Event News

This year, the department hosted a number of events including an Indigenous Land Rights and Reconciliation workshop hosted by the Centre for Democracy and Diversity, a Homecoming Open House, the annual John Meisel Lecture Series in Contemporary Political Controversies, the Political Studies Speaker Series, and Workshops in Comparative Politics.

Indigenous Land Rights and Reconciliation Workshop

Held on September 5 and 6, 2019 and funded by a Social Science and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Connection Grant, the Centre for the Study of Democracy and Diversity’s Indigenous Land Rights and Reconciliation workshop brought over 20 scholars from around the world to Queen’s University to seek a better understanding of the normative and ontological considerations that underlie Indigenous land claims. Over the course of two days, panelists and participants, comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers and community activists, discussed the justifications for land rights from Indigenous perspectives and considered the implications for political and legal practice. The workshop produced six podcast episodes for a series titled “Indigenous Land Rights and Reconciliation,” which can be found here.

The John Meisel Lecture in Contemporary Political Controversies

The third annual Meisel Lecture was held on November 21, 2019 and featured Dr. Alana Cattapan, assistant professor at the University of Waterloo, speaking on the topic of “Excluded and Enraged: On Gender, Anger, and Violence” to an audience of over 120 people in Grant Hall. Dr. Cattapan discussed how gendered forms of anger can inform our understanding of historic and contemporary acts of violence against women, and what that means for anger as a tool for social justice. The event was opened by Kanonhsyonne Janice Hill, Associate Vice-Principal (Indigenous Initiatives and Reconciliation), and included additional remarks by Dean Barbara Crow, and Department Head, Eleanor MacDonald. A decision was made to cancel the third annual John Meisel Lecture in Contemporary Political Controversies in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

To honour Professor John Meisel and support the John Meisel Lecture Series in Contemporary Controversies, please visit the Give to Queen's website.

2019-2020 Speaker Series Events