How do we create a space in activism (social media and otherwise) that emphasizes learning and growth? Many of us are aware of incidents of people being ‘canceled’ in social or professional circles – whether it be online, on social media, or in person– but what is “cancel culture?” Is it actually promoting change? How does one engage in social activism without the fear of being canceled or performative? Join us on November 17th as we have a discussion with speakers and community leaders to discuss the implications of cancel culture on activism in the community.
Featured Speakers:
Shanai Tanwar, 4th year UBC student & Staff writer, the Ubyssey
Shanai Tanwar (she/her) is a 4th year student double majoring in Psychology and English Literature. She is a Staff Writer for the Ubyssey, and is currently on co-op with UBC’s English Literature journal, Canadian Literature, as an Editorial Assistant. She is a feminist poet who is especially curious about the intersection of space and her identity as a woman of colour living in a largely Western context. Aside from writing, Tanwar is also passionate about advocating for animal rights, the Palestinian cause, and decolonizing the sphere of literature.
Dr. Samir Gandesha, Director, SFU Institute for the Humanities & Professor, SFU Department of Humanities
Born in Nai
robi, Kenya Dr Gandesha immigrated to Canada in the mid 1960s. He studied at SFU, UBC and the London School of Economics (LSE) for his undergraduate and went on to complete both his MA and PhD at York University in Toronto. Later, he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California at Berkeley. When he returned to Canada, he taught at Centennial College in Toronto then an Alexander von Humboldt fellow at Universität Potsdam. His current presence at SFU started in 2003, on the Steering Committee of the Institute for the Humanities since 2004 and its director since 2010. An author of numerous articles in top-tier journals and an editor of multiple books. Additionally, he regularly contributes to publications such as the Globe and Mail and The Vancouver Sun. He has delivered around 100 lectures and presentations at universities and other public venues around the world.
Sophia Yang, Co-founder & Executive Director, Threading Change
Sophia Yang is the Founder & Executive Director of Threading Change, a youth-led ethical fashion organization working at the intersections of climate, gender, and racial justice in alignment with the necessary transition to a circular economy. As a dedicated climate justice changemaker, Sophia has worked for over a dozen environmental organizations ranging from federal government agencies (Parks Canada, Natural Resources Canada), NGOs (Nature Conservancy of Canada, SPEC, Parkbus, CityHive), industry (CNRL), and academia (UBC, SFU).
Sophia is the recipient of Corporate Knights’ 2021 Top 30 Under 30 Sustainability Leaders in Canada, Starfish Canada’s Top 25 Under 25 Environmentalists award in 2017 and 2018, has attended the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 24 & 25) twice as a British Columbian Youth Delegate with BCCIC, and DJs as ‘KALEIDO’ in her spare time with her music production company. Threading Change was born because Sophia wanted to help raise young people’s voice in one of our world’s most polluting industries—the fashion industry. Doing so for our planet, and people.
This event is an installment in our event series titled, “What does this really mean?” featuring one word or phrase per session that is commonly used but may not be fully understood or is understood in different ways by different communities. Complex and contested global events and issues can be hard to engage with or simply overwhelming when trying to wade through a sea of jargon. Through these events, we hope to engage with dialogue to understand how different communities or movements define them and how this understanding is translated into action in different spaces.