public Policy, and International Relations. Participants include York faculty and students, as well as the larger community of Canadian and international scholars.
The Centre publishes Canada Watch, a journal of expert opinion on policy issues facing Canada and Canada’s place in the world. Titles of recent issues include: "Multiculturalism and its Discontents", and "Mr. O Goes to Washington" From time to time, it also houses external research initiatives pertinent to its mandate, for example the Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC)
.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
that supports interdisciplinary and discipline-specific research pertinent to Canadianists and Canada's place in the world. Faculty affiliated with the Robarts Centre are concerned with Canadian society, its history, culture, thought, goals, values, and institutions. The Centre provides supervised research and writing opportunities for graduate students from a wide range of York graduate programs, and offers a series of public seminars, workshops, and conferences on major issues related to Canadian perspectives on Communications, Culture, the Fine Arts, History, Political Economy, Public Policy, and International Relations.
History
The Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies was established with support from the private sector and matching grants from the Secretary of State and the Province of Ontario. Named in memory of the Honourable John P. Robarts (1917–1982), seventeenth Premier of OntarioPremier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
(1961–1971) and seventh Chancellor of York University (1977–1982), the Robarts Centre was officially opened on May 15, 1984 by William G. Davis, the Premier of Ontario at the time.
In its early days, the Centre’s endowment funds made it possible to invite a major Canadianist from outside York to stay in residence at the Centre for a year. These Robarts Chairs included: Maria Tippet, Tom Courchene
Tom Courchene
Thomas J. "Tom" Courchene, is a Canadian economist and professor.Born in Wakaw, Saskatchewan, in 1940, he received an Honours Bachelor of Arts from the University of Saskatchewan in 1962. He received his Ph.D. from Princeton University in 1967. In 1969, he received a Post-doctoral Fellow from the...
, and Linda Hutcheon
Linda Hutcheon
Linda Hutcheon, O.C. is a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, opera, and Canadian Studies. Hutcheon describes her herself as "intellectually promiscuous", as she brings a cross-disciplinary approach to her work She is University Professor in the Department of...
.
Changing financial circumstances caused the Chair to be reorganized by then Director, Kenneth McRoberts. It was awarded to York faculty members who were given a teaching reduction and a small stipend.
The chairs of the Robarts Centre, from past to present, have been:
- Fernand OuelletFernand OuelletNot to be confused with Fernand Ouellette, a Quebecois poet and essayist.Fernand Ouellet, OC, FRSC , a French-Canadian author and educator, was educated at Université Laval and gained a PhD in 1965...
(1985–86) - Maria Tippet (1986–87)
- Thomas J. Courchene (1987–88)
- Linda HutcheonLinda HutcheonLinda Hutcheon, O.C. is a Canadian academic working in the fields of literary theory and criticism, opera, and Canadian Studies. Hutcheon describes her herself as "intellectually promiscuous", as she brings a cross-disciplinary approach to her work She is University Professor in the Department of...
(1988–89) - Joan M. Vastokas (1989–90)
- Kenneth McRoberts (1990–91)
- Ramsay Cook (1991–92)
- Janine Brodie (1993–94)
- Carole Carpenter (1994–95)
- Joyce Zemans (1995–96)
- Terry Goldie (1996–97)
- Kent McNeil (1997–98)
- Robert Wallace (1998–99)
- Susan SwanSusan SwanSusan Swan is a Canadian author. Born in Midland, Ontario, she studied at McGill University. Her list of works includes The Wives of Bath , and What Casanova Told Me . The Wives of Bath was made into the film Lost and Delirious in 2001, starring Piper Perabo, Jessica Paré, and Mischa Barton...
(1999–2000) - Seth Feldman (2000–2001)
Starting in 2000, the chair was transformed into a thematic, cross-campus, year-long program. The Millennium Wisdom Symposium (organized by Susan Swan), Robert Wallace’s Theatre and the Transformation of Contemporary Canada, and The Triumph of Canadian Cinema (organized by Seth Feldman) were highlights of this innovative use of the Chair to the exploration of Canadian culture.
After 2001, the Centre changed the Robarts Chair structure once again to make it a means to allow Canada Research Chairs
Canada Research Chairs
Canada Research Chairs are Canadian university research professorships created through the Canada Research Chairs Program.- Program goals :...
Engin Isin, Paul Lovejoy, Leo Pantich, and Leah Vosko an opportunity to present their projects for which the Research Chair was established. The Centre is managed by a Director (Prof. Seth Feldman), an Associate Director (Prof. Daniel Drache
Daniel Drache
Daniel Drache is a contemporary scholar in Canadian and international political economy, globalization studies, communication studies, and cultural studies...
), and an Executive Committee (with the assistance of an Administrative Coordinator, Laura Taman).
Mandate
Throughout its existence, the Centre's principal accomplishment has been to create one of the first research groups at York to work in a systematic way with an interdisciplinary focus. This has meant an orientation toward broader Canadian and international scholarly and policy-making communities, inquiries into comparative perspectives on the Canadian mosaic, and assistance to York scholars in working with their counterparts in other countries, such as the Centro de Investigaciones sobre América del Norte (CISAN) at the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the North American Center for Transborder Studies (NACTS) at Arizona State UniversityArizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
, and the North American Portal of the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI)
Centre for International Governance Innovation
The Centre for International Governance Innovation is an independent, non-partisan think tank on global governance. Led by experienced practitioners and academics, CIGI supports research, forms networks, advances policy debate and generates ideas for multilateral governance improvements...
.
The Robarts Centre also provides supervised research and writing opportunities for graduate students from a wide range of York graduate programs, such as Communication and Culture (a joint graduate program with Ryerson University
Ryerson University
Ryerson University is a public research university located in downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its urban campus is adjacent to Yonge-Dundas Square located at the busiest intersection in Downtown Toronto. The majority of its buildings are in the blocks northeast of the square in Toronto's Garden...
). One of its important functions is to welcome visiting Canadianists from abroad. Recent visitors have included scholars from China, Argentina, Mexico, and Australia. In its work, the Centre offers a program of high-level seminars, workshops, and conferences on major issues focusing on Canadian perspectives in Communications, Culture, the Fine Arts, History, Political Economy, Public Policy, and International Relations. Participants include York faculty and students, as well as the larger community of Canadian and international scholars.
The Centre publishes Canada Watch, a journal of expert opinion on policy issues facing Canada and Canada’s place in the world. Titles of recent issues include: "Multiculturalism and its Discontents", and "Mr. O Goes to Washington" From time to time, it also houses external research initiatives pertinent to its mandate, for example the Canadian Media Research Consortium (CMRC)
Canadian Media Research Consortium
The Canadian Media Research Consortium brings together various Canadian institutions whose purpose is to carry out and publish research on the economic, technical and cultural aspects of the media...
.
Research
In addition to hosting a wide-range of events, the Centre maintains its research profile through a number of working groups and major projects. These include:- Toronto's Public Culture (a series of reports on the best practices of Toronto’s cultural institutions).
- WTO and NAFTA (a study of trade politics, counterpublics, and global governance).
- The Iconography of Dissent (a series of digital reports from the Counterpublics Working Group).
- The Mavor Moore Cultural Policy Symposium (a conference on Canadian cultural policy and plans from 1974–2008).
- Canadian Films at Expo '67 (a SSHRC-funded project focused on documenting and reconstructing the lost classics of Canadian cinema).
- Global Cultural Flows (a study of information technology and the re-imagining of national communities).
- Robarts Lectures (lectures from leading scholars in the field of Canadian Studies).
- Canada Watch (practical and authoritative analysis of key national and international issues).