Cafe Philosophique

 Lecture Series sponsored by the College of Arts and The Bookshelf

Thursday, September 29, 2011 at 7:00 - Norfolk United Church, 75 Norfolk Street, Guelph
Irshad Manji - Allah, Liberty & Love - The Courage to Reconcile Faith and Freedom

National, bestselling author, Irshad Manji, will read from her current book. Irshad Manji is a professor of leadership at New York University. There, she directs the Moral Courage Project, teaching young leaders to speak truth to power within their communities for a greater good. She is author of the No. 1 Canadian bestseller, The Trouble with Islam Today: A Wake-up Call for Honesty and Change. After the reading, Professor Karen Houle, Philosophy, College of Arts, University of Guelph, will join Irshad Manji on stage for a discussion. Tickets are $6 available at the door or in advance at The Bookshelf.

Tuesday, October 25, 2011 at 7:00 - Norfolk United Church, 75 Norfolk Street, Guelph
Adam Gopnik - Winter, Five Windows on the Season

The CBC Massey Lectures celebrates fifty years with bestselling author, essayist, cultural observer, and famed New Yorker contributor, Adam Gopnik.  Gopnik will read from his book about winter, the season, the space, the cycle. A stunningly beautiful meditation buoyed by Gopnik's trademark gentle wit, Winter is at once an enchanting homage to an idea of a season and a captivating journey through the modern imagination.  After the reading, Professor Stuart McCook, Associate Dean, College of Arts, University of Guelph, will join Adam Gopnik on stage for a discussion. Tickets are $6 available at the door or in advance at The Bookshelf.

Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 7:00 - Norfolk United Church, 75 Norfolk Street, Guelph
Anita Rau Badami - Tell it to the Trees
Wayne Johnston - A World Elsewhere
Ami McKay - The Virgin Cure

Three of Canada's most exciting fiction writers' present their latest books. Tickets are $6 available at the door or in advance at The Bookshelf.

Past Talks in the Cafe Philosophique Series

November 2, 2010 at 7:30 - NV Lounge, Guelph
Stephen Henighan - Reading the Giller Prize, or Everything You Wanted to know About the Giller Prize but Were Afraid to Ask

Since it was founded as Canada's richest literary prize in 1994, the Giller Prize has entranced the media and stirred up many controversies.  Stephen Henighan, a combatant in various Giller polemics, offers a history of the Giller and its scandals.  This talk will give you all the information you need to enjoy Giller Night on November 9th, 2010.

January 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm NV Lounge, Guelph
Sofie Lachapelle - Amusing Science: French Children at Play 1830-1914

Around 1830, books of amusing science addressed to young readers began to appear. Over the next decades, a growing number of novels and series introduced children to the wonders of electricity, chemistry, photography, and geology while the new department stores sold toys inspired by scientific and technological innovations. This talk will explore some ways in which French children gained an understanding of science and technology through play and amusement from the 1830s to the Great War.

Sofie Lachapelle is an associate professor in the Department of History and the Bachelor of Art and Sciences at the University of Guelph. Her work deals with the history of popular and marginal sciences in 19th century France. Her book "Investigating the Supernatural" will come out in June 2011.

February 18, 2011 at 7:30 pm NV Lounge, Guelph
Dorothy Odartey-Wellington - Going International in the 21st Centuary: Alternative routes from the University of Ghana to the School of Languages and Literatures

The University of Guelph has a long-standing exchange agreement with the University of Ghana that dates back several years. While the two U of Gs have exchanged many students over the years, the Arts programs, and the languages departments in particular, have remained on the margins of this international agreement. I examine the barriers to more inclusive collaboration with our partner, University of Ghana. Additionally, I review two pilot projects currently underway at the School of Languages and Literatures aimed at strengthening our intercultural exchanges and our role in engaged internationalization.

Dorothy Odartey-Wellington is an associate professor in the School of Languages and Literatures where she teaches courses in Spanish literature, culture and language. Her research interests straddle Africa and Europe, with a focus on the literature of Equatorial Guinea and contemporary Spanish fiction.

March 15, 2011 - 7:30 pm - NV Lounge, Guelph
Monique Deveaux - Backlash against multiculturalism: the Quebec Niqab affair

 Nearly a year ago, legislation was introduced in Quebec (Bill 94) which would ban the "niqab" - the face-veil worn by some Muslim women - from certain public places. The controversy that has ensued raises questions about the scope of religious accommodation in multicultural democracies like Canada, especially when conficts with other rights seem to arise. This talk explores the broader backdrop against which the Quebec proposal emerged, and considers whether it is advisable to restrict the niqab through legislative means.

Monique Deveaux is Professor and Canada Research Chair in Ethics and Global Social Change in the Philosophy Department at Guelph. She is author of two books on issues related to cultural and religious accommodation: 'Gender and Justice in Multicultural Liberal States' (2006) and 'Cultural Pluralism and the Limits of Justice' (2000).