Transgressing the Nation-state: Challenging the Constructs of Canadian Identity

20 & 21 April 2017

The Robarts Centre Graduate Conference is York University’s annual symposium dedicated to Canadian Studies research topics. In 2017, a team of organizers including: Erin Yunes, Melanie Wilmink, Evan Viapond and Samuel Forrest curated a graduate student presentations and art installations in response to the Canada 150 celebrations. As Canada approached the 150th anniversary of Confederation, we felt that it was important to ask: how are systems of colonialism, racism, sexism, and other social and economic disparities that characterized the founding of this country still embedded in our society?

In addition to some amazing research talks by graduate students from across the country, we presented two artworks: the “The Highway of Tears” VR installation by Lisa Jackson, and screening of the film “Elder in the Making” by Chris Hsiung. Melanie and Erin also co-edited the Summer 2018 edition of Canada Watch, featuring papers from the conference.

VR Installation: Lisa Jackson - “The Highway of Tears” (2016)

“The Highway of Tears” is a short virtual reality documentary about the story of one young woman, Ramona Wilson, who went missing along the highway in 1994 as told by her mother Matilda Wilson. The immersive documentary transports the viewer to Matilda’s home and then on to the notorious highway where, according to Indigenous communities, more than 40 Indigenous women have gone missing since the 1970s. The VR doc, directed by Anishinaabe filmmaker Lisa Jackson, was produced by CBC's The Current and Toronto production company Secret Location. http://lisajackson.ca/Highway-of-Tears-VR

Film Screening: Chris Hsiung - “Elder in the Making” (2015)

“Elder in the Making” is a historical and contemporary feature documentary about an aboriginal and a settler exploring a forgotten moment in history: the agreement made at Blackfoot Crossing between the First Nations and the European newcomers in 1877 in Southern Alberta. Join Cowboy Smithx (the “x” is silent), a Blackfoot searching for his identity, and Chris Hsiung, a first generation Chinese-Canadian filmmaker, on a trip across Treaty 7 territory to re-discover their shared heritage. This film will blend sweeping visual imagery and documentary storytelling as well as poetry and theatrical performance to bring to life the memories of the land and its people. While acknowledging the human rights abuses of the past is a first step in healing, Cowboy and Chris are also looking for the joy and the hope for the future. As it turns out, being an Elder-in-the-making is a responsibility we all share for this land and for future generations. "We are all treaty people," says Cowboy. "We shouldn't be afraid to learn from each other." http://elderinthemaking.com