Sfu's Vancity Office Of Community Engagement

Settler Memory: The Disavowal of Indigeneity and the Politics of Race in the United States (University of North Carolina Press 2021) is about the displacement of Indigeneity in the discourse around race in American political theory, with settler memory being about recognizing or acknowledging the history of Indigenous peoples in colonialism, and then disavowing the active presence of settler colonialism and Indigenous politics in the present. Am and Kevin discuss how Black theorists, like James Baldwin, discuss Indigeneity in their politics, and how tensions can arise between different conceptions of land, history, and identity. Kevin’s overall project is to link antiracism with anticolonialism, which shows through in the conversation.. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/173-kevin-bruyneel.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/173-kevin-bruyneel.html Res

The Community Engaged Scholarship Institute, situated at the University of Guelph, brings together community and campus skills and resources in order to advance community-identified research goals. This episode describes various projects, such as the Community Engaged Teaching and Learning (CETL) Program, the Research Shop, and the Guelph Lab. Am and Liz discuss the role of the Institute and how community engaged research can be used to provide a foundation for policy development and in widening imaginations and creating possibilities on the ground. Liz also describes her life trajectory that brought her to this work and led her to Critical Community Engaged Scholarship. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/172-liz-jackson.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/172-liz-jackson.html Resources: Community Engaged Scholarship Institute (CESI) — https://www.uogu

In 1983, the province of British Columbia saw the rise of a social movement like no other since — uniting activists, community organizations and trade unionists in protest. This time on Below the Radar, host Am Johal speaks to David Spaner, an author, cultural critic, and organizer who has written a compelling history of the Solidarity resistance movement. Released in December of 2021 by Ronsdale Press, Solidarity: Canada's Unknown Revolution of 1983 is David’s chronicling of the organizing efforts by the Solidarity movement and its ongoing implications for worker justice in BC. He and Am go behind the scenes of the book, as David recalls experiences from being on the ground as a reporter and activist during that time. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/171-david-spaner.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/171-david-spaner.html Resources: — Solidarity:

SFU's School for the Contemporary Arts Assistant Professor Eldritch Priest joins this episode Below the Radarl to discuss the potential in nonsense and failure, the phenomenon of the earworm, and his journey from musicianship to employing theory. In this episode, Eldritch explores his beginnings as a jazz guitarist, the practices that guide his work and his teachings, and the path that led him to composition and beyond. He dives into the legitimacy and aesthetic possibilities of failure and nonsense, and the potentials of daydreaming and a resting mind — in defiance of prevailing positivist neoliberal discourse. Eldritch also talks about the phenomenon of the earworm, which is a focus in his new book, Earworm and Event. The earworm, to him, is a prime example of studying music less as an artform, but more as a technology, using the imagination to shape not just one's feelings, but one’s thoughts as well. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podca

This episode of Below the Radar is a special live event recording from “A Conversation About Urban Choreography,” presented in-person at SFU’s Vancouver campus on November 9, 2021. Taking gesture as a point of entry, Justine A. Chambers and Alana Gerecke extend their collaborative exploration of the everyday choreographies that are built into an urban experience. Combining artistic and academic research, they index the various bodily orientations cultivated by the built and social structures that shape everyday spaces. By tracking an archive of everyday gestures that are prompted by various components of built and social space, they insist on the lasting and vital information contained within those specific organizations of moving bodies. They emphasize the significance of embodied knowledge—even, or especially, as it lives in invisibilized daily gestures. In this discussion, Chambers and Gerecke are joined by architect Annabel Vaughan. Together, the panelists explore the accumulation of living archival ge

Micheal Vonn, from the PHS Community Services Society, joins Am Johal to discuss the relation between overdose prevention initiatives with different health policies at different stages of the pandemic. This is a conversation about how policies may not take into account marginalized, at risk groups, especially in the context of crises, whether for a pandemic, or for climate change resiliency. As someone with extensive experience in law and public health, Micheal ends the discussion by talking about how the narrative framing of crises as concerns of security leads to different policy outcomes. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/167-micheal-vonn.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/167-micheal-vonn.html Resources: PHS Community Services Society: https://www.phs.ca/about/ Pigeon Park Savings: https://www.phs.ca/our-services/pigeon-park-savings/ BC Civil Li

City of Vancouver Councillor Jean Swanson joins Am Johal to discuss her time in politics, both as an anti-poverty activist, and as a city councillor. In this episode, they discuss the housing affordability crisis in Vancouver, the need for safe supply, and the high cost of living. Jean also describes how she was introduced to political activism through Bruce Eriksen and Libby Davies, the experience of developing a community newsletter, and her memories of being a political candidate over the decades. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/167-jean-swanson.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/167-jean-swanson.html Resources: Housing For All Of Us: https://dailyhive.com/vancouver/vancouver-making-home-kennedy-stewart-revised Carnegie Action Projects: http://www.carnegieaction.org/reports/ Residential Tenancy Act: https://www.bclaws.gov.bc.ca/civix/document/id

In this episode of Below the Radar, host Am Johal is joined by adrienne maree brown, organizer and author of nonfiction activism explorations Pleasure Activism, Emergent Strategy, and more. Together, they discuss brown's history as a community organizer and facilitator, the powers of solidarity and pleasure in activism, and some of her inspirations—from Audre Lorde and Octavia Butler to the beauty of nature itself. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/166adrienne-maree-brown.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/166-adrienne-maree-brown.html Photo credit: Anjali Pinto Resources: - adrienne’s website – https://adriennemareebrown.net/ - adrienne’s Twitter – https://twitter.com/Adriennemaree - Octavia’s Brood – https://www.akpress.org/octavia-s-brood.html - Pleasure Activism – https://www.akpress.org/pleasure-activism.html - Emergent Strategy – https:/

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. This episode in particular discusses substance use, family separation and residential schools. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. For the final installment of the Voices of the Street podcast series, host Angel Gates invites Megaphone author Eva Takakanew into conversation about her powerful writings. As longtime friends, Angel and Eva share and discuss pieces of writing that shine a light on the traumatic histories and ongoing impacts of the Indian Residential School system and the Sixties Scoop. Eva reads her poem, “My Mother’s Comfort,” published in the 2021 Voices of the Street anthology, as well as her article, “The truth must be told,” calling for truth and accountability from colonial institutions. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-th

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. Storyteller, actor and activist Angel Gates invites Megaphone author Peter Thompson into conversation about his poem, “Empty Inside.” Peter’s piece, published in the 2021 Voices of the Street anthology, is a poetic contemplation of loneliness and isolation during the COVID-19 pandemic. They discuss feelings of anxiety and longing for simple connection and interaction during lockdown. Peter also speaks to the devastating wildfire, fueled by climate change, that burned his hometown of Lytton, BC in the summer of 2021. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-the-street/164-angel-gates-peter-thompson.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/164

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. This episode in particular discusses substance use, family separation and residential schools. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. The fourth episode of the Voices of the Street podcast series features a conversation on Indigenous honour, healing and empowerment, with your host, Nicolas Leech-Crier. Nicolas interviews Voices of the Street contributor Eva Takakanew about her written piece, “My Mother’s Comfort,” a deeply personal poem and reflection on drug use and the intergenerational mother-child relationships in her life as an adoptee from the Sixties Scoop. Together they speak about their experiences as adoptees and reconnecting with their culture as adults. They also speak to finding empowerment through Indigenous-led education programs and taking part in the cultural resurgence of their generation. Full episode details:

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. For the third installment of the Voices of the Street podcast, we have a candid and heartful conversation between host Yvonne Mark and Megaphone writer Dennis Gates in response to his piece “Without Prejudice,” published in the 2021 Voices of the Street anthology. In his piece, Dennis writes about his experiences of anti-Indigenous discrimination and injustice within the court system and the deep-felt impact of incarceration on his life. Yvonne and Dennis reflect on both their experiences with the criminal justice system, finding strength through writing, and the importance of sharing stories like theirs. This episode was curated and hosted by poet, storyteller and Megaphone vendor, Yvonne Mark, an avid writer and advocate for ending stigma around substance use. Full episode details: https:/

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. Be transported into the soundscapes of two different poems. This installment of the Voices of the Street podcast is produced by Jules Chapman, a writer and peer support worker who is deeply involved in the Downtown Eastside community. Jules reads from the Voices of the Street anthology, sharing Elaine Schell’s “The Din from Within” and the original poem that Jules was inspired to write in response. These pieces take us through writerly reflections on poetic expression, getting to know yourself, processing through writing and sharing creative work with the world. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/series/voices-of-the-street/161-jules-chapman.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/belo

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. Please practice self care, stop listening, and seek help if you need to. Scroll down to find links to available supports. The Voices of the Street podcast makes its debut on Below the Radar! Over the next six weeks, follow along as Megaphone storytellers weave tales and read from the 2021 Voices of the Street anthology. In this first installment, we hear from poet, writer, actor, research tech and overdose responder Nicolas Leech-Crier, in conversation with your host for this episode, Mr. Essential. Nicolas shares his journey with Megaphone and how he’s cultivated a passion and skill for community storytelling and journalism. He also reads his original poem, “Why I Choose to Stay,” published in the 2021 issue of Voices of the Street — speaking to the piece as an accumulation of his lived experiences on the streets and his insights into fighting stigma with stories, empathy and love. Due to Nicolas’s story featur

Content Warning: The stories in this series deal with difficult and sometimes traumatic topics. Please practice self care, stop listening and seek support if you need to. Help is available (links below)! The 2021 Voices of the Street anthology, “INSIDE we are all the same,” jumps from the page in this special podcast series. For four Megaphone storytellers, poetry and prose from last year’s special literary edition are a starting point for exploring the themes that moved them — in a whole new form: audio storytelling. Featuring interviews with writers and personal reflections on how their lived experiences merge with the themes of the text, this podcast series illuminates Voices of the Street in a new way. The Voices of the Street podcast is a six-part series for Below the Radar, curated and hosted by participants of Megaphone’s Speakers Bureau. Created by Jules Chapman, Angel Gates, Nicolas Leech-Crier and Yvonne Mark, this series was recorded and produced on the lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil

City of Vancouver Councillor Christine Boyle sits down with Am Johal to discuss her hopes for the City’s future, and what can be done on the municipal level to combat the climate crisis, the housing crisis, and issue of drug poisoning on Vancouver’s streets. An organizer, minister and activist, Christine also speaks to her work on the City’s United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Task Force and how the City can take action on the crises we are facing in a way that addresses inequality. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/159-christine-boyle.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/transcripts/159-christine-boyle.html Resources: – Christine Boyle’s website: https://christineboyle.ca/ – Christine Boyle’s profile on the City of Vancouver website: https://vancouver.ca/your-government/christine-boyle.aspx – Christine Boyle on Twitter: https://twitt

Writer, researcher, and Chairperson of the Institute for Global Analytics, Rumena Filipova joins host Am Johal to discuss her latest book, Constructing the Limits of Europe: Identity and Foreign Policy in Poland, Bulgaria, and Russia since 1989. Rumena speaks to how dominant conceptions of national identity have shaped the foreign policy behaviour of the Balkan states, Hungary and Russia. She explores the internal politics of European Union member states, the competing regional forces of Europeanization and their impact on traditions of national identity. Am and Rumena discuss the rise of right-wing populism worldwide and how climate change could exacerbate existing geopolitical tensions. This episode also highlights the way national identities can be in flux, and how activists and local community organizers are reasserting liberal democratic norms and their rights through protest. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/158-rumena-filip

Sociocultural anthropologist and assistant professor at SFU’s School for International Studies, Darren Byler joins Am Johal to speak about his latest book, “Terror Capitalism: Uyghur Dispossession and Masculinity in a Chinese City.” Darren describes how China surveilles and dispossesses Uyghur populations through a mass digital surveillance system, connecting it to the war on terror. Darren and Am also discuss the similarities and differences between the colonialism of China with India, Israel, and other Western countries. Finally, the conversation goes into how Uyghur men protect their wellbeing by developing anti-colonial friendships. The conversation also highlights how many Han Chinese people are building a community of inter-ethnic solidarity to refuse the colonial structures of the state system. Full episode details: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement/below-the-radar-podcast/episodes/157-darren-byler.html Read the transcript: https://www.sfu.ca/vancity-office-community-engagement

Continental philosopher and assistant professor of Philosophy and Women Gender Studies at the University of North Carolina, Elisabeth Paquette, joins Am Johal to speak about her latest book, Universal Emancipation: Race Beyond Badiou. Elisabeth speaks about some of her transformative moments as a continental philosopher, including an essential question posed to her by Paget Henry, and her experience joining the Black Lives Matter Charlotte Protests in 2016. Her and Am also speak about the important questions surrounding ideas of justice, how justice can be emancipatory, and the ways that states fail in enacting justice — due to its deep foundations upon race and culture. Elisabeth spends time critiquing Badiou’s class-first philosophies that undermines possibilities for universality in the sense of race, and then discusses the histories of Marxism centering on whiteness and Eurocentric attitudes. She also speaks about the importance of positive conceptions of race, and draws from Sylvia Wynter to determine

In this episode, we spoke with Alessandra Pomarico about creating collaborative art for social change, both before and during the pandemic. The show begins by talking about friendship and different collectives in Italy and New York, before moving on to new ways of thinking which combine resistance and existence (re-existence). Centring re-existence in Latin American ideas and the Zapatista movement, Alessandra puts forward a new way of learning through collective living and collaborative art spaces. Resources: Free Home University: https://www.fhu.art/ Ecoversities Alliance: https://ecoversities.org/ Learning With Covid: https://ecoversities.org/how-to-hospice-the-current-system-learning-with-covid/ 16 Beaver: https://16beavergroup.org/ Society of the Friends of the Virus: https://16beavergroup.org/mondays/2020/03/22/society-of-the-friends-of-the-virus-volume-1/ Firefly Frequencies: https://fireflyfrequencies.org/ Giorgio Agamben, Jean-Luc Nancy, & Roberto Esposito exchange letters: https://www.lacan.com/sy