Power&in&the&Fringes:&McMaster&Global&Citizenship&Conference&!While!globalization!and!mass!media!conglomerates!are!subtly!influencing!our!daily!thought!processes,!simultaneously,!democratization!of!the!media,!facilitated!by!user!generated!content!and!niche!communities!has!also!allowed!many!to!opt!for!more!nuanced!narratives.!Though!all!of!these!stories!can!sometimes!disorient,!one!thing!is!for!certain:!we!are!hungry!for!real!stories,!and!we!crave!the!empowerment!that!accompanies!pure!and!personal!knowledge.!We!get!lost,!however,!in!figuring!out!how!to!filter!through!mass!information,!and!all!of!its!connotations!and!intentions!in!order!to!build!a!true!multicultural!democracy.!!To!narrow!the!focus,!this!year,!McMaster’s!Global!Citizenship!Conference!will!emphasize!marginalized!narratives!and!the!power!of!the!untold!story.!We!want!to!recognize!those!at!the!fringes!of!society,!the!marginalized!populations!who!interact!with!the!forefront!of!social!justice!work.!We!want!open!up!space!in!the!university!for!these!fringe!narratives,!alternative!stories!and!traditionally!silenced!perspectives!to!inform!our!daily!work!and!create!environments!where!those!with!lived!experience!can!influence!all!personal!social!justice!processes.!!By!bringing!together!a!multitude!of!perspectives!in!workshops,!panels,!lectures,!open!discussion,!storytelling,!theatre!and!art!the!Global!Citizenship!Conference!hopes!to!foster!a!greater!sense!of!understanding!and!empathy!among!delegates!to!influence!the!ways!in!which!they!interact!with!the!world.!We!hope!to!inspire!delegates!from!different!backgrounds!to!create!holistic!systems!change!Estarting!from!the!individual!and!radiating!outwards.!

Keynotes(!

Kojo(Damptey!is!a!musician!in!Hamilton,!Ontario.!Feeling!the!music!down!in!his!soul,!Kojo!

brings!together!the!sounds!of!hip<hop!and!world!music!to!share!inspired!stories!about!the!

marginalized!populations!of!society!and!the!injustices!they!suffer.!Kojo's!music!and!topics!

are!designed!to!inspire!change!in!people!so!that!the!world!we!all!live!in!can!become!a!

better!place.!

!

Selma(James(is!an!anti<sexist,!anti<racist,!anti<capitalist!campaigner!and!author!including!

of!the!acclaimed!2012!publication!Sex,!Race!and!Class!–!The!Perspective!of!Winning!A!

Selection!of!Writings!1952<2011.!Raised!in!a!movement!household,!she!joined!CLR!James’s!

Johnson<Forest!Tendency!at!age!15,!and!from!1958!to!1962!she!worked!with!him!in!the!

movement!for!Caribbean!federation!and!independence.!In!1972,!she!founded!the!

International!Wages!for!Housework!Campaign,!and!in!2000!she!helped!launch!the!Global!

Women's!Strike!which!she!coordinates.!She!coined!the!word!"unwaged"!to!describe!most!

of!the!caring!work!women!do,!and!it!has!since!entered!the!English!language!to!describe!all!

the!work!without!wages!of!women,!children!and!men,!in!the!home,!on!the!land,!in!the!

community!.!.!.!In!1975!she!became!the!first!spokeswoman!of!the!English!Collective!of!

Prostitutes.!She!is!a!founding!member!of!the!International!Jewish!Anti<Zionist!Network!

(2008).!She!has!addressed!the!power!relations!within!the!working!class!movement,!and!

organizing!across!sectors!despite!divisions!of!sex,!race,!age,!etc.,!South!and!North.!

www.globalwomenstrike.net!

!!

Nicola(Marcus(is!an!exciting!organizer!and!public!speaker!for!Red!Thread,!a!multiracial,!

grassroots!women’s!organization!in!Guyana!that!demands!payment!for!caring!work!and!

struggles!for!social,!economic!and!political!justice.!Red!Thread!is!a!critical!Caribbean!point!

of!reference!for!overcoming!the!divisions!between!Afro<,!Indo<!and!Indigenous!women.!

Nicola!with!others!in!Red!Thread!did!a!time!use!survey!of!women!of!all!three!races,!

demonstrating!the!length!of!grassroots!women’s!working!day!and!by!quantifying!that!

work,!quantifying!the!power!relations!among!them.!She!was!part!of!the!launch!of!a!Self<

help!Information!and!Support!Service!for!domestic!workers!and!other!low<waged!women,!

that!welcomed!Guyana’s!ratification!of!ILO!Convention!#189!recognizing!domestic!

workers!as!workers.!Red!Thread!co<ordinates!the!Global!Women’s!Strike!in!Guyana.!

http://www.globalwomenstrike.net/guyana!

!!

Punam(Khosla!is!a!scholar<activist!Doctoral!Candidate!at!York!University!in!Toronto.!Her!dissertation!theorizes!a!corporeal!logic!of!everyday!gendered,!racialized!and!sexualized!

violence.!Punam!has!a!long!record!as!a!left,!feminist,!antiracist,!LGBTQ!organizer,!

innovator!and!thinker.!Her!kaleidoscopic!work!history!includes!urban,!grassroots,!public!

policy,!alternative!media!and!arts!activism.!Punam's!action<research!report!"If!Low!Income!

Women!of!Colour!Counted!in!Toronto"!exposed!deep!segregations!carved!into!the!urban!

social,!spatial!and!political<economic!landscape.!Her!present!work!examines!how!violence!

makes!and!unmakes!the!bodies,!labours!and!life!chances!of!those!living!at!the!

intersections!of!race,!gender!and!sexual!oppression.!(

Panel&Information!&#solidarityisforwhitewomen:&Exploring&Alliance,&Diversity,&and&Difference&in&Contemporary&Feminist&Movements&&Speakers:&&Donna!Corewyn,!YWCA!Hamilton!

Denise!Doyle,!YWCA!Hamilton!

Laura!Gamez,!Immigrant!Women’s!Centre!of!Hamilton!

Alyssa!Lai,!Illuminessence!E?Magazine!

Meaghan!Ross,!SACHA!

&Description:&In!their!1996!paper,!“Theorizing!Difference!from!Multiracial!Feminism,”!Maxine!

Baca!Zinn!and!Bonnie!Thornton!Dill!argue:!Many!feminists!now!contend!that!

difference!occupies!center!stage!as!the!project!of!women!studies!

today.!!According!to!one!scholar,!"difference!has!replaced!equality!as!the!central!

concern!of!feminist!theory."!Many!have!welcomed!the!change,!hailing!it!as!a!

major!revitalizing!force!in!U.S.!feminist!theory.!But!if!some!priorities!within!

mainstream!feminist!thought!have!been!refocused!by!attention!to!difference,!

there!remains!an!"uneasy!alliance""!between!women!of!color!and!other!

feminists.!!If!difference!is!to!be!the!central!project!of!women!studies!or!feminism,!

then!what!kinds!of!alliances!are!available!between!different!feminists?!How!do!

social!media!trends!including!#SolidarityIsForWhiteWomen!and!

#WhiteFeministRants!play!into!a!conversation!around!alliance!and!difference?!

What!spaces!are!most!suitable!for!these!alliances?!Exploring!these!questions,!we!

will!have!panelists!from!around!the!Hamilton!community!and!

McMaster!University.&!!

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&Myths&of&Multiculturalism:&Refugees’&and&Immigrants'&Journals&and&Journeys&!

Speakers:&Khaoula!Bengezi,!Student!at!McMaster!University!

Henry!Castellanos,!Political!Activist!

Erin!Hallock,!Diversity!&!Human!Rights!Inquiry!Professor!

Naseem!Sherwani,!Hamilton!Roundtable!for!Poverty!Reduction!

!

Description:&This!panel!will!investigate!the!grave!disparity!between!Refugees’!and!

Immigrants'!journeys!and!the!Canadian?promoted!concept!of!diversity.!As!Himani!

Bannerji!wrote!in!her!book!The!Dark!Side!of!the!Nation:!Essays!on!

Multiculturalism,!Nationalism!and!Gender!“[Diversity!discourse!portrays!society!

as!a!horizontal!space,!in!which!there!is!no!theoretical!or!analytical!room!for!social!

relations!of!power!and!ruling,!of!socio?economic!contradictions!that!construct!

and!regulate!Canadian!political!economy!and!its!ideological!culture”![1].!!The!

journey!to!becoming!a!refugee!or!an!immigrant!is!a!complicated!one,!individual!

and!undocumented!–most!of!these!stories!go!untold.!But!the!importance!of!

these!stories!is!undeniable,!they!are!a!culmination!of!international,!and!national!

politics,!and!social!and!cultural!conditions,!that!manifest!in!an!individuals!journey!

towards!a!“better!life”.!This!journey!includes!the!threat!of!persecution!that!they!

experienced!at!home,!their!experiences!in!immigrating!to!Canada,!what!they!

experienced!in!their!process!of!getting!refugee!status,!and!finally,!what!they!

experience!as!they!live!as!refugees.!Is!diversity!discourse!essentially,!especially!

with!respect!to!Refugee!stories!an!effacement!of!personal!histories?!How!can!

structural!processes!(such!as!physical!and!mental!health!care,!the!immigration!

process,!the!refugee!claimant!process,!and!housing)!become!community?building!

endeavors!that!truly!value!diversity!and!affirm!personal!histories?!!!

[1]!Himani!Bannerji.!Toronto:!Canadian!Scholar's!Press,!2000.!

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&&Cultural&Appropriation&vs.&Cultural&Exchange&in&Globalization&&Speakers:&Dr.!Emily!Cowall,!Health,!Aging!&!Society!Professor!at!McMaster!University!Gerald!Ibe,!Student!at!McMaster!University!Nashwa!Khan,!Student!at!McMaster!University!!Description:&This!panel!will!investigate!the!complexities!of!the!ownership!of!culture!in!a!globalizing!world.!Cultural!appropriation!“refers!to!any!instance!in!which!means!commonly!associated!with!and/or!perceived!as!belonging!to!another!are!used!to!further!one’s!own!ends.!Any!instance!in!which!a!group!borrows!or!imitates!the!strategies!of!another!–even!when!the!tactic!is!not!intended!to!deconstruct!or!distort!the!other’s!meanings!and!experiences”![1].!Keeping!in!mind!both!the!agency!of!individuals!and!the!acts!of!communication!and!trade,!which!are!socio?politically!positioned!to!involve!asymmetries!of!power!relations,!this!panel!will!attempt!to!investigate!the!differences!between!cultural!appropriation,!cultural!exchange,!and!transculturation.!Finally,!the!panel!will!delve!into!why!individuals!even!engage!in!acts!of!appropriation,!which!may!serve!to!“reinforce,!modify,!cope!with,!or!actively!resist!that!larger!system”![1].!!The!panel!will!be!centered!on!Halloween!costumes,!events!like!Colour!Me!Rad,!and!celebrities!like!Miley!Cyrus,!Madonna,!and!the!Beatles!to!understand!these!larger!implications!of!cultural!commoditization!on!a!more!personal!level.!We!want!this!to!be!a!forum!where!we!can!participate!in!pragmatic!forms!of!resistance!by!being!open!to!reexamining!the!symbols!we!use!without!thinking,!the!cultures!we!engage!with!without!understanding,!and!the!historical!and!social!climate!we!all!need!to!be!seeing.![1]!http://jan.ucc.nau.edu/~rar/papers/RogersCT2006.pdf!!!!!!!!!&&&&&&&&

&Mental&Health&in&the&University:&Being&an&Ally&in&Eating&Disorders&and&Addictions&Recovery&&Speakers:&Amrita!Ghai,!Psychology!Fellow!at!St.!Joseph’s!Healthcare!Hamilton!Rose!Macdonald,!Executive!Director!at!Danielle’s!Place!Eating!Disorder!Support!&!Resource!Centre!!Description:&This!panel!will!discuss!in!detail!the!eating!disorders!and!addictions!commonly!experienced!by!university!students.!It!will!address!necessary!components!to!educate,!raise!awareness,!and!localize!these!illnesses.!The!panel!will!provide!medical!facts!and!information!on!eating!disorders!and!addictions!(and!thereby!demystifying!them),!share!personal!accounts!of!a!student's!life?threatening!struggle!with!the!illnesses;!provide!information!on!where!and!how!to!get!help!for!psychological!and!physical!recovery!in!Hamilton!and!the!Mac!community!and!how!to!receive!accommodations!for!school!as!the!illness!spills!over!to!students'!academic!careers;!and!finally,!how!to!appropriately!and!effectively!reach!out!to!your!loved!ones!who!you!suspect!may!be!suffering!from!these!illnesses.!This!panel!will!focus!on!familiarizing!the!public!on!the!causes!and!complexity!of!eating!disorders!and!other!addictions,!thereby!alleviating!the!elements!of!shame,!secrecy,!and!helplessness!as!can!be!experienced!by!the!sufferers!of!said!mental!illnesses.!It!will!explore!their!deep?rooted!nature!with!a!particular!focus!on!the!complexity!of!eating!disorders!and!addictions!beyond!the!common!misconception!of!their!being!a!"shallow!disease"!that!is!based!around!the!obsession!of!outer!appearances!or!something!that!students!can!just!"snap!out!of".!This!panel!hopes!to!inform!those!who!may!be!experiencing!these!illnesses!where!and!how!to!look!for!help!locally!and!practically.!This!panel!hopes!to!encourage!open!discussion!on!these!currently!very!misunderstood!and!stigmatized!yet!life?threatening!illnesses!and!create!a!safe!network!of!support!within!the!McMaster!and!Hamilton!community.!!!!&&&&&&&&

&

Education&and&Community:&Is&Experiential&Education&Tokenization?&

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Speakers:&

Dr.!Daniel!Coleman,!English!&!Cultural!Studies!Professor!at!McMaster!University!

Dr.!Nancy!Doubleday,!Peace!Studies!Professor!at!McMaster!University!

Alexandra!Sproule,!Student!at!McMaster!University!

&

Description:&

This!panel!will!explore!how!education!can!be!built!from!the!community!in!a!way!

that!is!not!othering.!Instead!of!bringing!in!community!as!an!“after!the!fact”!

addition!to!classroom!settings,!how!can!community!issues,!which!stretch!from!

environmental!protection,!to!green!spaces,!to!public!space!management,!to!

public!health!delivery,!become!a!place!from!which!education!can!start?!Often,!

student!opinion!views!experiential!education!as!less!rigorous!alternative!to!more!

research?centered,!and!textbook?centred!ways!of!learning!and!viewing!the!world.!

However,!it!is!also!true!that!students!will!ultimately!only!be!interacting!with!the!

world!outside!the!university.!!Reducing!these!complex!problems!to!“key!findings”!

or!“theories”!in!a!thesis!isn’t!always!what!is!required!to!build!the!communication,!

and!the!community!that!will!bring!about!lasting!change!on!the!problems!

community!members!and!students!are!interested!in.!As!different!ways!of!

presenting!and!creating!research!emerge,!through!innovations!in!technology,!

qualitative!researching!and!archiving,!how!can!we!make!experimental!education!

more!involved,!more!systems!thinking!directed,!community!building!oriented,!

and!service!delivery!focused?!What!are!the!processes!and!education!models!that!

need!to!be!changed?!What!are!the!costs!and!benefits!of!changing!them?!

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Institutions&are&Not&the&Answer:&Skill&Building&for&Community&Action!&

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Speakers:&

Suzanne!Fish!–!Engineers!Without!Borders!Canada!

!

Description:&

This!panel!will!explore!how!institutions!designed!to!fight!oppression!often!serve!

to!perpetuate!it.!It!will!also!offer!community!action!and!community!engagement!

as!an!effective!path!forward.!Participants!will!build!skills!and!work!through!fears!

and!barriers!to!community!engagement.!!!

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Workshop(Information((Morning(Workshops:((Understanding(your(myth,(pursuing(happiness,(and(cultivating(your(garden(Speaker:(Asad(Chishti!This!session!deals!with!the!importance!of!focusing!and!creating!your!own!narrative,!understanding!our!history,!in!order!to!shape!the!future.!It!also!covers!the!(rarely;talked!about)!pursuit!of!happiness,!a!topic!Asad!researched!for!16!months!after!deciding!to!take!a!gap!year!after!his!second!year.!It!is!an!experential!session!with!audio!clips,!images,!some!video,!and!more!questions!than!answers!!Open(Source(Government:(Rethinking(Regulation(Speakers:(Jamie(Counsell(and(Chelsea(Rothwell(Applying!open!source!practices!to!modern!political!systems!to!achieve!a!natural!democracy.!Utilizing!the!power!and!security!of!modern!technology!to!address!the!pitfalls!of!current!political!solutions!!Radical(Queer(Allyship:(Next(Steps(to(Standing(in(Solidarity(Speaker:(Jyssica(Russell!!From!Macklemore!to!Jared!Leto,!this!past!year!has!sparked!a!complex!discussion!on!allyship!to!queer!and!trans!communities.!This!workshop!will!delve!in!to!the!difference!between!intentions!and!actions,!how!to!make!(and!not!take)!space,!and!how!to!engage!the!process!that!is!allyship.!!!!!!!

&Education&and&Community:&Is&Experiential&Education&Tokenization?&&Speakers:&Dr.!Daniel!Coleman,!English!&!Cultural!Studies!Professor!at!McMaster!University!Dr.!Nancy!Doubleday,!Peace!Studies!Professor!at!McMaster!University!Alexandra!Sproule,!Student!at!McMaster!University!&Description:&This!panel!will!explore!how!education!can!be!built!from!the!community!in!a!way!that!is!not!othering.!Instead!of!bringing!in!community!as!an!“after!the!fact”!addition!to!classroom!settings,!how!can!community!issues,!which!stretch!from!environmental!protection,!to!green!spaces,!to!public!space!management,!to!public!health!delivery,!become!a!place!from!which!education!can!start?!Often,!student!opinion!views!experiential!education!as!less!rigorous!alternative!to!more!research?centered,!and!textbook?centred!ways!of!learning!and!viewing!the!world.!However,!it!is!also!true!that!students!will!ultimately!only!be!interacting!with!the!world!outside!the!university.!!Reducing!these!complex!problems!to!“key!findings”!or!“theories”!in!a!thesis!isn’t!always!what!is!required!to!build!the!communication,!and!the!community!that!will!bring!about!lasting!change!on!the!problems!community!members!and!students!are!interested!in.!As!different!ways!of!presenting!and!creating!research!emerge,!through!innovations!in!technology,!qualitative!researching!and!archiving,!how!can!we!make!experimental!education!more!involved,!more!systems!thinking!directed,!community!building!oriented,!and!service!delivery!focused?!What!are!the!processes!and!education!models!that!need!to!be!changed?!What!are!the!costs!and!benefits!of!changing!them?!!&&&&&&&&&&&&

Afternoon(Workshops:!!!Sweet(16:(Enviro(Edition(Speaker:(Sujane(Kandasamy((Starfish(Canada)(Goal:!To!get!students!to!actively!think!about!what!environmental!issues!are!most!important!to!themselves!and!their!peers.!The!main!point!of!the!workshop!is!to!present!the!group!with!16!different!environmental!issues!that!are!interconnected!to!social,!political,!and!economic!threads.!The!group!will!work!through!a!debate;like!process!to!narrow!the!list!of!16!issues!the!one!issue!that!they!would!be!willing!to!spend!the!most!resources!and!funds!toward.!The!lesson:!Many!environmental!issues!are!connected!to!social!and!political!realms!(on!a!local!and!global!scale).!These!issues!are!often!interconnected,!forming!a!web;like!structure.!This!makes!it!challenging!to!select!which!issues!we!will!expend!resources!toward.!However,!we!have!to!make!decisions!and!therefore!must!be!able!to!communicate!our!opinions!and!explain!our!viewpoints!to!individuals!who!might!disagree.!!Engaging(Canadian(Environmental(Justice((EJ)(Communities(in(Environmental(Work((Speaker:(Andrea!Kissendal!(Restorative(Justice(through(Alternative(Holistic(Approaches((Canadian(Indigenous(Perspective,(Indigenous(Teaching(Pedagogy)((Speaker:(Opal!Sparks!!!

(