New public discussion series focuses on culture, power, and identity

Expert panelists facilitate free community talks throughout academic year

The Cultural Studies program at UBC's Okanagan campus is bringing together UBC faculty, students and members of the greater community to discuss locally relevant topics related to culture, power, and identity.

Titled the AlterKnowledge Discussion Series, the free expert-led talks are designed as lively and participatory conversations where people learn, share, and produce meaningful dialogue, says David Jefferess, associate professor of cultural studies and English.

"Rather than have academics present research, the hope is to create spaces for conversation, with the discussants initiating the conversation and providing their unique perspectives," he says. "The topics were chosen by Cultural Studies-affiliated faculty based on their interests, knowledge and contacts in the community. Hopefully there is enough variety in terms of topics to interest a wide range of people."

The first AlterKnowledge Discussion Series event will take place Wednesday, October 10, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the Alternator Centre for Contemporary Art. The topic is Kelowna: Land, Space, and Occupation.

"Panelists at this event will consider histories and locations in Kelowna that promote its colonial-settler heritage, celebrate its neoliberal consumer present and look to futures that might involve models of local social justice," says Jefferess.

Future AlterKnowledge Discussion Series topics and dates are:

• November 7 -- Farming the City: A Future of Localized Food
• December 5 -- Reconciliation: The Community Ecology Between Indigenous and Non-Indigenous in Kelowna
• January 9 -- Mediating 9/11 Through Children’s Consumer Culture
• February 6 -- Okanagan Architecture: The Best and the Worst
• March 6 --  Okanagan Aesthetic: What does Our Geography Tell Us?
• April 10 -- The Art of Health and Illness

For more information on the AlterKnowledge Discussion Series contact David Jefferess at [email protected] or check out the UBC-O Cultural Studies Facebook page.

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