The Glendon School of Public & International Affairs (GSPIA) is hosting a two-day bilingual, international conference titled “Cultural Diversity and Liberal Democracy: Models, Policies and Practices”. The conference will take place April 19 and 20 on the Glendon campus.
The conference addresses a central theme in contemporary public life, as well as in scholarly research and debate: How should liberal democratic institutions respond to cultural diversity? The question is increasingly urgent as cultural diversity becomes more complex, demands of cultural minorities for recognition and accommodation become more intense, and relations between cultural majorities and minorities become more strained.
The conference will feature four keynote addresses: Danielle Juteau, professor emerita in the Department of Sociology, will deliver a talk titled, “La citoyenneté québécoise face à l’option pluraliste”. Oxford University Political Theory Professor and Fellow David Miller‘s talk is titled “The Life and Death of Multiculturalism”. Naomi Alboim is a Fellow, adjunct professor and Chair of the Policy Forum at the School of Policy Studies at Queen’s University. Her talk is titled “Refugee Integration: The Canadian Models, Policies and Practices”. Princeton University Politics Professor Alan Patten will speak on “Religious Accommodations in a Diverse Society”.
More than 30 scholars and researchers, including faculty with the GSPIA, will report on their research, establish new partnerships and identify needed directions for future research. They will come from universities and research institutes in Canada, Belgium, France, Israel, Italy, Norway, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Finally, reflecting the sub-themes of policy and practice, the conference will include the participation of professionals drawn from community organizations and non-governmental organizations. The conference will be bilingual, with simultaneous interpretation through Glendon’s School of Translation.
Visit the Cultural Diversity and Liberal Democracy Conference website to register. The registration fee of $70 provides access to all plenary sessions and panels, breakfast, lunch and receptions on each day. The plenary sessions are free of charge.
The conference is made possible by support from the BMO Financial Group and a Connections Grant from the Social Sciences & Humanities Research Council of Canada.