Sovereignty Shock: Canada-US Relations in a New World Order
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution presents:
Sovereignty Shock: Canada-US Relations in a New World Order
A virtual talk with:
Ronald Niezen,
Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Sociology, University of San Diego
Professor Emeritus in Anthropology, McGill University
Wednesday, April 16, 2025
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm, ET (US and Canada)
Free and open to the public.
Click here to access Zoom registration link.
This session will be recorded. Pending approval, we will post the recorded webinar here.
About the talk:
Words matter. U.S. President Donald Trump has repeatedly expressed his intention to annex Canada as part of his vision of U.S. territorial expansion. While some view this as a joke, his words have prompted a crisis response in Canada. This talk considers the history of “sovereignty shocks” in and between Canada and the U.S. as a way to understand the current crisis better. Indigenous peoples experienced such shocks when European colonists first recognized them as sovereign nations and later subjected them to narrative dehumanization, treaty violations, and usurpation of territory. Consistent with the pre-World War II era of state-sanctioned territorial ambition, the new U.S. government promotes a story of American sovereignty that defies the rule of law and prepares the way for crimes of aggression. Understanding these histories and developing thoughtful responses to narratives of aggression strengthens resilience against expansionist ambitions.
About the speaker:
Ronald Niezen is a Distinguished Teaching Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of San Diego and a Professor Emeritus in Anthropology at McGill University. He completed his doctoral degree in Social Anthropology at Cambridge University, for which he spent ten months living and traveling in northern Mali, West Africa. His first job after the PhD was with the Cree Board of Health and Social Services of James Bay, following which he served as Assistant and Associate Professor of Anthropology and Social Studies at Harvard University. He is the author or editor of twelve books, including The Origins of Indigenism: Human Rights and the Politics of Identity (2003), Truth and Indignation: Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission on Indian Residential Schools (2017), and #HumanRights: The Technologies and Politics of Justice Claims in Practice (2020).
About the Herbert C. Kelman Seminar Series:
The Herbert C. Kelman Seminar on International Conflict Analysis and Resolution series is sponsored by the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School and The Weatherhead Center for International Affairs. The seminar considers ways to strengthen the capacity to prevent, resolve, and transform ethnonational conflicts.
For more information on the Kelman Seminar Series, contact Donna Hicks at dhicks@wcfia.harvard.edu.
Accommodation Statement:
The Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON) is committed to providing access, equal opportunity, and reasonable accommodation(s) for persons with disabilities in connection with its programs and activities. Accommodations must not fundamentally alter applicable PON programming and are not retroactive.
Event participants should request accommodations at least two weeks prior to the start date of a program or event, as accommodations may take time to implement. Please note that PON will make every effort to secure services, but these are subject to availability.
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