UBC Public Humanities

The world is in the throes of multiple crises, from ongoing genocide and settler colonial violence, to evolving forms of authoritarian governance and imperial warfare. The theme of ‘impunity’ has become part of mainstream political discourse as both cause and effect of the current international (dis)order. What are the psycho-political and affective dimensions of impunity? How do performances of impunity impact communities and political institutions? What is the political function of impunity in the current conjuncture? How does the law produce impunity and attend to its effects?

This symposium gathers critical legal scholars, psychoanalysts, artists and political theorists from around the world to discuss legality, impunity and crisis in historical and contemporary forms, drawing on a wide range of contexts, methods and approaches, including: Marwa Arsanios, Suhad Bishara, Moyukh Chatterjee, Zahid R. Chaudhary, Kamari Clarke, Nisrin Elamin, Sarah Hunt Tłaliłila’ogwa, Gail Lewis, Daniel Renwick, Ken Reyes, Gustavo Jose Rojas-Paez, Lara Sheehi, Nimer Sultany, Vanessa Thompson and Sujith Xavier.

Legality and Impunity in Times of Crisis will be held at Allard Hall:
Thursday, May 28, 1:15pm – 4:30pm (*Keynote by Dr Nimer Sultany at SFU Harbour Centre at 6:00pm – 7:30pm)
Friday, May 29, 10:00am – 7:00pm
Saturday, May 30, 10:00am – 1:30pm

See our website for full program and registration details:
https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/legality-and-impunity-in-times-of-crisis-symposium/

How has the War Childhood Museum approached archiving the war differently from other institutions?

How are archives developed for the Bosnian War of 1992-1995, when memories are contested, diverge, or remain politically charged? And what is the responsibility of the archive when working with survivors’ testimony and objects?

Join us for a presentation by Dr. Ajnura Akbaš War Childhood Museum and discussion moderated by Dr. Matt Huculak University of Victoria Libraries Olivia Kozlovic University of Victoria as they discuss community-engaged approaches to documenting and archiving the1992-1995 Bosnian War.

This is the third webinar in our Archiving with Care webinar series (2026), co-hosted with Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives

Date: April 22, 2026
Time: 10:00am–11:30am PST

Register here: https://ubc.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Bby9Y_aZTBiP7hhJ4x2P-Q #/registration

At Davos in January 2026, Prime Minister Mark Carney famously declared that we are experiencing a rupture in the international order. But what exactly did he mean?

American threats to Canadian sovereignty alongside interventions in Venezuela and Iran are just a few symptoms of this rupture. But how has Canada’s place in this much more unpredictable world changed, and how can we try to navigate an uncertain future?

Please join Dr. Heidi Tworek and Dr. Maxwell Cameron as they discuss what the international order was, why it has changed so dramatically, and what all this means for Canadian democracy in the future.

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This event is part of the Let’s Talk Humanities series, presented in collaboration with the Vancouver Public Library, bringing UBC researchers into conversation with the public on pressing social and political issues.

📅 Monday, May 4, 2026
⏰ 7:00pm – 8:00pm
📍 VPL Central Library (Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level), 350 West Georgia St.
🎟️ Free and open to all

Save your seat on VPL's website: https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/69bada634dacf581ff82e07c

The global race for critical minerals is on, and leaders across the world argue that they’re essential for the clean energy transition and our digital future. A similar race is happening with artificial intelligence (AI).

But is there a darker side to critical minerals and AI that most of us are not aware of?

Join UBC PHH at the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch for a panel featuring Dr. M. V. Ramana (Public Policy and Global Affairs), Dr. Jess Dempsey (Geography), and Dr. Sara Ghebremusse (Law).

Together, they’ll explore the social and ecological impacts of AI and mining, as well as the role of both minerals and AI in war and destruction—and why we should act.

This event is part of the Let’s Talk Humanities series, presented in collaboration with the Vancouver Public Library, bringing UBC researchers into conversation with the public on pressing social and political issues.

📅 Monday, April 13, 2026
⏰ 7:00pm – 8:00pm
📍 VPL Central Library (Alice MacKay Room, Lower Level), 350 West Georgia St.
🎟️ Free and open to all

Save your seat here: https://vpl.bibliocommons.com/events/69b45ce51e64afd01e61f070

What can disability justice teach us about solidarity, resistance, and building a better world?

Join UBC PHH for a talk with Dr. Heidi Janz (University of Alberta), a disability rights advocate, scholar, filmmaker, and playwright. Dr. Janz will explore how disabled communities build alliances, use humour to challenge ableism, and organize against injustice.

Drawing on her experience co-founding the People’s Alliance for Disabled Albertans (PADA), Dr. Janz will reflect on disability-led resistance to Alberta’s new Disability Assistance Program (ADAP), and how collective action and community-building are essential tools for survival in an increasingly ableist society.

📅 Tuesday, April 7, 2026
⏰ 1:00pm – 2:00pm
📍 Carnegie Community Centre, 401 Main St.
🍽️Lunch provided
🎟️ No registration required

ASL interpretation will be available.

Learn more: https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/disability-justice-fighting-for-a-better-world/

How can an archive at risk be supported to ensure its significant cultural, historical, or evidentiary value is preserved?

What if the risk is in the process of creating the archive? Or in the decisions of what to include or exclude? How are identities protected and who has access to the anonymous records? These questions and more are critical to developing and maintaining archives at risk with care.

Join us on March 24th for an online presentation and discussion with Franziska Zaugg (Université de Fribourg - Universität Freiburg), Nathaniel Brunt (University of Victoria), and Kjell Anderson (University of Manitoba) as they explore how archives at risk, and those working with anonymity and access, are approached with care.

This is the second webinar in our Archiving with Care webinar series (2026), co-hosted with Survivor-Centred Visual Narratives

Date: March 24, 2026
Time: 10:00am–11:30am PST

Register here: https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/27935-2/

Are you thinking about turning your research into a book?

In this workshop, acquisitions editor Caitlin Tyler-Richards will demystify the book publishing process, from preparing a proposal to publicizing the finished book. She will cover common issues like identifying the right press, navigating peer review and contract offers, and making sure your book finds its readers. A Q& A will follow. First time and previously published authors welcome!

Caitlin is an editor at University of Washington Press, where she acquires in anthropology, Asian studies, Native American and Indigenous Studies, and women, gender, and sexuality studies.

📅 Monday, March 16, 2026
⏰ 12:30pm – 2:00pm
📍 Room 1002 Audain Art Centre, 6398 University Blvd.
🎟️ Registration required

Register here:
https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/events/event/publish-that-book-with-caitlin-tyler-richards/

What does it mean for universities to truly recognize — and learn from — Indigenous knowledges? Join UBC PHH for a keynote lecture with Dr. Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian (SFU), filmmaker, scholar, and author, exploring how Indigenous stories, land-based practices, and cultural protocols challenge institutions to rethink what counts as knowledge and whose voices are centered.

Drawing on her forthcoming book "Narrative Sovereignty & Indigenous Knowledges", Dr. Christian will share insights from her research on Indigenous film production and storytelling practices, as well as her work in academia, followed by a response from Dr. Wenona Hall (SFU).

This event is part of the symposium What Kind of University Do We Want?, a two-day gathering focused on imagining more just and inclusive futures for higher education.

📅 Friday, March 13, 2026
⏰ 6:30pm – 8:00pm
📍 Room C400, UBC Robson Square, 800 Robson Street.
🎟️ Registration required. Register Here:
https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/keynote-lecture-is-the-university-recognizing-the-gifts-of-indigenous-knowledges/

What Kind of University Do We Want? is a two-day gathering of academics, students, and community members—teachers, artists, organizers, and poets—who care about the university’s future.

PROGRAM

Keynote Lecture: “Is the University Recognizing the Gifts of Indigenous Knowledges?”

March 13th
6:30 - 8:00 PM
Room C 400, UBC Robson Square, Room C400, 800 Robson Street

Dr. Dorothy Cucw-la7 Christian, Faculty of Graduate Studies, SFU

Respondent: Dr. Wenona Hall, Indigenous Studies Department, SFU

Register for the Keynote here:
https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/events/event/keynote-lecture-is-the-university-recognizing-the-gifts-of-indigenous-knowledges/

March 14th - Panel Discussions
1:00pm - 5:00 pm
Audain Gallery, SFU School for the Contemporary Arts, 149 West Hastings Street

PANEL 1 – Student as Producer
Harjap Grewal, Graduate Student Society, SFU
Bobby Malone, Hanako Teranishi, Fionna Fisher. Graduate Students, SFU
Isabella Pojuner, PhD Student UBC & Hammad Jabr, Student, UBC
Chaired by Jeff Derksen (Department of English, SFU) & Peter James Hudson (Department of Geography, UBC)

PANEL 2 – Alternative Pedagogies and Radical Thought
Glen Coulthard, Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, UBC
Wenona Hall, Indigenous Studies Department, SFU
Roxanne Panchasi, Department of History, SFU
Michelle Stack, Department of Educational Studies, UBC
Chaired by Am Johal

PANEL 3 - The Future of the Public University: Blast from the Past
Kay Higgins, School for the Contemporary Arts, SFU
Eugene McCann, Department of Geography, SFU
Kathy Feng, Below the Radar Podcast
Chaired by Sabine Bitter, School for the Contemporary Arts, SFU

Banners and Flags: New Work by SFU Students
Students from Professor Sabine Bitter’s visual art studio classes CA 161 and CA 261 will show new site-specific works in the Audain Gallery,
March 13th and March 14th, 12-5pm

Want your research, ideas, or advocacy to reach beyond the classroom? Join UBC PHH for a workshop with Shari Graydon — former newspaper columnist, TV producer, and now Catalyst of Informed Perspectives — on how storytelling can amplify impact and shape public conversations.

In this two-hour training session, Shari Graydon will draw on years of media, communications and advocacy experience to offer insights into how humanities scholars can more effectively engage beyond the academy, and — as importantly — why it’s critical that they do, despite the perceived risks. The session will integrate strategic communication principles, media engagement strategies and effective storytelling in the context of achieving greater impact.

📅 Wednesday, March 4, 2026
⏰ 12:30pm – 2:30pm
📍Audain Art Centre 1002

Registration Required. Register Here: https://publichumanities.ubc.ca/events/event/increasing-impact-through-strategic-storytelling-public-discourse-a-workshop-with-shari-graydon/