Category Archives: Global Politics
Busting the myth of Northern exceptionalism – CIRDI and Lundin’s colonial corporate (ad)ventures
The story I am going to tell is not one of a “few bad apples”, but rather a problem that resides at the core of what we call “development”. In any case, let me begin with the analogy of apples: a particularly bad apple called Lundin. Lundin is a conglomerate of extractive companies based in both Sweden and Canada headed by the Lundin family. Lundin Mining is based in Vancouver, whereas Lundin Petroleum trades on the Swedish stock exchange. The founding myths of the Lundin Foundation, ostensibly a philanthropic organization, are also based on the myth of northern exceptionalism. The foundation states that it helps create sustainable livelihoods. It was established by the Lundin brothers who dreamed up the idea on a motorcycle trip through Africa.
Public Statement on Syrian Refugee Crisis
University of British Columbia xʷməθkʷəy̓əm Musqueam Territory socialjustgradstatements@gmail.com / socialjustgradstatements.wordpress.com Note: The views in this statement are solely of the authors. They do not reflect the views of all faculty, staff, and students at the Institute for Gender, Race, Sexuality, and Social Justice Research. All of the Sept. 11 attackers entered the United States using […]
seasons of gender: reflections on trans day of remembrance
gender can be a daunting topic – daunting for trans and cis people alike. for the latter, discussing gender can seem difficult. anxiety-provoking. tentative to engage, cis people often avoid asking about pronouns, avoid trying with pronouns, avoid learning about gender altogether. all this employed in the spirit of fragility: as if it is better […]
We are Here, We are Needed: UBC Students of Colour Ready to Speak Out against Racist Violence Worldwide
Next Friday, November 27th, an event at UBC is taking place where students of colour and allies will gather to show solidarity for the racist violence occurring throughout university campuses worldwide. Please join us at 2PM in the Performance Theatre of the AMS Nest, to show your support for #Mizzou, #Yale, #UWC, #FeesMustFall, #StudentBlackOut, #BlackLivesMatter […]
Not In Our Name: UBC’s new Progressive Jewish Alliance
The Silencing of Jewish Progressive Voices In recent years there has been an explosion of Jewish groups breaking away from the mainstream Jewish community’s discourse on Israel/Palestine, seeking to reclaim the history of radical Jewish politics. As young Jews we have witnessed a silencing of perspectives that critique Israel and its actions. Slogans such as: […]
“Critical Muslim Voices and The Elections”: A Conversation with Hasan Alam
Hasan Alam is a lawyer, activist and a founding member of Critical Muslim Voices. A few weeks ago I got the chance to sit down with him and talk about Critical Muslim Voices, what the upcoming federal election means for Muslims, the Islamophobic rhetoric surrounding the elections, and the presence of CSIS (the Canadian Security […]
Angélica Choc at UBC: “We come carrying more than 500 years of resistance”
Angélica Choc is a Mayan Q’eqchi’ woman from the community of La Union, in the Guatemalan municipality of El Estor. Adolfo Ich Chamán, her husband and an outspoken critic of the Canadian-owned nickel mine operating in the area, was brutally murdered on the 27th of September, 2009. The security manager of the mine was arrested […]
Refusing to be a Pawn: A Review of La Prenda
Find the full lineup for the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival here. Showtime of La Prenda: 4:45pm, Sunday September 13 The Cinematheque This review contains discussions of rape, kidnapping, murder, and genocide “There is too much violence against women in Guatemala,” Astrid Elías Macario tells us from Los Angeles. “Many of these women stay quiet […]
Vancouver Latin American Film Festival Review: NN
Find the full lineup for the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival here. Final Showtime of NN: 5:00pm, Saturday September 12th Goldcorp Center for Arts, SFU Woodward’s This Peruvian film, written and directed by Héctor Gálvez, opens with a spectacular shot of the Andes Mountains, with a forensic team digging for bodies of the disappeared. The film […]
Introducing the Vancouver Latin American Film Festival 2015
The Talon – UBC’s alternative student press – is back from our summer hiatus! This year brings in a fresh start, with new ideas, exciting content, and a set of amazing incoming editors! We will be publishing again in a couple of days. We’re proud to kick the year off by announcing our media partnership […]
