Vanier College - 2021 English Symposium: Whose Freedom? - Art, Text, and Expression in the Public Domain

November 1, 2021- Once again this year, Vanier College is holding an English Symposium, November 3-5, 2021.  The theme is Whose Freedom? - Art, Text and Expression in the Public Domain.

What stories do we read? Not just in an English class, but in newspapers, on websites, or on our friend's social media feeds. Stories confront us with key questions. Who gets to speak? Whose voice deserves to be listened to and amplified? What are the consequences of pushing aside those stories we don't want to hear? The question of freedom of speech is a complicated topic, and while anxieties over the need for a marketplace of ideas makes sense, so too do calls for understanding the consequences of speech.

English teacher and Symposium organizer, Matt Goldberg, explains. ??oeWe started asking questions about the consequences of speech. What is the value of authenticity - of lived experience? How can words shape identities and narratives? What is the impact of language on our discourse, art, and practice? It is our hope that these presentations will provide new perspectives on these fundamental questions…”

This year's symposium includes the following activities, presentations and speakers.

Jade LaFontaine, a master's student at McGill University, will talk about the meaning and value of land acknowledgments, from the Indigenous perspective, and explore the importance of preserving her people's language and culture;
The El-Salomons, a married Jewish-Palestinian lesbian comedy couple, will perform jokes and explore how to talk about serious issues, through the telling of jokes;
In his talk, ??oeThe Transformative Power of Art”, artist Omari Newton, will discuss the use of art as a tool for social change;
Emily Kingsland, an academic librarian from McGill University, will present a workshop on media literacy;
??oeReflecting Authenticity”, a roundtable discussion on Representation and Appropriation in Art, Literature, and Media, will feature Shaista Latif, a queer Afghan working-class artist, facilitator, and consultant, Courtney Montour a Kanien'kehá:ka filmmaker from Kahnawake, Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch a queer Arab poet living in Tio'tia:ke, unceded Kanien'kehá:ka territory, and Blossom Thom a poet, editor, and proof-reader;
??oeSelfie”, a live performance by Geordie Theatre Productions;
A discussion ??oeOn Cancel Culture” with writer, performer, and cultural/community worker Kai Cheng Thom;
??oeMultigenerational Stories of Indian Day Schools in Kahnawà:Ke”. This presentation is based on Wahéhshon Shiann Whitebean's graduate research which examines Indian Day School experiences in Kahnawà:ke through a community-centered Indigenous research methodology;
??oeThe Dangers of Every-day Oral History Interviewing” will be presented by Stacey Zembrzycki who teaches in the History and Classics Department at Dawson College.
See complete program and schedule at:

https://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/english/files/2021/11/english-department-symposium-2021.pd