Today, four of my colleagues over at the Law School are appearing at the Supreme Court to argue on behalf of various intervenors in an important case: The Impact Assessment Act Reference. I’m not a lawyer, but I think I can imagine what an incredible thrill it must be to put on those funny black robes and make an argument in front of the highest court in the land. So, huzzah!
I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t matter to be Albertan-born and raised if you disagree with those who are complaining.
They’d sooner pull a ‘no True Scotsman’ than accept a pluralist AB identity-and I say this as a secular, gay fella born on this here prairie.
Aye. It’s exactly as you later infer, that ‘true Albertans’ in their mind are a restricted category, saved for those with similar constellations of interests & values.
Excellent blog. Highlights the issues facing everyone who challenges the dominant fractious discourse in our province. Conversations no matter how uncomfortable need to happen and our current government and the trolls don’t like it one bit.
Brilliant, Lisa. Free speech is another name for academic freedom: it's what we practice every day in universities, and what we owe our students and our varied publics.
I actually think you might be a bit optimistic about the security of academic freedom in Alberta. It's one of those rights that must be defended permanently, especially when authoritarianism is on the rise (disguised as populism). Academics are uniquely situated to offer independent analysis and critique of the social and political order. Too few of them are willinging to utilize that privilege to speak truth to power.
I’m pretty sure it wouldn’t matter to be Albertan-born and raised if you disagree with those who are complaining.
They’d sooner pull a ‘no True Scotsman’ than accept a pluralist AB identity-and I say this as a secular, gay fella born on this here prairie.
Aye. It’s exactly as you later infer, that ‘true Albertans’ in their mind are a restricted category, saved for those with similar constellations of interests & values.
Excellent blog. Highlights the issues facing everyone who challenges the dominant fractious discourse in our province. Conversations no matter how uncomfortable need to happen and our current government and the trolls don’t like it one bit.
Brilliant, Lisa. Free speech is another name for academic freedom: it's what we practice every day in universities, and what we owe our students and our varied publics.
Couldn’t agree more!
I actually think you might be a bit optimistic about the security of academic freedom in Alberta. It's one of those rights that must be defended permanently, especially when authoritarianism is on the rise (disguised as populism). Academics are uniquely situated to offer independent analysis and critique of the social and political order. Too few of them are willinging to utilize that privilege to speak truth to power.