#wilfrid-laurier-university — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #wilfrid-laurier-university, aggregated by home.social.
-
THE ISRAEL EFFECT IN CANADA
Peter Eglin, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Wilfrid Laurier University, released his critical autoethnography Analysing the Israel Effect in Canada in 2024. Eglin analyzes the organizational methods which public criticism of Israel’s oppression of the Palestinian people is silenced in Canada. This is explained over the course of ten episodes in the life of the author over a 30 year period, from 1990 to 2020 through his interactions with Canadian news media.
The Israel Effect is analyzed as a three-tier propaganda industry. Tier one is Israel’s lobby groups around the world, tier two is the role of universities and news media, and tier three is the non-Jewish, non-Zionists onlookers and institutions. Analysing the Israel Effect in Canada exists in the third tier as it is written by someone who is non-Jewish and non-Zionist.
As a sociological work, it analyses and documents the different organized methods by which public criticism to Israel’s oppression towards Palestinians is silenced in Canada.
Poignant and heart-wrenching at every turn, it is a crossover between an academic standpoint and journalistic exposé.
In the chapter “Photo Propaganda” Eglin explores the role news media plays in suppressing Palestinian voices and promoting Israel’s interests.
For example, looking at the Globe and Mail’s coverage of Palestinian victims: “What is most striking in the photographic depiction of victims of terror by The Globe and Mail, however, is the quite different use made of, and treatment accorded to, relatives, friends, co-workers and other associates of persons who have been killed or injured by terrorist violence, depending on whether the victims are Palestinian Arabs or Israeli Jews,” the book states.
Eglin consistently reminds readers that the book is not about Israel and Palestine, it is about Canadian society and how it reacts to Israel’s oppression. Readers explore different vignettes arranged in chronological order to display a horror story of institutional censorship.
Eglin, and in turn the reader, questions why the Canadian government does not enforce the human rights laws that would protect the Palestinian people. He emphasizes the importance of exposing ties to Israel in the government and corporations, and why people should continue to speak truth to power.
Eglin remains an unflinching narrator throughout the book, not afraid to call out institutions that try to suppress his work. In the chapter “Circling the Wagons”, Eglin reacts to the National News Council not publishing his criticism of Israel. He tells his story through damning emails back and forth between Eglin and a representative from the council.
For anyone who wants to understand the genocide in Palestine as it exists in the context of Canadian society, this book is a highly important read. The work is a compelling testament to the importance of preserving freedom of expression and the vital role academics play in challenging systemic injustice. It is an ideal book for historians, activists and scholars of politics.
#adrianQuijano #analysingTheIsraelEffect #bookReview #canadianNews #israelEffect #media #mediaLiteracy #newsMedia #palestine #peterEglin #sociology #wilfridLaurierUniversity #zionism
-
EUGENICS, REPACKAGED AS BIOLOGICAL FREEDOM
In the industrial heart of Kitchener, Ontario, A.R. Kaufman, a wealthy factory owner and staunch capitalist, helped pioneer the birth control movement in Canada. But his motivations were far from progressive. Kaufman’s advocacy for contraception and sterilization was not rooted in a desire to empower women or alleviate poverty. Instead, it stemmed from a fervent belief in eugenics: the idea that society should rid itself of its undesirable elements.
The 1892 Criminal Code criminalized the sale and distribution of contraceptive products and the dissemination of information about them. Despite these barriers, the birth control movement gained momentum. In 1932, Elizabeth Bagshaw, one of Canada’s first female physicians, became the medical director of Canada’s first birth control clinic in Hamilton. It operated illegally but with quiet support from sympathetic doctors. Around the same time, A.R. Kaufman launched his Parents’ Information Bureau (PIB) in Kitchener, Ontario.
The PIB distributed contraceptive materials—including spermicidal jelly, diaphragms and informational pamphlets—by mail and arranged referrals to doctors willing to perform sterilizations. Kaufman’s program quickly expanded, serving tens of thousands of clients annually and playing a significant role in shaping public discourse around birth control in Canada.
Kaufman’s efforts began close to home. When faced with the reality that many of his employees at the Kaufman Rubber Company could not afford to support their families, rather than increase their wages, Kaufman launched a birth control program targeting his workers. Over 1,000 employees were sterilized under this initiative.
Kaufman’s belief in eugenics, coupled with his desire to maintain social control, are on stark display in a letter to American journalist, H.L. Mencken.
“I have said, and still think, we must choose between birth control and revolution…Many of these people are not willing to work but I do not criticize them harshly for their lack of ambition when they are the offspring of people no better than themselves,” Kaufman wrote.
Kaufman made no bones about the lengths to which he was willing to go to rid society of undesirables.
“I agree it might be more merciful and cheaper to ‘have at them [the poor] with machine guns,’ but the law has an inconvenient way of insisting on prolonging people’s agony,” he wrote.
He went on to describe his sterilization efforts as the “next best” solution. His hope, he said, was that public authorities would eventually take over the work.
“If you manage to sterilize a few thousand liabilities the work may eventually get public recognition,” he wrote.
Kaufman’s influence extended far beyond Kitchener. He lobbied governments across Canada to adopt birth control and sterilization programs, particularly targeting Indigenous communities and the working poor. His efforts were part of a broader eugenics movement that gained traction in Canada in the early twentieth century, fueled by fears of overpopulation, economic instability and racial mixing. While many eugenicists distanced themselves from the ideology after World War II, Kaufman remained a vocal proponent, simply rebranding his campaign as “responsible parenthood”.
This strategic shift in language coincided with the lead-up to the 1969 decriminalization of birth control in Canada. By then, Kaufman had positioned himself as a public health advocate, masking his eugenic goals behind the veneer of social responsibility. But the underlying ideology remained unchanged.
As Karen Stote, assistant professor in the Women and Gender Program at Wilfrid Laurier University, notes, Kaufman’s work was never about reproductive freedom—it was about population control. His programs disproportionately targeted Indigenous women, and his legacy continues to echo in ongoing debates about reproductive justice and medical consent.
Kaufman’s capitalist background also played a key role in shaping his views. He was fiercely anti-union and saw birth control as a way to manage labor rather than empower it. Rather than addressing systemic inequality, he sought to eliminate the poor altogether.
“My first reaction when I took an interest in the deplorable state of affairs of some people was ‘to dump them in the lake,’” he wrote. “Since my idea was also impractical from a legal standpoint, I decided to do the next best.”
Kaufman’s influence also reached into the legal realm through his support of Dorothea Palmer, a birth control advocate who was arrested in 1936 during the Eastview birth control trial in Ontario. Palmer was charged under the Criminal Code for distributing birth control information, but Kaufman funded her legal defense, arguing that her actions were in the public interest.
The case became a landmark moment in Canadian reproductive rights history, and Palmer was ultimately acquitted. Kaufman’s backing of Palmer further illustrates his strategic efforts to normalize birth control, even as his motivations remained rooted in eugenics.
For the Waterloo Region community, this legacy is especially poignant. Today, the legacy of A.R. Kaufman is deeply contested. While some credit him with helping to normalize birth control in Canada, others point to the coercive and discriminatory nature of his programs.
His name has been removed from schools, and scholars like Stote continue to uncover the extent of his influence on policies that harmed marginalized communities.
Kaufman’s programs and ideology were not abstract policies but lived realities for local families, many of whom were directly impacted by his sterilization initiatives and anti-union practices. His name, once emblazoned on local institutions, now prompts reflection on how communities remember and reconcile complex histories.
The birth control movement in Canada did eventually lead to greater reproductive autonomy for many women. But its origins are steeped in a history of control, not liberation. Kaufman’s story is a reminder that social progress can emerge from deeply flawed beginnings—and that we must confront those origins honestly if we hope to build a more just future.
Eastview, site of birth control trial in 1936.Kaufman Rubber Factory.#aRKaufman #angusMclaren #birthControl #CriminalCode #FionaMcAlister #hLMencken #karenStote #moreThanJustBootsTheEugenicAndCommercialConcernsOfARKaufmanSBirthControllingActivities #wilfridLaurierUniversity #womenAndGenderProgram
-
Workshop on Election Collaboration by Waterloo Region Climate Collaboration, 7pm on Thursday 14 November 2024 at WLU
What: Workshop on Election Collaboration
When: 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Thursday 14 November 2024
Where: Wilfrid Laurier University, Dr. Alvin Woods Building (DAWB), room 2-104.
Location: 75 University Avenue West, Waterloo, Ontario Map
Contact for Registration and Parking: Alex Latta [email protected]
Dear Waterloo Region Climate Collaborative participants,With both federal and provincial elections on the horizon, the time for collaboration is now!
Our next WRCC meeting will be a workshop on election collaboration, and we are reaching out to our network members with the message that we need your participation now more than ever.
- For regular attendees at monthly meetings: Can you bring along someone new from your organization?
- For organizations without regular attendance: We hope you will consider attending this one; the more groups represented, the stronger we all are!
We are aiming for more synergy, not more work! Here are our key questions for the workshop:
- What is your organization already doing or planning to do to boost attention on climate policy in the lead-up to elections?
- How can we better collaborate across the climate advocacy community to reach new audiences and achieve maximum climate impact on election outcomes?
Directions: See the map for directions to parking, and from parking to the building.
Parking passes: Please request 2+ business days in advance to receive a pass via email: [email protected]
Save the date and let us know you’re planning to attend! Email Alex Latta ([email protected]) to confirm plans to attend, to order a parking pass, or if you have any questions.
#WaterlooRegionClimateCollaborative #WilfridLaurierUniversity #WLU
-
Film Screening and Panel Discussion: Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Midsize Cities – 7pm on Monday 18 November 2024, Old Post Office library, Cambridge, Ontario
What: Film showing and Panel Discussion: Bridging Divides: Voices and Visions about Homelessness in Mid-size Cities
When: Monday 18 November from 7:00pm to 8:30pm
Where: Old Post Office library, Riverview Room, Reading Room
Location: 12 Water Street South, Cambridge, Ontario Map
Register: https://ideaexchange.libnet.info/event/11792453 (optional, but recommended)Dr. Erin Dej writes via the Unsheltered Campaign:
Hi friends,
As many of you know, I’ve been doing research the last 4 years on misperceptions of homelessness in mid-size cities, including in Cambridge. The research has all come together by way of a documentary called Bridging Divides: Voices & Visions on Homelessness in Mid-Size Cities. The documentary explores the issue of homelessness, safety, and belonging by showcasing voices from diverse backgrounds, including conversations with individuals with lived experience of homelessness, service providers, business owners, and law enforcement.
We are holding a screening and panel discussion on 18 November 2024 from 7:00 – 8:30 at the Old Post Office Library (12 Water Street South) in Cambridge. It would mean so much if you were able to attend. As you know, Cambridge is struggling right now, so this conversation is more important than ever.
The panel discussion is going to feature Dr. Laura Pin, as well as Marjorie Knight and José de Lima, so you know it’s going to be a great conversation!
You will find all the details in the poster below and in case you’re able to share on any of your social media. All the details are at Wilfrid Laurier University website.
Thanks everyone!
Erin
Download poster: 2024-Nov_Cambridge – Poster_Bridging-Divides.pdf (1.3 MB)
Bridging divides and building perspectives through a dialogue
A powerful documentary featuring voices from diverse backgrounds. Discover new insights on homelessness and explore solutions to build safer, more inclusive communities.
Documentary screening – panel discussion
November 18th | 7:00 – 8:30 p.m.
Old Post Office -12 Water St S,
Cambridge, ON N1R 3C5FOR INFORMATION AND REGISTRATION VISIT:
UOGUEL.PH/BRIDGING-DIVIDES
REGISTRATION IS RECOMMENDED BUT WALK-INS ARE WELCOME#Justice #MoneyPoverty #CentreForResearchOnSecurityPractices #ErinDej #homelessness #UnshelteredCampaign #WilfridLaurierUniversity
-
Season Two Episode Nine: Reframing Narratives with Ecocriticism With Dr Jenny Kerber for Solarpunk Presents Podcast
In this episode, Ariel discusses the topic of ecocriticism with Dr Jenny Kerber, Associate Professor of English at Wilfrid Laurier University.
What is ecocriticism? Why is it important, especially for environmental activists and solarpunks, as a narrative reframing device? Solarpunks work very closely with speculation and imagination and as architects of the narratives by which we live our lives, it helps to have tools like ecocriticism at our disposal.
Join Ariel and Dr. Kerber to think through terms like “wilderness” and “nature” and “the Anthropocene”. How do we hold on to hope, despite critical engagement with the dark side of our environmental narratives?
https://youtu.be/uSz6YvhVsLI?si=SPluDH0RI9xItOiT
#Episode #Season2 #YouTube #solarpunk #SolarpunkPresentsPodcast #podcast #narrative #NarrativeChange #Ecocriticism #EnvironmentalStorytelling #ClimateChangeLiterature #LiteraryCriticism #LiteraryAnalysis #Theory #Academia #Scholarship #WilfridLaurierUniversity
-
EDITORIAL NOTE: UW’S RESPONSE TO OCCUPY UW IS DISRESPECTFUL TO THE STUDENTS AND TO THE COMMUNITY
#2SLGBTQIA_ #AdrianQuijano #GazaHouse #GeovannyVillalbaAleman #GraduateHouse #HarleenKaurDhillon #injunction #Israel #LGBTQ_ #OccupyUW #Palestine #universityOfWaterloo #UW #wilfridLaurierUniversity
-
Migrations #conference starts today! See the attachment for a list of free public events - I'll be moderating the film keynote on Friday. Come on out and sit in the a/c - escape the heat dome AND learn ;)
@academicchatter @WaterlooEvents @waterlooregion #academia #ecocriticism #migration #ClimateRefuge #WilfridLaurierUniversity #Kitchener
-
Stoked for the Migrations: ALECC 2024 Conference next week! If you're in #WaterlooRegion, come check it out!
PS: the reception snacks on the first night actually start with registration at 6:15; the library closes at 9pm so we don't have much time to hang around and eat.
@WaterlooEvents @waterlooregion @academicchatter #Ecocriticism #FreeEvents #Kitchener #KitchenerPublicLibrary #WilfridLaurierUniversity #Conference #ALECC
-
Ep 2.9 is live! @arielkroon discusses the topic of ecocriticism with Dr Jenny Kerber, Associate Professor of English at Wilfrid Laurier University.
What is #ecocriticism? Why is it important, especially for #environmental activists and solarpunks, as a narrative reframing device? Solarpunks work very closely with speculation and imagination and as architects of the narratives by which we live our lives, it helps to have tools like ecocriticism at our disposal.
Join Ariel and Dr. Kerber to think through terms like “#wilderness” and “#nature” and “the #Anthropocene." How do we hold on to #hope, despite critical engagement with the dark side of our environmental #narratives ?
#solarpunk #podcasting #podcast #academic #academia @academicchatter #WilfridLaurierUniversity #WLU #Canada #Ontario #HigherEducation