Since the Fukushima nuclear crisis, nuclear energy policy has experienced increased debate across the world. In Europe, turnarounds in nuclear energy policy have taken place in Germany, Switzerland and Italy. In North America, on the other hand, there is considerably less public debate about nuclear energy and the associated industries like uranium mining or the storage of nuclear waste. In this workshop, we would like to bring together perspectives on the social constellations, political economy/ecology, and cultural discourses of nuclear energy in Europe and North America.

Possible areas of discussion include:

1. a comparison of a wide variety of cases from European, Canadian and international contexts
2. theoretical approaches that address the social setting of and discourses about the nuclear energy sector and the practices of nuclear energy
3. contributions that allow to historically trace the development of nuclear energy/industry/policy

The workshop will include a public film screening of the recent documentary “Under Control” on Nov 11th (courtesy of the Goethe Institute Toronto) and a public round table on Nov 13th. The academic workshop will take place on Nov 12th and 13th.

Interested participants are invited to submit an abstract for a paper (200 words) to Ulrich Best, ubest@yorku.ca

Please note that the deadline for abstracts is October 7, 2011.

The Forum will be conducted in English.

The European Union Centre of Excellence project housed at CCGES is pleased to present a lecture by one of its Visiting Scholar Dr. Jennifer Fredette (University of Albany)as part of the series EUROPEAS: EUCE Seminars in History, Culture and Society. The lecture entitled  “What Can Muslims in France Tell Us About Multiculturalism in the European Union?” will take place on Wednesday, September 28th beginning at 5:30 pm in room 103 McLaughlin College (building #51 on the map found here).

Jennifer Fredette teaches courses in constitutional law, comparative law, and sociolegal studies at University of Albany (SUNY). Her research addresses law and society themes such as law and identity, legal consciousness, and legal mobilization, as well as political theory’s concerns with justice and democracy. Fredette studied at Sciences Po-Paris in 2006, and was a visiting research fellow at Sciences Po-Bordeaux in 2008.  Her current project, On the Muslim Question: The contentious politics of citizenship in France, explores the disconnect between how Muslims and French elites discuss citizenship, identity, and belonging.

All are welcome to this event and light refreshments will be served.

Date: Wednesday, September 28th, 2011
Time: 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Location: 103 McLaughlin College

The European Union Centre of Excellence at York together with CCGES and the CITY Institute at York University are pleased to present the conference “Centre and Periphery in a Federated Structure: Canada and the EU” on September 24-25, 2011.

Canada and the EU share a distinct experience: As federated/federal political, social, geographic and cultural structures both struggle with questions of territorial integration at the core of their existence. Theoretically and conceptually, we will bring research on rescaling and on multi-level governance into conversation with one another. (CONTINUE READING)

The Future of Cities series is a series of international conversations that the Goethe-Institut Toronto and the City Institute at York University will organize in the 2011-12 season. The first of these events is entitled “Intrinsic Knowledge: Global Times, New Global Cities” and will take place on Thursday, September 22nd at 6 pm in the Urbanspace Gallery (401 Richmond Street West).

The event will take place in English, admission is free and all are welcome to attend. (CONTINUE READING)

The European Union Centre of Excellence at York University will be presenting a one-day conference entitled “Free Movement and Discrimination” on York’s Glendon campus on November 28, 2011. At present conference organizers are accepting paper proposals for this event at <maas@yorku.ca>

Democratic states tend to guarantee free movement within their territory to all citizens. Similarly, the European Union guarantees the right to live and the right to work anywhere within EU territory to EU citizens and members of their families. Such rights reflect the project of equality and undifferentiated individual rights for all who have the status of citizen. But they are not uncontested. Within the EU, several member states have or propose to reintroduce border controls and restrict access for EU citizens who claim social assistance. Some, most notably France and Italy, have emphasized their expulsions of Roma, which challenge human rights norms against discrimination. (CONTINUE READING)