Past Florence Bird Lectures
(all dates listed are in the month of March unless otherwise specified)
2022 (March 22): Katherine McKittrick, “My Heart Makes My Head Swim”
2021: no lecture due to pandemic
2020 (postponed to November 19 due to pandemic): Jennifer Nash, Workshop on “Black Feminism Reimagined”
2019 (27th) Ann Cvetkovich, the new Director of the Pauline Jewett Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies. “Artist Curation as Queer and Decolonial Museum Practice: Kent Monkman’s Shame and Prejudice”
2018 (Sep 21) Robyn Maynard, “Policing Black Lives: State Violence in Canada from Slavery to the Present”
2017 (27th) Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Anishinaabe Writer), Geraldine King (Anishinaabe Writer and Community Engagement Specialist, PhD Student), and Lee Maracle (Coast Salish Poet and Author): “Storytelling, Feminism, Resistance: Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm, Geraldine King, and Lee Maracle in Conversation”
2016 (26th) Ivan Coyote (Writer, Storyteller, Musician and Educator): “Neither, Nor: How to Circumnavigate the Gender Binary in Seven Thousand Easy Steps”
2015 (25th) Karyn Recollect (Assistant Professor at the Institute of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Toronto): “Glyphing decolonial Love: The intersections of Indigenous hip hop feminisms, Indigenous girlhood and building solidarities”
2014 (24th) Alia Hogben (Executive Director of the Canadian Council for Muslim Women): “Challenges for Canadian Muslim Women: The Quebec Charter of Values”
2013 (23rd) Kim Anderson (Professor, Cree/Metis Writer and Educator): “Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings and Story Medicine”
2012 (22nd) The Honourable Landon Pearson (Children’s Rights Advocate, Author and Former Senator): “From Strength to Strength: Children’s and Women’s Rights over the Life Cycle”
2011 (21st) Bonnie Devine (Artist, Curator, Writer and Educator): “Claiming and Naming: A question of land and identity”
2010 (20th) Flora Igoki Terah (Community Worker and Political Activist): “Broken Bodies, Unbroken Spirit”
2008 (19th) Maude Barlow (Water Activist and Author): “Water – The Most Pressing Women’s Issue of All?”
2006 (18th) Bonnie Sherr Klein (Feminist Filmmaker and Disability Activist): “SHAMELESS: The ART of DISABILITY – Some Thoughts about Film, Feminism and Activism”
2005 (17th) “Jane Doe” (Writer, Teacher and Activist): “The Story of Jane Doe: the Politics of Rape”
2004 (16th) Nelofer Pazira, (Journalist and Film-maker): “Image and Reality: Women in Afghanistan”
2003 (15th) The Honourable Susan Whelan, P.C., M.P. Minister for International Cooperation: “Leading the Way: Canada’s International Role in Promoting Gender Equality”
2002 (14th) Maureen McTeer, (Author and Lawyer): “Women and the Commercialisation of Life: From Surrogacy to Genetic Patenting and the Harvard Mouse”
2001 (13th) Maureen O’Neil, President, International Development Research Centre: “The Future of Canadian Democracy: Lessons from the Royal Commissions ”
1998 (12th) Dr. Didi Khayatt. Director, The Centre for Feminist Research, York University: “Talking Equity: Classroom Experiences”
1997 (11th) Mairuth Sarsfield: “Woman as a Commodity”
1996 (10th) Professor Patricia Smart (Dept. of French) : “Seven Women Who Dared to be Different: The Women Artists of Quebec’s Automatist Movement”
1995 (9th) Professor Greta Hofmann-Nemiroff (Joint Chair): “I’m a Stranger Here Myself”: A Feminist Account of the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing”
1994 (8th) Professor Thelma McCormack (York University): “Infertility is a Feminist Issue”
1993 (7th) Ms. Judy Rebick: “Transforming Ourselves, Transforming Society”
1992 (6th) Mme. Madeleine Parent: “Changes over a Lifetime of Feminist Labour Activism: A View from Quebec”
1991 (5th) Professor Monique Begin (Joint Chair): “Women in Health Sciences: Points of Resistance to Change”
1990 (4th) Dr. Glenda Sims: “Racism and Sexism in the 90’s”
1989 (3rd) Ms. Rosemary Brown: “Feminism/Development: Women Working for Global Change”
1988 (2nd) Professor Naomi Griffiths: “Mating and Marriage in Early Acadia”
1987 (1st) Professor Margaret Wade Labarge: “The Education of Medieval Women: Many questions, some answers”