379 - Plenary Session. The Pursuit of Inclusion through Law, Policies, Narratives and Other Means

Session Submission Type: Invited Session

Description

Across the globe, societies are pulled apart by conflicts driven by linguistic, religious and ethno-racial differences, poverty and inequality, nativity, and more. Yet, hope persists against all odds, fed by normative commitments for belonging, solidarity, and social justice. This plenary features social scientists who are asked to reflect on actual and potential political and societal tools for achieving a better future and more successful societies. They will discuss some of the main challenges we face, and ways to make symbolic and social boundaries more permeable for greater social inclusion.

This session is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada.

Sub Unit

• Plenary and Presidential Panels

Presider

• Michèle Lamont, Harvard University

Individual Presentations

• Multiculturalism as an Ethic of Membership - Will Kymlicka, Queen's University

• Lines in the Sand, Stone Walls, and Narrative Redrawings: Religion and Boundary-making in Postsecular Quebec - Genevieve Zubrzycki, University of Michigan

• Toward a Practice of Economic Advancement - Christopher Stone, Open Society Foundations

• Perceived Interdependence and Multiracial Coalition Building - William Julius Wilson, Harvard University

Discussant

• Prerna Singh, Brown University