U of A to host 2021 Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences

The University of Alberta will host the 2021 Congress of Humanities and Social Sciences, under the theme “Northern Relations.”

The Congress of Humanities and Social sciences is Canada’s largest academic gathering, consisting of over 8,000 graduate students, policy-makers, and researchers participating in lectures, workshops, and panels meant to discuss challenges impacting Canadian communities. The conference is organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. 

The Congress will be taking place from May 29 to June 4, 2021.

On January 24, 2020, U of A President David Turpin and Edmonton Mayor Don Iveson made the announcement in a joint press conference.

The theme “Northern Relations,” according to the Federation, “explores connections between people, communities, cultures, and ways of knowing,” with a specific focus on issues heavily impacting northern communities such as reconciliation and social justice. 

Hosting Congress in the works since 2016 

With the U of A winning the conference bid in 2016, Turpin said the university has been planning the conference for years, and also that the congress will provide “important work-integrated learning” for up to 500 U of A students. 

“Congress 2021 is a very exciting opportunity to showcase the incredible scholarship, the exceptional facilities, and the beautiful surroundings coupled with the creative community that inspires all of us here at the University of Alberta,” he said. 

Turpin added that hosting this congress will allow the university to engage in one of its intrinsic roles: as a site to gather, exchange ideas, and share knowledge on a national level.

“One of the key roles of a university in society is as a convener — we excel at connecting people and bringing them together,” Turpin said. “We understand that one individual’s research flows out into the community and is taken up by others and that benefits the community around us.”

“The goal is to create partnerships and spaces for the exchange of new ideas. To discover and disseminate ideas needed to build a stronger, more just, prosperous, and more equitable society. Congress 2021 is one such opportunity.”

In terms of the conference’s theme, Turpin said the university will invite Northern individuals, both Indigenous and non-Indigenous, to lead the conversations. 

“We will listen and think together about critical issues that face us today, such as reconciliation, climate change, governance, reciprocal engagement, economic development, and much more.”

Edmonton’s history makes it a fitting host, said Mayor Don Iveson

Iveson said that the trails that form the cross-roads of Edmonton, such as Fort Road and St. Albert Trail, were historically used by Indigenous communities before they were developed by settlers. 

This history, Iveson said, makes Edmonton an appropriate place to discuss the topics of the conference. 

“This has been a gathering place and continues to be a gathering place,” he said. “In that spirit, it’s wonderful to welcome the kind of dialogue, expertise, and thoughtfulness that will come to this city and territory.”

“As one of the most northern major cities in the world… the city is at that crossroad of complicated questions of reconciliation, economic inclusion, and resource development.”

Iveson said that solving these issues is a “ poetic question” that cannot be solved through scientific data alone “because these are questions of how we are becoming as human beings.”

“[These issues] manifest in different ways around the world, but they are particular northern questions and explorations… From poetry to political science, we need that stimulus and reflection and opportunity to understand there are evolving ways of being a human being around us.”