I’ll be part of this event in Montreal at the end of the month giving a workshop on: Occupy! the Media. I have put more information about my involvement over on my blog. Info about the event below or just click on the link above!

Media, Politics and Protest Camps in the Occupy Social Movement

In May 2011, Joseph E. Stiglitz wrote an article titled “Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%” in that month’s issue of Vanity Fair. His message of extreme inequality in US society and the historical consequences resulting from the polarization of wealth in the hands of a few, resonated in the Occupy protests that began in Wall Street early last fall. “We are the 99%” fast became the motto of the social movement that transgressed New York boundaries and evolved into a worldwide movement, with more than 80 countries and one thousand cities witnessing their own manifestation of protest camps in the months that followed.

Despite the phenomenal scope of civil society in the Occupy movement, Stiglitz’ warning that the 1% will only belatedly awaken to the importance of maintaining the welfare of the largest slice of the population will, in all likelihood, be realized. Nonetheless, many compelling issues have been borne from the protests: from the mainstream media’s initial disregard of the events to the communication of activists within the camps and the policing methods adopted by each city. Media@McGill will be hosting a free public event on Friday, January 27, 2012 to address many of the media, political and social themes that have transpired during the months-long Occupy protests.

Friday, January 27th, 2012, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, Grande Bibliothèque Auditorium, BAnQ

Pulitzer award-winning journalist and author Chris Hedges will be giving a keynote address at the auditorium of the Bibliothèque et Archives Nationales du Québec, 475 Maisonneuve Est [map] titled, “The Way I See It”. The keynote will be followed by a panel discussion with the participation of Anna Feigenbaum, Richmond University, Patrick McCurdy, University of Ottawa, and Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Friday, January 27th, 2012, 10:30 am – 5:00 pm, Institute of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies

Three workshops will precede the keynote and panel during the day – each focusing on a different theme of the Occupy movement. The workshops will be taking place at the Institute of Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies, 3487 Peel Street 2nd floor [map], and are free and open to the public. Online registration for each workshop is required and will be available as of Monday, January 16th until Thursday, January 26th at 12:00 pm.

10:30 am–12.00 pm Feeling the Movement | workshop by Anna Feigenbaum, Department of Social Sciences, Humanities & Communications, Richmond University.

1:00 pm-2:30 pm Occupy! the Media |workshop by Patrick McCurdy, Department of Communication, University of Ottawa.

3:30 pm-5:00 pm Law, Protest and Policing | workshop by Nathalie Des Rosiers, General Counsel of Canadian Civil Liberties Association.

Early registration for the workshops is advisable in order to avoid disappointment, as places are limited. Participants can attend all three workshops, but will need to register for each separately and list their workshop preference in order of priority. In this case, a confirmation email will be sent by Media@McGill to confirm attendance to one or all three of the workshops.

Please visit Media@McGill to register online as of Monday, January 16th, 2012.