The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (french: Fédération canadienne des sciences humaines), also known as the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, is a member-based organization and the national voice for researchers in the

humanities Humanities are academic disciplines that study aspects of human society and culture. In the Renaissance, the term contrasted with divinity and referred to what is now called classics, the main area of secular study in universities at the t ...

and

social sciences Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of so ...

in Canada. Formed in 1996 through a merger of the Social Science Federation of Canada and the Canadian Federation for the Humanities, it is a

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

charitable organization A charitable organization or charity is an organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being (e.g. educational, religious or other activities serving the public interest or common good). The legal definition of a ...

that represents more than 85,000 researchers in 81 scholarly associations, 80

universities A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, ...

and

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

s, and 6 affiliates across the country.

Purpose

Through its activities, the federation strives to support and advance Canada's research in the

and

, which are important for social, cultural and economic understanding and addressing the most pressing public policy issues of today. Research in the humanities and social sciences allows innovation in all areas to flourish. A better understanding of social, cultural and political issues ensures more effective technological innovation, medical discovery and economic growth. The federation: * represents and convenes one of the biggest research communities in Canada; * hosts the biggest multidisciplinary gathering of scholars in North America; * supports the publication of 150 scholarly books per year; * awards scholarly book prizes each year; * runs a series of lectures on Parliament Hill to bring humanities and social science research to policy makers; * addresses professional matters, including equity issues; * undertakes research projects to help advance Canada's humanities and social science fields. The federation is a non-profit, charitable organization, governed by an executive committee and board of directors made up of scholars from its member groups with a permanent

secretariat Secretariat may refer to: * Secretariat (administrative office) * Secretariat (horse) Secretariat (March 30, 1970 – October 4, 1989), also known as Big Red, was a champion American thoroughbred racehorse who is the ninth winner of the Ame ...

based in Ottawa,

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, Canada. The federation's work is sustained by membership fees, revenue from its annual

Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ad ...

, project funding from the

Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC; french: Conseil de recherches en sciences humaines du Canada, CRSH) is a Canadian federal research-funding agency that promotes and supports post-secondary research and traini ...

and other government bodies, and through the support of colleagues, institutional donors and other individuals through the

Canadian Endowment for the Humanities and Social Sciences Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences

Originally established in 1930 as the ''Learned Societies Conference'', and later renamed the ''Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences'' in 1996, this congress is the largest annual academic gathering in Canada and its multidisciplinary character marks it as unique in the world. Since its beginning, it has been an important meeting place for new and established academics and researchers working in such diverse areas as

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of be ...

bibliotherapy Bibliotherapy (also referred to as book therapy, reading therapy, poetry therapy or therapeutic storytelling) is a creative arts therapy that involves storytelling or the reading of specific texts. It uses an individual's relationship to the co ...

communication Communication (from la, communicare, meaning "to share" or "to be in relation with") is usually defined as the transmission of information. The term may also refer to the message communicated through such transmissions or the field of inqui ...

and

disability studies Disability studies is an academic discipline that examines the meaning, nature, and consequences of disability. Initially, the field focused on the division between "impairment" and "disability," where impairment was an impairment of an individual ...

English language English is a West Germanic language of the Indo-European language family, with its earliest forms spoken by the inhabitants of early medieval England. It is named after the Angles, one of the ancient Germanic peoples that migrated to the ...

and literature, French language and literature,

geography Geography (from Greek: , ''geographia''. Combination of Greek words ‘Geo’ (The Earth) and ‘Graphien’ (to describe), literally "earth description") is a field of science devoted to the study of the lands, features, inhabitants, an ...

, the history and philosophy of science, international development, Jacques Maritain studies,

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...

, social work, theatre research, Ukrainian studies,

women's studies Women's studies is an academic field that draws on feminist and interdisciplinary methods to place women's lives and experiences at the center of study, while examining social and cultural constructs of gender; systems of privilege and oppress ...

and many more. Congress is currently organized by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. In 2014, from May 24 to May 31, approximately 8,000+ attendees representing 75 scholarly associations gathered at

Brock University Brock University is a public research university in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. It is the only university in Canada in a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve, at the centre of Canada's Niagara Peninsula on the Niagara Escarpment. The university bears t ...

in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada, from all over North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia to present their research and to debate some of the most important social and cultural questions of the day. Upcoming locations: *

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO), also known as Western University or Western, is a public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thames R ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, May 30 to June 5, 2020

Big Thinking

Formerly known as Breakfast on the Hill, the federation'
Big Thinking
lecture series lets leading researchers offer fresh ideas to Canada's parliamentarians. Perhaps more than any other program or lecture series, this one demonstrates the critical link between publicly funded research and policy development. Launched in 1994, the Big Thinking series has featured more than 50 humanists and social scientists presenting their findings to thousands of key members in the Ottawa policy community. Held up to six times a year on

Parliament Hill Parliament Hill (french: Colline du Parlement, colloquially known as The Hill, is an area of Crown land on the southern banks of the Ottawa River in downtown Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. Its Gothic revival suite of buildings, and their archit ...

, Big Thinking lectures are delivered when the House and Senate are in session. The talks are high-profile opportunities to introduce evidence from current research on the most pressing public policy issues

Awards to Scholarly Publications Program

The Awards to Scholarly Publications Program (ASPP) is a key activity of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Formerly known as the Aid to Scholarly Publications Program, the ASPP is a competitive funding program designed to assist with the publication of scholarly books on topics in the humanities and social sciences. Through this program, the federation tangibly supports research dissemination and encourages excellence in humanities and social science scholarship. Under the program's mandate to support books of advanced scholarship in the humanities and social sciences that make an important contribution to knowledge, the ASPP has supported the publication of over 6,000 books that have helped to enrich the social, cultural and intellectual life of Canada and the world. Each year, the ASPP offers 180 Publication Grants of $8,000 and five Translation Grants of $12,000, contributing 1.5 million dollars to the dissemination of Canadian research. The federation gratefully acknowledges the funding of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council.

Canada Prizes

The Canada Prizes are awarded annually to the best scholarly books in the humanities and social sciences that have received funding from the ASPP. The Canada Prizes are awarded to books that make an exceptional contribution to scholarship, are engagingly written, and enrich the social, cultural and intellectual life of Canada. Each winner receives $2,500. In 2014, the Canada Prizes were awarded to the following books: * Canada Prize in the Humanities (English): Sandra Djwa, ''Journey With No Maps: A Life of P.K. Page'', published by McGill-Queen's University Press * Canada Prize in the Humanities (French): Pierre Anctil, ''Jacob-Isaac Segal, 1896–1954 : Un poète yiddish de Montréal et son milieu'', published by Presses de l'Université Laval * Canada Prize in the Social Sciences (English): David E. Smith, ''Across the Aisle: Opposition in Canadian Politics'', published by

University of Toronto Press The University of Toronto Press is a Canadian university press founded in 1901. Although it was founded in 1901, the press did not actually publish any books until 1911. The press originally printed only examination books and the university cale ...

* Canada Prize in the Social Sciences (French): Hugues Théorêt, ''Les chemises bleues : Adrien Arcand, journaliste antisémite canadien-français'', published by Éditions du Septentrion

Presidents

* 1996–1998

Chad Gaffield Chad Gaffield is a Canadian historian. He is the University Research Chair Professor in Digital Scholarship at University of Ottawa and also a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada. In 2017, he was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada by ...

* 1998–2000 Louise Forsyth * 2000–2002 Patricia Clements * 2002–2004 Doug Owram * 2004–2006 Don Fisher * 2006–2008 Noreen Golfman * 2008–2009

Nathalie Des Rosiers Nathalie Des Rosiers (born 1959) is a lawyer, academic and former politician in Ontario, Canada. She is the 6th and current Principal of Massey College at the University of Toronto. She was a Liberal member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontar ...

* 2009–2011 Noreen Golfman * 2011–2013 Graham Carr * 2013–2015 Antonia Maioni * 2015–2017

Stephen Toope Stephen John Toope (born February 14, 1958) is a Canadian legal scholar, academic administrator and a scholar specializing in human rights, public international law and international relations. In April 2013 he announced he was stepping down ...

* 2017–2019 Guy Laforest * 2019–present Patrizia Albanese

Executive Directors

* 1996–1998 Marcel Lauzière * 1998–2001 Louise Robert * 2001–2006 Paul Ledwell * 2006–2009 Jody Ciufo * 2009–2016 Jean-Marc Mangin * 2016–2017 Christine Tausig Ford (interim) * 2017–present Gabriel Miller

References

External links

* {{Authority control Learned societies of Canada Supraorganizations