UNews - Trevor Harrison

Dr. Trevor Harrison, leading researcher in the study of populism, named winner of Speaker Research Award

trevor.kenney — Wed, 11 May 2022 15:31:08 +0000

Recognized as one of Canada’s leading sociologists, Dr. Trevor Harrison is renowned for his interdisciplinary approach to research that delves into many of today’s vital issues related to globalization, populism, immigration and political economy. The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is proud to name Harrison as the winner of the 2022 Speaker Research Award.

Harrison will be presented with the Speaker Research Award at Spring 2022 Convocation Ceremony IV.

“Dr. Harrison is well known for his work thanks to his unique ability and willingness to share his insights on key societal issues through public platforms including speaking events and media engagement,” says Dr. Dena McMartin, the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ’s vice-president (research). “The research he shares in the public spotlight, connecting economics, history, politics and sociology, is unparalleled and sets him apart from his peers. He brings this diligent approach to the classroom and his students, who are encouraged to think deeply and critically about today’s issues.”

Harrison will be presented with the Speaker Research Award at Spring 2022 Convocation Ceremony IV, Thursday, June 2, 2022, at 2:30 p.m. in the 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport and Wellness.

Dr. Trevor Harrison

While Dr. Trevor Harrison is identified as a sociologist, his interdisciplinary research work displays a remarkable breadth of study that spans many of today’s vital issues related to globalization, populism, nationalism, and political economy.

Harrison grew up in Edmonton but later completed a bachelor of sociology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Winnipeg. He subsequently earned a masters of sociology at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary before returning to Edmonton for his doctoral studies at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. His PhD thesis, Of Passionate Intensity: Right Wing Populism and the Reform Party of Canada, was later published by the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Toronto Press and laid the foundation for much of his subsequent work as a leading researcher in the study of populism in Canada and elsewhere.

Harrison was a founding member of the Parkland Institute in 1996, a think tank located at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta that studies public policy in Alberta. He joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge as an associate professor in the Department of Sociology in 2002.

In 2007, he was named interim director of the fledgling Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy, one of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s first research institutes, a position he held until 2009. While continuing as a ULethbridge professor, in 2011 he was appointed director of the Parkland Institute, a position he held until 2021.

Harrison’s research connects economics, history, politics, and sociology. He has consistently been at the forefront in identifying societal and political trends. His ability and willingness to share his insights make him a talented educator and much sought-after public speaker and media commentator able to unpack the complexities of today’s most volatile issues for a variety of audiences.

Harrison has contributed extensively to the sociological, political, and public policy literature. Besides five co-edited books, he has written three solo books and co-written, with John Friesen, a fourth, Canadian Society in the 21st Century: A Historical Sociological Approach, now in its fourth edition.

U of L appoints new director to the Prentice Institute

caroline.zentner — Mon, 30 Nov 2020 18:09:33 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is pleased to announce Dr. Lars Hallström has been appointed as the new director of the Prentice Institute for Global Population and Economy effective Jan. 1, 2021.

“We are excited to welcome Dr. Hallström to the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge and the Prentice Institute,” says Dr. Erasmus Okine, vice-president (academic) and provost. “I got to know Lars when I was still at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta and he’s a dedicated scholar and researcher whose expertise is well-suited to the Prentice Institute.”

Hallström is currently the inaugural director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities, a joint program of the Augustana Faculty and the Faculty of Agricultural, Life and Environmental Sciences at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta. His background is in political science and he will be joining the U of L’s political science department as a faculty member. However, his primary duties will be with the Prentice Institute, which was established in 2009 following a $8.25 million gift from Alberta entrepreneur John Prentice. As a multi-disciplinary, cross-faculty institute, it is dedicated to researching the long-term effects of demographic, economic and social issues related to changes in world population patterns. Hallström follows in the footsteps of Dr. Susan McDaniel, a sociologist and the Prentice Institute’s first director, who served in the position until August 2019.

Dr. Trevor Harrison, interim director of the Prentice Institute, says Hallström brings with him many interdisciplinary strengths, including the fields of political science, demography, geography and sociology. His skills in these areas will allow him to build upon what has already been established at the Prentice Institute.

“He has an established record of both getting research grants and assisting others in getting grants,” says Harrison. “His research, especially in rural areas and economic development in rural areas, is going to be a real plus for the institute.”

Hallström sees a natural fit between his previous work and the mission of the Prentice Institute.

“The position at the Prentice Institute aligns with some of the different areas where my work has fallen in terms of intersectoral actions, how environment and social and health policy, for example, can all affect each other and maybe leverage positive change in ways that are not directly assumed,” says Hallström. “I am a political scientist by training, but my work is more broadly oriented towards public policy at different levels, including environmental health and social policy, questions of equity, social determinants of health, urban and rural economic development, youth and youth engagement and access to public health infrastructure.”

“Dr. Hallström brings extensive experience in leading a highly impactful research institute within a comprehensive university environment,” says Dr. Robert Wood, interim vice-president (research). “We look forward to the collaborative research and community engagement opportunities he will cultivate in his role as director of the Prentice Institute.”

After a year of university studies and playing rugby in the United Kingdom, Hallström obtained a BA with a major in political science at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Calgary in 1995 and completed a master’s and PhD in political science at Indiana’s Purdue ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He began his academic career at St. Francis Xavier ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in Nova Scotia as a professor of political science and Canada Research Chair in Public Policy and Governance. Hallström joined the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta in 2009 and has been director of the Alberta Centre for Sustainable Rural Communities since then.

Hallström was born in Edmonton but his family, due to his father’s work in the oil industry, left Canada shortly after and he spent most of his childhood living in Europe and the United States before returning to Canada as a teen. Music was a central theme in his life as a youth and something he continues to pursue today.

“My dad was an amateur musician as a youth in northern Sweden,” says Hallström. “I went through the Royal Conservatory piano trajectory and started playing in bands, as many people do, in high school. For the last five years, I’ve been playing bass in a local band. It’s great fun, and we have a good time playing rock and roll and playing it loud.”

Michael Chan Prize in Asian Studies goes to religious studies major

caroline.zentner — Wed, 13 Nov 2019 18:39:59 +0000

Jessica Knoop-Lentz (BA ’19) was inspired to write about Buddhist ecology and her efforts netted her this year’s Michael Chan Prize in Asian Studies worth $1,000.

“I was very excited and incredibly grateful. Since I’ve been on maternity leave, it was a very welcome gift,” says Knoop-Lentz, who is mother to a six-month-old baby boy. “This was by no means the result of my efforts alone. I was several months pregnant, planning my wedding and doing my honours thesis all at the same time. I had amazing support from friends and family, so me winning this prize is also a celebration of them.”

Knoop-Lentz majored in religious studies and minored in Asian studies and anthropology, subject areas that were far from her original starting point.

“When I was at Lethbridge College, I took Introduction to World Religions and Buddhism,” she says. “When I was writing my papers and going to class, it came so naturally. Originally, I wanted to be a vet and now I want to teach religious studies.”

Originally from the Crowsnest Pass, Knoop-Lentz moved to Lethbridge about a decade ago. When she enrolled at the U of L, Knoop-Lentz started taking classes with Dr. John Harding, a professor in the Department of Religious Studies.

“Eventually, it just solidified my interest in religious studies,” she says. “I was working really hard to do OK in biology, but religious studies felt effortless. I switched majors and went with what I was passionate about.”

Her paper, titled Shades of Green: A Consideration of the Multiple Perspectives on Buddhist Ecology, was written for Harding’s class on Buddhism and science. While Knoop-Lentz didn’t need the course credit, she signed up purely because she was interested.

“Buddhism is often seen as the most scientifically compatible religion. Some people would even say the Buddha was a scientist because he sought to understand the world and how it works,” she says. “Buddhists view all things as interconnected. There’s also the concept of karma, which is the idea that by doing good in this life, you’re planting seeds for your future lives or later in this life.”

But everyone has a different idea about what is good. Would a Buddhist agree to killing off a diseased population of animals if it saves the greater forest or should the lives of individual animals be considered?

“The answers to those questions depend on who you ask,” says Knoop-Lentz. “No Buddhist is ever just a Buddhist. They could be farmers or mothers and that will factor into their decision making.”

Prize adjudicators, Drs. Trevor Harrison and Richard Mueller, commended Knoop-Lentz on a well-written paper that explores the compatibility of Buddhist teachings with modern western-based approaches to ecology. While traditional Buddhism often emphasized the inward search for enlightenment, Knoop-Lentz shows that ecological elements were already present. She demonstrates that variations of Buddhist teachings were connected with local ecological circumstances and economies.

The Michael Chan Prize in Asian Studies was established by Dr. Bonnie Lee, a professor in the Faculty of Health Sciences, to honour the memory of her husband. Michael Chan was a Chinese-Canadian scientist and humanitarian.

Study chronicling history of Alberta Gay Straight Alliances wins Parkland Institute Faculty Research Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 19 Sep 2019 14:30:19 +0000

A new ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge research project that proposes to chronicle the history of Gay Straight Alliances (GSAs) in the province of Alberta has been selected as the winner of the 2019 Parkland Institute Faculty Research Award.

Tif Semach, left, and Dr. Athena Elafros will work with undergraduate student Wednesday Culley on the collaborative research project.

The project, GSAs in Alberta: Past, Present, and Future, is a collaborative study led by Dr. Athena Elafros (assistant professor of sociology), sessional instructor Tif Semach (BA ’12, MA ’14) and fourth-year undergraduate student Wednesday Culley. The group aims to create a record of Alberta GSAs by capturing the oral histories of those involved from the early 2000s to the present. In addition to preserving these experiences for current and future policy analysis, the project will create a public repository and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure the preservation of data in Canadian LGBTQ2S+ archives.

“I’m just really interested in capturing something that is so ephemeral. There really isn’t any record of this and it’s a really important thing for the queer community of which I identify as part of,” says Semach, who is also the community education coordinator for OUTreach Southern Alberta. “It’s also a chance to really track the evolution of LGBTQ rights in Alberta.”

Elafros researched GSAs as part of her doctoral program at McMaster ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ and co-published two papers with, among others, Dr. Tina Fetner, current president of the Canadian Sociological Association. With an inherent interest in the topic, she began speaking with Semach and the idea for the project took shape.

Undergraduate student Wednesday Culley will play a key role in the research project.

“We really started talking about the fact that there is no record of this very important history in the province,” she says. “Working together, we came up with the idea to do the oral history component. Given my two colleagues’ connections in the community, we thought it’d be a good way to access participants and give them a chance to talk about their experiences and share them with other people who might be experiencing similar issues.”

Semach played a key role in starting the city’s first GSA, and only the second in the province, when she was a student at Lethbridge Collegiate Institute (LCI) in 2003. A decade later, Culley was involved with the GSA at LCI, while Culley’s father worked as a board trustee for Lethbridge School District No. 51 and touted the implementation of safe and inclusive policies in the district.

“I’ve sort of lived and breathed these topics for a long time,” says Culley. “We’re primarily looking for people who have participated in GSAs, and it doesn’t matter the experience, just people who were involved with them in any capacity. Being able to access different people who have experienced things maybe two years ago versus 10 years ago allows us to see a wide array of experiences and how things have changed over time.”

The project will involve a lot of ground work and take place over the next year.

“We’re going to start here in Lethbridge and then kind of branch out to Calgary, Red Deer, Edmonton and hopefully some of the rural areas as well,” says Semach. “It’ll mainly just be a case of reaching out and letting people know we are doing this largely from a queer perspective, so we are working from within the community and are a safe voice looking to capture their stories.”

Elafros says the Parkland award is welcome recognition for the legitimacy of the study, especially in the current political climate. And while much of the current literature on GSAs is focused on the present, this study offers a historical perspective and will highlight broader outcomes.

“A lot of conventional historical accounts focus on people or groups with power, those without power or prominence often being left out,” says Dr. Trevor Harrison, U of L sociologist and director of the Parkland Institute. “The research being conducted by Dr. Elafros and her colleagues is important in addressing this absence. Additionally, because the present is always informed by the past, such research also points to contemporary issues of how the LGBTQ2S+ community still experiences prejudice and exclusion in Lethbridge.”

For Semach, the data they acquire will be integral for future programming and policy decisions.

“From the perspective of a community advocacy organization, a lot of what we are doing right now at OUTreach is looking at what our community needs,” she says. “Having access to data like we will be acquiring — the real, lived experience of people in Alberta — will allow us to then go out to organizations and advise perhaps on how policies should be focused. It’ll really allow for us to make decisions based on data.”

Look into non/monogamous relationships earns student Parkland Institute Graduate Research Award

trevor.kenney — Thu, 25 Jul 2019 15:16:53 +0000

Jaisie Walker, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate student in the Department of Women & Gender Studies, has been awarded the 2019 Parkland Institute Graduate Research Award for their project, Unsettling Lateral Violence: Queer Genealogies of Non/Monogamy in Southern Alberta.

Jaisie Walker has worked for the U of L’s Campus Women’s Centre and the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society in Taber.

Walker, born in England and raised in Scotland before moving to Canada following their high school years, has worked on the frontlines of anti-violence programming and seen how the queer and non/monogamous communities are underserved by current policies on interpersonal violence.

“What I continuously saw was that the literature these programs were relying on for their anti-violence programming still framed relationships in a heterosexual and monogamous lens and it continuously relies on this narrative of a victim-perpetrator model,” says Walker, who has worked for the U of L’s Campus Women’s Centre and the Safe Haven Women’s Shelter Society in Taber.

"For many LGBTQA2S+ people, non/monogamous relationships are seen as progressive and transgressive solutions to heteronormative violence. Consequently, non/monogamous relationships have become a way of mobilizing political values in an attempt to be more responsible, caring and loving. However, non/monogamies scholarship is beginning to outline significant constraints that factors such as race, gender and class have on negotiations of safety and desire in non/monogamous relationships. Furthermore, non/monogamous communities continue to express the need for community accountability and anti-violence models that move beyond punitive victim/perpetrator dichotomies."

Walker explains that, while the justice system still has its place in dealing with situations of interpersonal violence, most instances occur between people who have established loving, trusting relationships where criminal charges are not always a desirable outcome.

“When it comes to the queer community, for example, people don’t want to just rely on punitive justice frameworks,” says Walker. “When they are thinking about their relationships, they want to build sustainable new ways of doing things.

“Even in more progressive spaces, where a basic level of consent and agency is often emphasized, it can still be really difficult to identify, understand, communicate and navigate solutions around experiences of violence. This is especially fraught and complicated in LGBTQA2S+ contexts, where platonic and romantic community is relied on for survival, social and familial types of support, and the consequences of a punitive justice framework aren't sustainable. By using lateral violence as an anchor, a concept which acknowledges the peer-to-peer and structural components of violence, I’m hoping to create space for these community dynamics to be better addressed.”

Walker’s proposed study will utilize a participatory-action research approach. They look to gather 15 participants to photographically document community assets and concerns around violence, safety and accountability, critically discuss the resulting images, and communicate their desires for change with policymakers, educators and program developers through a participant-led public exhibit.

They gained approval from the Parkland Institute adjudicators for presenting a “well-prepared application with clear relevance to the communities of interest, and public policy applications.” The adjudicators also made note of the interdisciplinary nature of the project as it touches several fields of work while connecting to rural policy and governance issues.

“Verbalizing relationships can be really difficult, and interviews can be really difficult,” says Walker. “In PhotoVoice, participants are really leading what they produce. It’s exciting because this particular topic crosses over critical rural studies, feminist geographies, queer theory, anti-violence literature, gender studies, art—you can make this applicable in so many different kinds of fields.”

Dr. Trevor Harrison, U of L sociologist and director of the Parkland Institute, says Walker’s project is an excellent example of the breadth of research U of L students are involved in at the graduate level.

“Parkland supports research that pushes the boundaries of so-called common-sense understandings of the world, opening up instead avenues for greater dialogue,” he says. “Despite some legal gains in recent years, the LGBTQA2S+ community still faces many challenges, as Jaisie’s project highlights. Their submission was clear, well-articulated, and frankly exciting. We look forward to the results of their research.”

$2.5 million SSHRC award to support examination of fossil fuel industry in Western Canada

trevor.kenney — Thu, 12 Nov 2015 17:29:12 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge sociologist Dr. Trevor Harrison and his colleagues from the Alberta-based Parkland Institute are embarking on a six-year research project that will examine the corporations and individuals driving fossil fuel extraction in Western Canada, and their resulting political influence.

Mapping the Power of the Carbon-Extractive Corporate Resource Sector is an initiative that will bring together researchers, civil society organizations and Aboriginal participants to study the oil, gas and coal industries in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan. The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) has awarded $2.5 million in partnership grant funding to the project.

The partnership is jointly led by the Parkland Institute (of which Harrison is the director), the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Victoria and the BC and Saskatchewan offices of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA). It will bring together a team of 28 academic researchers from 12 universities, civil society organizations and Aboriginal participants. Augmenting the SSHRC award is an additional $2 million in matching contributions from participating universities and community partners.

“Albertans are all too familiar with the influence that the fossil fuel industry exerts over the political process in Alberta and beyond,” says Harrison. “But what has been missing is a comprehensive understanding of which individuals and corporations are applying this political influence, and how. This project will fill that gap.”

The partnership’s work will focus in four key areas:

• A systematic mapping of how the carbon-extractive industry is organized, including what companies are involved, who runs them, how they are owned, and how they connect to broader international corporate networks.
• Analysis of the sector’s influence on public debates and policy making, such as efforts to secure social license, and corporate links to governments, political parties, lobby groups, and private foundations.
• Case studies of contentious flashpoints, including the expansion or development of new mines, pipelines or export facilities.
• Development of an open source, publicly accessible corporate database and training program for citizens and civil society groups, many of whom will contribute and update data.

“How – and indeed, if – Alberta’s carbon resources will be developed is one of the most crucial policy decisions this province faces over the next decade,” Harrison says. “The transparency this project will provide about who is involved in shaping these choices will be critical to ensure that the decision is made in the public sphere, not in corporate boardrooms.”

Parkland Institute is a province-wide, non-partisan public policy research network housed within the Faculty of Arts at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta.

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council is a federal government agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and training in the humanities and social sciences.

Japan Culture Day celebrated at U of L

trevor.kenney — Mon, 24 Mar 2014 19:54:35 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Asian Studies program and the Department of Modern Languages, in cooperation with the International Centre for Students, is hosting a number of events this week in celebration of Japan Culture Day.

The week begins with a pair of talks on Tuesday, March 25 in the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Library, and continues Thursday, March 27 with a full day of activities that include tea ceremonies, judo and karate demonstrations as well as dance demos, lectures and Japanese food.

These events are open to everyone and media are invited to attend.

Tuesday, March 25
L1170

Meiji: Japan in Transition at Home (Part I) and Abroad (Part II)
4 p.m. - The Emperor and His Poetic Subjects: Ceremony of the Imperial New Year Poetry Reading in Meiji Japan
Gideon Fujiwara (History)

4:30 p.m. - Meiji Export of Japanese Culture: Modern Japan's Display of Traditional Culture at the 1893 World Expo
Dr. John Harding (Religious Studies)

Thursday, March 27
��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Hall Atrium

10 to 10:35 a.m. - Tea Ceremony
Rie Nagai

10:40 to 11:10 a.m. - Bon Dance demo and mini-lesson
Minyo Dancers

11:15 to 11:40 a.m. - The Second Coming of Shinzo Abe
Dr. Trevor Harrison

11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. - Judo demo and mini-lesson
Lethbridge Kyodokan Judo Club

12:20 to 12:50 p.m. - Tea Ceremony
Masako Ohtomo

1 to 1:30 p.m. - Buddhism and Japanese Culture
Reverend Yasuo Izumi

1:35 to 2:05 p.m. - Karate demo and mini lesson
Taka Karate School

2:10 to 2:40 p.m. - The History of Japanese in Southern Alberta
Mac and Reyko Nishiyama

3:05 to 4 p.m. - Taiko demo and mini-lesson
Hibikiya

Japanese food available from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Parkland Institute and U of L partner to support diverse research projects

robert.cooney — Thu, 19 Sep 2013 20:12:39 +0000

Two ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge humanities and social sciences researchers studying vastly different projects will receive support for their work from the Parkland Institute, a not-for profit organization based at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Alberta that supports the study of economic, social, cultural and political issues facing Albertans and Canadians.

Pictured from left to right, Dr. Trevor Harrison, Ann Holden and Dr. Suzanne Lenon

Dr. Suzanne Lenon (Women and Gender Studies), whose research interests are in the area of law, gender and sexuality, will receive $5,000 to further her research on the complex relationships between gender equality and the recognition of valid foreign polygamous marriages.

Ann Åsfrid Holden, graduate studies Master of Arts candidate in History, takes her research into the Subarctic and Arctic to compare legal policies that affect first Nations and Inuit people in Northern Quebec, and those of the Sami people of her home country of Norway. Both groups were affected by large-scale hydroelectric power developments that changed their land and lifestyles, and the legality of the expropriation of indigenous land for these developments was questionable. She will also receive $5,000 to further her studies.

“Parkland is excited to be able to support the diverse research represented by Dr. Suzanne Lenon and Ann Holden,” said Dr. Trevor Harrison, a U of L sociology researcher and Director of the Parkland Institute.

“Parkland’s emphasis has been, and remains, on research that is academically sound, that is important to the broad public and that dares to push the boundaries of our understanding. Both of these research projects fit that bill.”

Harrison added that though they are very different, both projects deal with legal issues and social policy.

“Dr. Lenon’s work will contribute to the body of knowledge that deals with immigration, polygamy, and gender equality, and how those concepts are intertwined, in an often confusing way, from a policy perspective. Ann Holden’s work will explore and explain how the respective legal systems of Norway and Canada have framed the implementation of hydroelectric projects on indigenous land. Though they are far apart geographically, there are some striking similarities that both parties could gain from knowing more about.”

SUZANNE LENON

In Lenon’s case, she is using the recent (2011) Polygamy Reference case in British Columbia as a springboard for discussion, which upholds the prohibition of polygamy in Canada as constitutionally sound. “As in the United States, polygamy is illegal in Canada, but people often immigrate to Canada from a number of countries in Africa and the Middle East where polygamous relationships are, in fact, legal,” Lenon said.

Lenon said that one of the reasons for the continued criminalization polygamous marriages in Canada (and in the West) is that of gender equality.

“The second spouse cannot be legally acknowledged, and has very few, if any, rights if the relationship breaks down. The same challenges apply to people in Canadian polygamous relationships in communities such as Bountiful, BC, where the law applies to the individual who is considered to be legally married, but not to other polygamous spouses. While this law is upheld in the name of gender equality, in these cases the law prevents women from being legally supported if there are problems, and this, ironically, has created gender inequality.”

There is, she says, vigorous debate as to whether continued criminalization of polygamous marriage is a viable public policy strategy to address the complex issues arising from it.

ANN HOLDEN

Holden’s work involves a topic that is just as complex, involves a number of inequality elements, and has affected people -- but in a different way.

The development of hyropower projects in both Norway and Canada a few decades ago and 1980scaused more grief for the politicians than they would have expected, because the negative reactions to it was so strong. Both the James Bay Cree, a fishing, hunting, and trapping community in eastern James Bay in Canada, and the reindeer-farming Sami people in Finnmark, Northern Norway argued that they had rights that stemmed from their immemorial usage of the land.

“Historically, land ownership, in the Western meaning of the word, was a foreign concept for both the Sami and the James Bay Cree,” Holden said. “The Norwegian and British legal systems suited a farming culture, and private ownership over land was the most common form of a legal connection to land, although not the only form of legal rights to land. When the Scandinavian legal traditions met the Sami traditions and the James Bay Cree met the English and later French traditions, the needs of both communities were written into the laws - but not equally.”

Holden said that her work will help Indigenous groups learn more about how the laws of land ownership -- and land management -- can apply to current issues where land is disputed, in particular in cases that involve oil, gas and mining exploration in the northern areas of several Canadian provinces and Territories, and also in northern Sweden, where similar activities are taking place.

“In Canada, resource extraction (i.e. mining) on indigenous land happens in several Provinces. In Sweden, civil disobedience that mirrors the actions the Norwegian Sami used in the 1970s and 1980s was used as a tool to put a mining project on traditional Sami reindeer herding ground on the political agenda. These events are taking place right now, and have significant parallels to the challenges I am looking at which took place decades ago. The historical context is important to understand current issues because changes to the law in both the cases I study were consistent with legal traditions in Canada and Norway.”

Ultimately for Harrison, funding projects that stimulate not only public conversation but social change -- and that allow researchers to explore topics of public interest -- is what makes him happy as a researcher and as a representative of the Parkland Institute.

“This is the second year that the Parkland Institute has partnered with the U of L to deliver the scholarships. I want to thank the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge for its tremendous support given to Parkland, in particular for making the awards possible.”

The project period is two years, and the researchers are expected to deliver a final report on their work to the Parkland Institute, which will make their findings public.

Contacts:

Dr. Suzanne Lenon, Women and Gender Studies (403) 380-1876
suzanne.lenon@uleth.ca
http://directory.uleth.ca/users/suzanne.lenon

Ann Åsfrid Holden, School of Graduate Studies Candidate (History)
ann.holden@uleth.ca

Dr. Trevor Harrison, Sociology / Director, Parkland Institute (403) 329-2552
trevor.harrison@uleth.ca
http://directory.uleth.ca/users/trevor.harrison
http://parklandinstitute.ca/home/

Parkland Institute grant supports research project

trevor.kenney — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 21:16:15 +0000

The Parkland Institute has granted funding for the first time under a new program established this year.

Both the Parkland Institute Faculty Research Grant and the Parkland Institute Graduate Research Award aim to provide seed funding for ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge faculty and their research teams, including students, in areas of public policy. Dr. Claudia Malacrida (sociology) and international graduate student Alan Santinele Martino are the first recipients of the combined $10,000 award.

Both researchers will be exploring information and services about relationships, intimacy and sexuality for people with intellectual disabilities. Malacrida will be gathering data on the policy and programming options that guide individuals, family members and agencies in their decision-making.

International graduate student Alan Santinele Martino, left, with Drs. Claudia Malacrida and Trevor Harrison.

Martino will be interviewing agency workers about the challenges and resources they experience in supporting people with intellectual disabilities in terms of sexuality and relationships.

Parkland Institute Director Dr. Trevor Harrison (sociology) says the projects fit well within the institute's mandate to research topics of interest to a broad audience, and which examine disparity between groups or organizations.

"Studying the issues surrounding sexuality in the context of an intellectual or developmental disability is an under-researched area that we are pleased to support both at a faculty level and at a graduate student level," says Harrison. "Research is a long-term process that often suffers in the initial stages for lack of start-up funds, much like a small business. We are hopeful that, by making sure projects like these get started, they lead to other opportunities for our researchers and graduate students."

Martino says that advocating for the rights and social inclusion of individuals with disability has always been a personal commitment.

"I have an older brother with cerebral palsy, and I believe that this research is a chance to connect knowledge and practice in a way that we can improve the lives of individuals with disability, as well as their families."

"For me, it is not possible to talk about social inclusion without considering sexuality. We need to acknowledge the importance of recognizing individuals with disabilities as sexual beings within their communities and providing them with opportunities for a healthy sexual development."

Martino is originally from São Paulo, Brazil. He came to the U of L to work with Malacrida after completing his undergraduate degree at St. Lawrence ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ in New York State. He plans to interview agencies, policymakers and community members to learn more about how sexuality is either integrated or not integrated into the process of working with people with developmental disabilities, and hopes to influence change at a policy level.

"The key objective of my research is to influence the policies and practices in the agency and government levels, identifying gaps and suggesting possible solutions."

See the video below for more on Martino's experience at the U of L.

This story first appeared in the October 2012 issue of the Legend. To see the full issue in a flipbook format, follow this link.

Long Service & Retirement Recognition Ceremony

trevor.kenney — Wed, 09 May 2012 17:44:43 +0000

The ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge is holding its annual Long Service Awards and Retirement Recognition Ceremony on Wednesday, May 9 at 1 p.m. in the Students' Union Ballrooms.

A total of 103 employees, including 20 retiring employees and those who have completed 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35 and 40 years of service, will be honoured.

All employees are invited to the ceremony and reception to honour the award recipients listed below. The reception will include light refreshments.

Retirees

Nola Aitken, Pat Anderson, Bill Cade, Maria Draper, Carol Gaetz, Mary Anne Hellinga, John Johnston, Cindy Kabelka, Frank Klassen, Michael Kubara, Christina Lastuka, Rita Law, Kathy Lee, Marg McKeen, Bruce McMullin, Shari Platt, Charlene Sawatsky, Richard Tedesco, Barbara Wolstoncroft and Joan Zimmer

Long Service Recipients

40 Years

Lois Boras and
Jean Mankee

35 Years

Barbara Dickinson, Heather Mirau and Brian Parkinson

30 Years

Rene Barendregt, Annette Bright, Peter Heffernan, Barb Hodgson, Kurt Klein, William Krysak, Judy Lacey, Phill Lema, Valerie Richardson, Kim Selk and John Vokey

25 Years

Candace Dueck, John Eng, Frank Klassen, Sheila Lowe, Fiona Randle, Thomas Staples, Greg Tompkins, Kelly Vaselenak, Peter Visentin and Diana Young

20 Years

Lynn Ambedian, Robin Bright, Naomi Cramer, Mary Dyck, Rod Gelleny, Michael Kern, Judith Kulig, Rick Peter, Robert Runte, Sandy Slavin, Maxine Tedesco and Jeff Vucurevich

15 Years

Dwayne Armstrong, Mara Baldwin, Kerry Bernes, Lesley Brown, James Clark, Tom Doyle, Larry Flanagan, Carolyn Gaebel, Cam Goater, Bradley Hagen, Rob Johnson, Ed Jurkowski, Angela Luck, Goldie Morgentaler, Dan O'Donnell, Kent Peacock, Brent Selinger, Marlo Steed and
Nicole Wilson

10 Years

Peter Alward, Christine Anderson, Ebenezer Asem, Roberto Bello, Shawn Bubel, Kris Caldwell, Michael Campbell, Connie Chaplin, John Claassen, Melanie Collado, Dagmar Dahle, Alesha Farfus-Shukaliak, Bev Garnett, Daya Gaur, Joanne Gedrasik, Betsy Greenlees, Trevor Harrison, Linda Janz, Sharon Kanashiro, John Kometz, Igor Kovalchuk, Olga Kovalchuk, Bette Jo Kulak, James Linville, Douglas MacArthur, Claudia Malacrida, Kyla McFadden, Jacqueline Montain, Mandy Moser, Bob Muskovich, Janice Newberry, Tammy Paskuski, Jill Payant, Wilf Roesler, Edward Sandzewicz, Daryl Schacher, Darren Schell, Arlan Schultz, Daniela Sirbu, Debbie Tarnava, John Usher, Derek Vincent, Bernie Wirzba and Cindy Yee

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