Complicated Entanglements

'Complicated Entanglements: Rethinking Pluralism in the 21st Century' is an interdisciplinary conference that aims to examine the recent resurgence of discourse around multiculturalism in the cultural sphere. This conference brings together major scholars from Anthropology, Art History, Canadian Studies, English, French, Political Science and Sociology as well as artists, community activists, cultural policy makers, and an exciting group of emerging young curators. Our intention, through the conference, related exhibition, international co-publication and creation of a web-based community is to consolidate current work being done on pluralism in the arts, and to foster a collective and on-going forum for debate. While much has been written on multiculturalism in the social sciences, comparatively little has been done in the arts, where artists, writers, filmmakers and performers imagine and define who we are as a nation. Timed to coincide with the 20th anniversary of the Canadian Multiculturalism Act and recent discussions of race, religion and culture around events such as 9/11 and the Bouchard-Taylor commission, this conference could not be more relevant or more timely.