In this seminar we will explore how contemporary writing lends itself to thoughtful investigations of complex issues, in particular the struggle of Indigenous communities with the legacy of the Indian Act (1885), and the role of non-Indigenous Canadians in the process of reconciliation.
What is reconciliation? What does a call for reconciliation mean? What does it mean first to the public at large and to institutions, and then to individuals? These will be the central questions of our week together.
In both cases, it begins with interest in the issue, which is to say the history of Indigenous/settler relations. This comes with a willingness to open oneself to new information and ideas — in particular to the lived experience of Indigenous communities and to the history preceding us.
One starting point is the words of 19th-century Métis leader Louis Riel: “My people will sleep for a hundred years, and when they awake, it will be the artists who give them back their spirit.” Has his prediction been borne out?
The seminar is part of the larger Toronto Pursuits festival hosted at the University of Toronto. Registration in this event includes the 5-day seminar, a Toronto Summer Music Festival concert ticket , our welcome cocktail reception with an open bar, coffee and newspapers all week, five buffet lunches, afternoon speakers, film screenings, and a range of other cultural and social activities.
For full details please see the Toronto Pursuits page at https://www.classicalpursuits.com/toronto-pursuits/
