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Director's Remarks
Welcome to the Fall 2023 edition of the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice (CHRRJ) newsletter. In this edition, we recognize and celebrate the research accomplishments of the faculty members, students, and others affiliated with the Centre as well as the work of those who belong to our network of partners within Canada and internationally.
The work of this multidisciplinary group of scholars supports the mandate of the CHRRJ and advances the crucial task of expanding our understanding of human rights and restorative justice. The Centre would not .exist without their commitment and hard work. In this newsletter, we showcase our colleagues’ achievements.
With the end of most pandemic restrictions, we have been able to transition to in-person events which have allowed for rich and exciting exchanges. But the virtual techniques we used during the pandemic remain useful and indeed, most of our events are now hybrid. One example is the recent and very successful colloquium on “Narratives of Trauma and Memory: The Legacies of the Human Rights Violations Investigations Commissions in Nigeria and the National Reconciliation Commission in Ghana.”This event was held in Nigeria, but the hybrid format allowed attendees from Canada and elsewhere to participate.
The Centre’s new speakers’ series is also benefitting from these innovations. With support from McMaster University’s Research Centre and Institutes Engagement Fund, we will hold two hybrid events in the 2023-24 academic year. On October 4, Dr. Sascha Auerbach, the director of the Institute for the Study of Slavery at the University of Nottingham, gave a talk on “Late-Stage Slavery and Encounters with the Colonial State in the British Empire, 1823-1831.” And in February 2024, I will join a PhD student from the History Department (Matthew Monrose) to interview Dr. Michele Johnson about her research, her experiences as the director of the Harriet Tubman Institute for Research on Africa and Its Diasporas and her new book, Unsettling the Great White North: Black Canadian History.
Under the auspices of this series, CHRRJ will also co-sponsor a hybrid talk with McMaster University’s new Centre for Research on Community Oriented Entrepreneurs (CRCE) in October 2023. The hybrid format for these events will allow researchers at all career stages from across Canada and beyond to attend and contribute to our discussions. Our recently established book series is another exciting development that reflects the intellectual energy and commitment of the Centre’s members and collaborators. Created in collaboration with McGill-Queens University Press, “Confronting Atrocity: Human Rights and Restorative Justice” would not exist without the vision and hard work of my two co-editors, Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh and Dr. Paul Ugor. The series’ first book - Truth Commissions and State Building – will be published in November 2023. Co-edited by Bonny Ibhawoh, Jasper Abembia Avelazuno and Sylvia Bawa, this volume consists of articles produced for a recent CHRRJ-sponsored conference. We expect that the series will provide an outlet for research projects undertaken at the Centre as well as external manuscripts that speak to the series’ themes.
The faculty members, visiting scholars, and students affiliated with the Centre have accomplished a great deal to be proud of over the past months. Over the next year, we will build on their achievements by continuing to work together and strengthen our research collaborations in Canada and abroad. Colloquium on Narratives of Trauma and Memory: The Legacies of the Human Rights Violations Investigations Commission (The Oputa Panel) in Nigeria and National Reconciliation Commission (TRC) in Ghana
Convenors:
Dr. Rasheed Olaniyi University of Ibadan, Nigeria Colloquium Coordinator
Dr. Olutayo Adesina University of Ibadan, Nigeria Colloquium Lead
Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh McMaster University, Canada Project Director, The Confronting Atrocity (https://truthcommissions.humanities.mcmaster.ca)
The one-day hybrid colloquium took place on August 2, 2023 - organized by the Department of History at the University of Ibadan (Nigeria), the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice (CHRRJ) and the Confronting Atrocity Project. It was virtually co-hosted by Sara Abdella, an RA at the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice, as well as Dr. Melike Yilmaz, a Research Coordinator at the Centre and in-person organizing committee Oyinade Adekunle, a member of the Centre. In addition to being organizing committee members for the colloquium, the Centre assisted with facilitating paper presentations and keynote addresses from the insightful panels in the hybrid event.
The colloquium attained a significant milestone in exploring human rights violations and reconciliation in Nigeria and Ghana, serving as a forum for rigorous intellectual discourse and fostering cross-cultural understanding. The keynote speakers emphasized the significance of delving into narratives of trauma and memory to facilitate healing, justice, and national cohesion.
They underscored how the legacies of commissions shape the socio-political landscape and set the stage for the day's discussions, emphasizing the urgency of addressing historical injustices and promoting reconciliation.
The Colloquium featured thirty-eight presenters from twenty-seven institutions, comprising scholars, graduate students, lecturers, independent researchers, and experts devoted to unravelling the intricacies of African reconciliation processes. These paper presentations traversed various political eras in African communities, which created a rich tapestry of insights on the themes.
Paper presentations were organized into three concurrent panel formats (one virtual panel and two in-person formats) and addressed different aspects of human rights, memory, and reconciliation. These sessions provided a platform for insightful and productive deliberations, giving voice to various narratives and experiences in Nigeria and Ghana. Attendees engaged in nuanced discussions, unveiling the challenges and successes of African reconciliation processes.
A notable highlight was the seamless facilitation and tech support McMaster University and the University of Ibadan representatives provided. Their efforts ensured the smooth execution of the event, enabling the unhindered exchange of ideas and experiences among participants from different time zones.
Over the course of eleven hours and numerous panel sessions, it became evident that the Colloquium had achieved its objective of shedding light on narratives of trauma and memory while fostering constructive dialogues on reconciliation. The outstanding quality of paper presentations sparked discussions regarding a journal publication of exceptional papers.
============================================================ Dr. Sascha Auerbach The Centre for Human rights and Restorative Justice has recently established a new hybrid speakers’ series, with support from McMaster University’s Office of the Vice-president and the Research Centre and Institutes Engagement Fund. Dr. Sascha Auerbach gave the first talk in the series on October 4, 2023, “‘To Go and Look for Law’: Late-stage Slavery and Encounters with the Colonial State in the British Empire, 1823-1831.” Dr. Auerbach specializes in the history of race, imperialism, and the state in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and is the director of the Institute for the Study of Slavery at the University of Nottingham (U.K.) as well as the co-editor of the Cambridge University Press book series “Histories of Slavery and Its Global Legacies.” He is the author of many articles and book chapters and three books.
His most recent book will be published in 2024 by Cambridge University Press and is titled The Overseer-State: Slavery, Indenture, and Governance in the British Empire, 1812-1916. Dr. Auerbach’s talk was well-attended, and the audience members asked interesting and thought-provoking questions, resulting in a lively and fascinating discussion. The talk was a great start for our new speakers’ series. Truth Commissions and State Building Book
Bonny Ibhawoh, Sylvia Bawa and Jasper Ayelazuno, eds. ** Truth Commissions and State Building (https://www.mqup.ca/truth-commissions-and-state-building-products-9780228018...) (McGill Queens University Press, 2023).
Truth Commissions and State Building presents the first comparative study of the role of Truth Commissions in state building. It examines truth commissions as mechanisms for civic inclusion, identity formation, institutional reform, and nation (re)building in post-conflict and post-authoritarian societies. More than just an opportunity to uncover fact after conflict, truth commissions can also offer restorative power to nations across the globe. This book emerged from a series of conferences organized by the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice. Chapters of the book draw on data from the Truth Commissions Report Database of the Confronting Atrocity Project which is housed in the Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice. Hosting Visiting Scholar Between September 11th and September 22nd 2023, the Centre hosted a Visiting Scholar, Dr Maree Higgins, from UNSW Sydney (Australia). Dr Higgins is a social worker and a human rights scholar who convenes the BSW(Hons) Program at her home university. Her human rights research focuses on refugee inclusion, lived experience-led research, girls who go missing and resurface in the criminal justice system, and treatment and rehabilitation of people with disabilities and mental health disorders in places of detention. Dr Higgins visited McMaster University’s Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice (CHRRJ) while on sabbatical to understand the work of the Centre and engage with like-minded scholars. She has particularly focused on future human rights-based research and knowledge exchange activities. While at the CHRRJ, Dr. Higgins had stimulating meetings with the Centre Director Dr. Juanita De Barros, and the centre members. ALPHA ABEBE & KAREN BALCOM
** Dr. Alpha Abebe and Dr. Karen Balcom (https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/celebrating-excellence-in-teaching-an...) were the recipients of the 2023 President’s Awards for Outstanding contributions to Teaching and Learning, the highest distinction a faculty member at the university can receive for teaching excellence.
Dr. Abebe’s students describe her teaching approach as nothing short of transformative, as her methods encourage them to challenge societal norms and harmful modes of thinking, especially concerning equity-seeking groups, empowering them to identify areas for personal growth, and fostering a classroom environment that embraces learning as a holistic approach.
Dr. Balcom’s achievements as an educator was described as innovative, as she recognizes the importance of viewing each student as a unique individual and nurtured their personal development alongside their academic journey. Her commitment to teaching innovation is exemplified by groundbreaking initiatives, including the development of History's first archives-immersive experiential course, co-taught in collaboration with colleagues from the university archives. BENSON HONIG ** Dr. Benson Honig (https://www.degroote.mcmaster.ca/articles/mcmaster-researchers-awarded-over-...) was awarded funding through the Government of Canada’s New Frontiers in Research Fund to expand a virtual entrepreneurial incubator that will help women, refugees, minorities, immigrants and persons with disabilities develop economic sustainability in the post-COVID era. The project focuses on building entrepreneurial capacity in marginalized refugee communities, reducing financial instability and improving access to support and resources for owners of small and micro businesses, who were significantly impacted during the pandemic. BONNY IBHAWOH We are pleased to share the latest newsletter of the ** Participedia Project (https://participedia.net/) housed in the ** McMaster Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice (https://chrrj.humanities.mcmaster.ca/) . Under the directorship of Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh, SSHRC Partnership Grant-funded project has been actively mobilizing research knowledge to enhance democracy and public participation locally and globally. Particularly noteworthy is the role of Participedia in facilitating the recent public debates on the ** Ontario Greenbelt (https://yourgreenbelt.ca/) BONNY IBHAWOH, MELIKE YILMAZ & ADEBISI ALADE For the last two years, Dr. Bonny Ibhawoh, Dr. Melike Yilmaz and Dr. Adebisi Alade have been working with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Lake Chad Basin Commission (LCBC) to study transitional justice in the Lake Chad Basin region, which is recovering from a decade-long conflict and insurgency by Violent Extremist Organisations (VEOs).
Dr. Ibhawoh presented the research reports and recommendations to the LCBC Governor’s Forum in N’Djamena, Chad, on 5-7 July 2023. This research exemplifies the complementarities between academic theory, grassroots practice, and policy-making in international human rights, development, and transitional justice work. Significantly, it provides a framework for victim-centered justice and strategies for reconciliation, humanitarian aid, and long-term development efforts in the region. This October, they will present another aspect of that transitional justice study in Africa during a workshop on children and childhoods at the University of Saskatchewan, Canada. CHANDRIMA CHAKRABORTY ** The Annual Mahatma Gandhi Lecture (https://dailynews.mcmaster.ca/articles/climate-change-refugee-expert-robert-...) on Nonviolence and the Gandhi Peace Festival hosted by the Centre for Peace Studies and the Global Peace and Social Justice Program were held in the first week of October. Both of these long-running campus-community engagement events bring together McMaster faculty and students, local community organizations and peace activists to discuss an issue of significance to the local Hamilton community. This year’s topic was Climate Change Refugee Migration and the speaker was environmental scientist and former diplomat, Dr. Robert McLeman. INGRID WALDRON
Dr. Ingrid Waldron’s organization the ENRICH Project received ** funding from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund (https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20230911003) (Government of Nova Scotia) to lead a project on building capacity in African Nova Scotian communities around climate change preparedness.
Dr. Waldron discussed her work on environmental racism with the ** Policy Options Podcast (https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/september-2023/inequality-environme...) .
Dr. Waldron launched ** a new study (https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/communities/new-case-study-launched...) she is conducting with Dr. Juliet Daniel (Biology, McMaster), Dr. Paola Marignani (Medicine, Dalhousie) and others at a town hall on August 9 in Shelburne, Nova Scotia.
The study, which is being funded by a new Frontiers -Exploration grant, is identifying the factors contributing to high cancer rates in the African Nova Scotian community in Shelburne.
Dr. Waldron’s organization the ENRICH Project is partnering with the Youth Connection Association to conduct ** a project (https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/windsor/windsor-environmental-racism-survey-1...) that is engaging Black students in grades 5-9 in Windsor-Essex, Ontario to participate in focus groups to share their perspectives on how the school curriculum can better incorporate the experiences of environmental, climate and urban planning issues in Black communities in Windsor-Essex and Canada. This project is being funded by the Trottier Foundation.
Dr. Waldron shared her thoughts about environmental racism with ** the Pointer (https://thepointer.com/article/2023-07-23/environmental-racism-comes-to-ligh...) .
Dr. Waldron’s ** 2020 study (https://www.halifaxexaminer.ca/health/nova-scotia-sisterhood-delivering-heal...) on Black women’s experiences with mental illness and help-seeking in the Halifax Regional Municipality led to the creation and recent launch of the Sisterhood Initiative, a new health service for Black women in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
Dr. Waldron received a SSHRC Partnership Development Grant to conduct a study on climate change preparedness in black communities in the GTHA in partnership with the Coalition of Black Trade Unionist and the Toronto Environmental Alliance.
Dr. Waldron’s organization the ENRICH Project recently received funding from ** Apple’s Racial Equity and Justice Initiative (https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2023/06/apples-racial-equity-and-justice-init...) to conduct projects on environmental and climate justice. The ENRICH Project also received funding from Dragonfly and Lush to carry out environmental projects. JUANITA DE BARROS
Dr. Juanita De Barros won an SSHRC Insight Grant in spring 2023 to for her project on “Historical Perspectives on Colonial Abortion Laws in the British Caribbean.” She is the Messecar Professor in the History Department for the 2023-24 academic year. SARA ABDELLA The Just Participation Podcast Team, with RAs Nadim Al-Nakhl and Zeynep Yilmaz, is working on a mini-series on decolonial knowledge production and practices of radical citation co-produced by Kanishka Sikri, PhD candidate at the University of Toronto. The mini series will explore radical citation with an emphasis on methods, emphasizing that how we talk about democratic subjects is just as important as what we talk about. The podcast is building a new framework that will transition their first season to their second season by navigating how researchers and practitioners have built their practices in their own lives. The next episode of the season coming up features the Demo.Reset project as they continue to engage the community and field requests for participation. ** Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/McMaster_CHRRJ) ** Website (https://chrrj.humanities.mcmaster.ca/) ** YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCino27IgrPwik2d8x7C1mjA/featured) ** Email (mailto:chrrj@mcmaster.ca) Copyright © 2023 Centre for Human Rights and Restorative Justice, All rights reserved.
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