The theme of the 2015 CHSS is Capital Ideas, an invitation to reflect on the power of ideas.

Ideas captivate our hearts and minds; ideas connect people and ignite discussions and debates;

ideas create knowledge and spark discoveries; ideas represent an invaluable currency capable of

changing our lives and our world. We thus expect the 2015 CHSS to be an exciting intellectual

hub where ideas will be expressed, shared, debated and implemented!

 The theme also relates to the location of this year’s CHSS host in the nation's capital. As the seat

of our federal government and of many national agencies and cultural institutions, as the home of

embassies and of a large number of international organizations, Ottawa boasts a unique

environment rooted in the confluence of peoples and the intersection of ideas from all over the

world. This particular context promotes a rich diversity of both perspectives and research

activities.

With this in mind, the organizing committee is

proud to announce the two internationally renowned key-note speakers who will open the

upcoming CATR conference: Dr. Patrice Pavis (Université de Paris VIII and University of Kent,

UK) with the talk entitled “Un étranger peut-il regarder le spectacle des autres?” in French; and

Dr. Susan Bennett (University of Calgary) with “'The Financialization of Everything': Brand

Performance, Urban Capital and Global Markets” in English.

The committee encourages the CATR 2015 participants to think about the expression “Capital

Ideas” both conceptually and literally, inviting proposals that respond to one or several of the

following suggested topics:

Following Pierre Bourdieu’s formulation of the three forms of capital that characterize

our society today – cultural capital, social capital and economic capital – delegates are

invited to reflect on how our collective and individual thinking about theatre and

performance as a form of practice allows us to shape, create and profit from these forms

of capital. How do funding bodies or educational and cultural institutions serve Canadian

theatre artists and scholars? How do they support or promote intellectual, emotional and

spiritual capital? What is the role of public policy in the generation of new ideas, both in

practice and in research?

Furthermore, the committee invites conference participants to consider, challenge and reconceptualize Edward W. Said’s views on the public role of the intellectual as “outsider, amateur, and disturber of the status quo” (Representations of the Intellectual: The 1993 Reith Lectures, xx) in society; a person whose task is to “break down the stereotypes and reductive categories that are so limiting to human thought and communication” (ibid., xi).

We invite participants to reflect on how theatre and performance practice and scholarship

in Canada shape the discourse around the position of the intellectual and question his/her

place in society. 

For more information, follow this link: www.catractr.ca

• CATR.%202015.GENERAL.CFP.ENG.Oct.28.2014.docx