Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences announces new Board members for 2017-18

OTTAWA, April 6, 2017 – The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is pleased to announce the results of elections to its 2017-18 Board of Directors. The 2017-18 Board will take office following the Federation’s Annual General Meeting on May 28, 2017.

Elected to the 2017-18 Board during the recent online elections are:

Julia Wright was re-elected for a second term as Director, Associations. Wright is a Full Professor in the Department of English (cross-appointed to European Studies) and University Research Professor at Dalhousie University. Her research primarily involves nationalism and other theories of political sovereignty as they are framed in 18th and 19th century British and Irish literature, particularly in sentimental and gothic modes, and she is currently working on the Irish poet Thomas Moore and Romantic-era Irish literary theory in this context.

Sandra Lapointe was elected as Director, Associations. Lapointe is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at McMaster University and a Research Affiliate at the Bertrand Russell Research Centre. Her research focuses on 19th and 20th century philosophy of logic, language and mind. She has published, as author and editor, twelve books and more than fifty specialized articles, has presented her work on four continents and has organized dozens of events of international significance in her field in Canada, the U.S. and Europe. Lapointe is the current President of the Canadian Philosophical Association.

The following four positions were acclaimed:

David Sylvester was acclaimed as Director, Institutions. Sylvester is the 8th Principal of King’s University College at Western University, now in his second five-year term. A social-economic historian, Sylvester’s research focuses on the nature of community in the Middle Ages, with a particular interest in the culture of medieval port towns related to activities of shipping, trade, fishing, and piracy.  He maintains a tenured appointment as Associate Professor in the Department of History at King’s and continues to publish on the medieval English urban confederacy known as the Cinque Ports.

Claudia Malacrida was acclaimed as Director, Research Policy. She is Associate Vice-President Research and Professor of Sociology at the University of Lethbridge and is internationally recognized as a leading scholar in the fields of disability studies and the sociology of the body. Her research focuses on qualitative research methods, the history of medicine, childbirth and medicalization, the social construction of difference, and the history of institutionalization and eugenic sterilization in Canada.

Lisa Young was acclaimed for a second term as Director, Institutions. She has been Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies at the University of Calgary since 2011 and is a Professor of Political Science. Her research interests are Canadian party and electoral politics, with a particular interest in examining how the research environment in Canada, coupled with challenges facing post-secondary education, requires strong advocacy for humanities and social science scholarship and teaching.

Michael E. Sinatra was acclaimed for a second term as Director, Research Dissemination. He is a Professor of English at the Université de Montréal, and Past-President of the Canadian Society for Digital Humanities. He has great professional interest in the impact of technologies on knowledge transfer in the humanities and social sciences. For nearly two decades, his research and professional activities have encompassed such issues as open access, fair dealing in copyright, and archiving and sustainability.

The following two re-appointments were made by the Board of Directors at its March 24-25, 2017 meeting:

Carmen Charette was re-appointed for a second two-year term by the Board to the role of Treasurer. She is Vice-President, External Relations at the University of Victoria, where her broad portfolio includes alumni relations, fundraising, community and government relations, university communications and marketing, ceremonies and events. Charette was previously Executive Vice President of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). Charette has been a passionate advocate for the support of post-secondary education, research and innovation for over 25 years.

Anne-Marie Fortier, Chair, Award to Scholarly Publications Program Academic Council was extended by the Board for six months. She is a Professor in the Department of Literature at Université Laval. Her area of research expertise is in 19th and 20th century French and Québécois Poetry and she has a strong personal and professional interest in promoting the value of the humanities and their contributions to society.

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The Federation’s new Board of Directors for 2017-2018, effective May 28, 2017:

Guy Laforest, President – Full Professor, Université Laval
Stephen J. Toope, Past President – Director, Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto
Carmen Charette, Treasurer – Vice-President, External Relations, University of Victoria
Cindy Blackstock, Director, Equity and Diversity – Executive Director, First Nations Child and Family Caring Society of Canada; Professor, McGill University, and Director, First Nations Children’s Action Research and Education Service (FNCARES)
Anne-Marie Fortier, Chair, ASPP Academic Council – Professor, Département des littératures, Université Laval
Tim Goddard, Director, Teaching and Learning – Professor, Faculty of Education, University of Prince Edward Island
Sandra Lapointe, Director, Associations – Associate Professor, Department of Philosophy, McMaster University
Claudia Malacrida, Director, Research Policy – Associate Vice-President Research, Professor of Sociology, University of Lethbridge
Michael E. Sinatra, Director, Research Dissemination – Professor, English Department, Université de Montréal
David Sylvester, Director, Institutions – Principal, Associate Professor, Department of History, King’s University College at Western University
Julia Wright, Director, Associations – Professor, Department of English, Dalhousie University
Lisa Young, Director, Institutions – Vice-Provost and Dean of Graduate Studies, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Calgary

About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year.

Media inquiries:
Nicola Katz
Manager of Communications
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences
C: 613-282-3489
E: nkatz@ideas-idees.ca

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