Symposium Guide and Program
Third International Symposium on Teaching about Extremism, Terror and Trauma
September 25-27, 2017
Table of Contents
Program and Schedule
Abstracts
Delegates
Symposium Guide
Venue Information
Location
Session Type and Format
Breaks and Lunch
Equipment
Internet access
Accommodation Information
Arriving in Montreal
Getting to the Hotel
From Le Nouvel Hotel to Symposium Venue
Things to do in Montréal
Maps
Montréal’s Metro System
Hotel to Concordia
Guy Concordia Metro and the Hall Building
Reception: Home of Adeela Arshad-Ayaz and Ayaz Naseem
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Program and Schedule
September 25, 2017
9:30–10:00 Opening Ceremony
Welcome by Dr. Ayaz Naseem,
Convenor TETT Symposia
Welcome by Dr. Miranda D’Amico
Associate Dean, Faculty of Arts and Science,
Concordia University
Dr. Diane Pesco
Associate Chair, Department of Education
Concordia University
Message from Dean, College of Arts
Nova Southeastern University
10:00-10:45 Keynote, Dr. Ali A. Abdi
University of British Columbia
The Complexities of Contemporary Migrations, Radicalization and Possibilities for De-radicalization: Historico-Actual Analyses
10:45-11:00 COFFEE BREAK
11:00–11:45 Session 1: Making/unmaking Radicalization: Constitution and Disruption of Radicalization Discourses
Chair: Ezgi Ozyonum, doctoral student, Department of Education, Concordia University
Dr. Mario Novelli, University of Sussex
Undermining International Solidarity and the Right to Dissent: De-Radicalisation as Discourse and Practice in UK Education
Dr. Adeela Arshad-Ayaz, Concordia University
Deconstructing the ‘Pathology’ of Radicalization
Dr. Uzma Jamil, Dawson College
Knowing Muslims: The Muslim Subject in State Discourses of Radicalization
11:45-12:30 Critical engagement
12:30-2:00 LUNCH
2:00-2:45 Session 2: Theology and/or Ideology: Perspectives on Radicalization/Counter-Radicalization from within the Islamic thought
Chair: Marlon Sanchez, doctoral student, Department of Education, Concordia University
Dr. Naved Bakali, Tabah Foundation, Abu Dhabi
Takfiri Ideology and its Divergence from Traditional Muslim Views: Understanding the Ideological Underpinnings of Islamic Terrorist Networks
Dr. Hassan Bashir, Texas A&M University, Qatar
Fighting Religious Extremism from Within: Advice from a South Asian Muslim Fundamentalist Thinker
Dr. Hicham Tiflati, Université de Montréal
ISIS’s Factory of Suicide Bombers: Rationale, Ideology, and Logistics behind Self-Immolation
2:45-3:30 Critical engagement
3:30-3:45 COFFEE BREAK
3:45-4:30 Session 3: Pedagogical Interventions for CLEAR: Initiatives in Québec
Chair: Cheryl Duckworth, Nova Southeatern University, Fort Lauderdale, FL., USA
Dr. Ghayda Hassan, Université du Québec a Montréal
Preventing Violent Radicalization: From Theory to Practice
Claire Lyke and Elise Bourgeois-Guérin, Sherpa Project, McGill University, Montreal
What if? Intercommunity Art Project
4:30-5:15 Critical engagement
September 26, 2017
9:00-10:00 Keynote Address
Dr. Cecile Rousseau, MD
McGill University
Rethinking Risks and Benefits of Security Approaches in Education, Health and Social Services Institutions in the Prevention of Youth Violent Radicalization
10:00-10:30 Session 1: Use of Media for Radicalization and Counter-Radicalization
Chair: Thomas Prince, Executive Director, CEED Concordia
Dr. Ahmed K. Al-Rawi, Concordia University
ISIS & the Role of Media in State Building
Dr. Jeremy Stoddard, College of William Mary (via Skype)
Dr. Diana Hess, University of Wisconsin
Fifteen years after September 11, 2001: Terrorism, Terrorists, and the War on Terror in US State Social Studies Curriculum Standards
10:30-10:45 COFFEE BREAK
10:45-11:30 Critical Engagement
11:30-12:30 Session 2: Presentation of pedagogical deliverables developed at the First Concordia Institute on Creating Learning Against Radicalization (CLEAR)
Chair: Nassim Noroozi, Department of Education, Concordia University
12:30-2:00 LUNCH
2:00-2:45 Session 3: Canadian Perspectives on CLEAR
Chair: Wendy Sun, Graduate Student, Department of Education, Concordia University
Dr. Lynette Shultz, University of Alberta
Addressing the “Rise of the Right” and Acts of Extremism in Canada: What does UNESCO have to Offer?
Meriem Rebani-Gosselin, RCMP and Université de Montréal
Using Community Policing Practices to Prevent Radicalisation Leading to Violence
Dr. Anila Asghar, McGill University
Muslim Youths’ Response to Radicalization in Canada
2:45-3:30 Critical engagement
3:30-3:45 Coffee Break
3:45-4:30 Session 4: Community Engagement as CLEAR
Chair: Alicia Piechowiak, Doctoral student, Department of Education, Concordia University
Diana Rice, Dawson College
Building Community: Prevention of Violence and Radicalization at the Local Level
John Neysmith, World Scout Committee
World Scouting’s Non-Formal Education Youth Program
Mahad Yousouf, Midaynta Community Services, Toronto
Community Approach to Counter Radicalization
4:30-5:15 Critical engagement
September 27, 2017
9:00-9:30 Session 1: Countering Radicalization in/through Social Media
Chair: Monyka Rodriguez, doctoral student, Concordia University
Dr. Lynn Davies, University of Birmingham
Counting or Countering? Strategies for Anti-Extremism in the Social Media
Nadia Naffi and Dr. Ann-Louise Davidson, Concordia University
Learning About “Otherness” in the Era of Radicalization: Disrupting the Dialogue Through the Pedagogy of Understanding Oneself
9:30-10:15 Critical engagement
10:15-10:30 COFFEE BREAK
10:30-11:15 Session 2: Pedagogical Interventions for CLEAR
Chair: Ayaz Naseem, Professor, Department of Education, Concordia University
Alicia Piechowiak, Concordia University
Creating suspect communities: Current counter radicalization education initiatives
Dr. Cheryl Duckworth
Nova Southeastern University
Learning 9/11 in an Age of Terror: Meta-Narratives, Local Impact
Kawser Ahmed, University of Manitoba – via Skype
Radicalism Driven Violent Extremism: In Search of a Pedagogical Model for Conflict Transformation
11:15-12:00 Critical engagement
12:00-2:30 LUNCH and Peace Walk
2:30-3:15 Session 3: Gender and Radicalization
Chair: Weizhen Zhou, MITACS intern, Department of Education, Concordia University
Crystina Wyler, Art Transforms Conflict Inc., Florida and Washington DC
Transforming Cultural Identity: How Forced Migration Changes the Role of Women
Dr. Bina Patel, La Vida Conflict Resolution Centre, Ruckersville, VA - Psychology of Female Violence
3:15-4:00 Critical engagement
4:00-4:30 Group chat about TETT 2018
4:30-4:45 Closing ceremony
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Abstracts
Dr. Ali A. Abdi
University of British Columbia
Keynote Speaker
The Complexities of Contemporary Migrations, Radicalization and Possibilities for De-radicalization: Historico-Actual Analyses
While the current trends of intercontinental migration are not necessarily new in their qualitative character and intensities, and are in essence driven by normative political and socio-economic exigencies, what is actually new is the globalized mixing of more people with different religious and attendant belief systems. While that should be clear to most observers, what might not be as evident is the relationship these multi-locational and multi-directional mass movement of peoples have with European colonialism in especially the Middle East, North and Sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, the source of the biggest number of Muslim refugees, for example, especially those arriving from Iraq, Syria and to some extent, Somalia – uninvited of course, and for most pragmatic intentions, unwanted - on the shores of Europe and North America, come from so-called ‘nation-states’ that were in essence fabricated by western colonial powers (Fromkin, 2009). The resulting western-style state apparatuses functioned for a while through the control of undemocratic regimes in these places. However, the simmering problems of lack of converging national interests and horizontal economic citizenship (Abdi, 2008), complemented by the two selectively opposing forces of continuing western interventions and the emergence of exclusionist, radical reconstructions of Islam; all selectively sustained by the continuities of cognitive colonization (Fanon, 1967; Nandy, 1997) have led to the current situation. That is, it is the intermeshing of less compatible but perforce connected life systems which are selectively fueling contemporary radicalizations. This address intends to highlight the complexity of these issues and suggest possible ways of de-radicalization through education, with suggestions of how such education should be multiculturally and multi-epistemically framed and undertaken.
Kawser Ahmed – via Skype
University of Manitoba
PhD student
Radicalism Driven Violent Extremism: In Search of a Pedagogical Model for Conflict Transformation
Radicalism that leads to violent extremism is a form of social conflict since it is not only caused by multi-faceted factors but also by individuals who seems to rebel against a legitimate state driven by real or perceived issues. Numerous studies and my previous research indicate that primary motivation of current trend of radicalism is the intersection among protests against Western involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan (i.e. state’s foreign policy); the desire to take part physically in redressing global injustices caused by armed conflicts; and last but not the least, the feeling of marginalization within one’s own society.
Discussion about extremism is a sensitive matter in family, school, or in a community and this is why the Internet remains as the only platform to share radical ideas and express one's deviant opinions. This situation is further exacerbated due to securitization and an absence of safe social platforms where particularly the youth can discuss radicalism and extremism without fear of repercussions. This is why an alternate approach to teach about extremism might help in dealing with perceptions of injustice, oppression, and marginalization related social conflicts. Inherent in this approach is the idea of conflict transformation, which solely relies on non-violence. To this end, a comprehensive pedagogical approach might be useful since such an approach is capable of providing a neutral and bipartisan knowledge-based environment where the most vulnerable social group to radicalization and extremism – the youth – can be engaged.
Although, counter radicalism/extremism content is available in many forms, this content could not be delivered effectively to young people for three reasons: 1) inappropriateness of the materials (currently an overwhelming emphasis is laid on Islam as driving extremism which alienates Muslim students; 2) inability to determine the target audience (i.e. what level of students should be receiving the content); and 3) a lack of consensus among educators, policymakers, and community leaders/activists in determining a formal delivery platform. Finally, while macro-level initiatives only seek a short-term security-centric solution to extremism, the meso- and micro- level efforts (i.e. community driven) are taking place in different social spaces in isolation without the integration of young people in a synergistic way.
The main research question is: how do we share knowledge about dangers of violent extremism and radicalism within formal educational settings that significantly impacts youth (between 16-24 years old) and what is the most suitable pedagogical approach (both from a content as well as delivery perspective) to counter it? Two main theoretical frameworks - social conflict and its transformation and transformative learning theories are used in this paper to seek an answer to the research question.
A comparative analysis of approaches adopted by the International Strategic Dialogue (ISD) and Edventure Partners (i.e. P2P) in counter extremism content development and dissemination is presented in this paper to illustrate problems and prospects of finding an effective pedagogical model for conflict transformation.
Dr. Ahmed K. Al-Rawi
Concordia University
ISIS & the Role of Media in State Building
This study is focused on ISIS’s offline messages that target people who live under the group’s control. The paper examines a collection of street billboards that are disseminated by AlHimmah Library which is ISIS’s official printing press. I argue that ISIS’s assimilation efforts in state building intend to establish a Jihadist Ummah state, and the terrorist group regards media as jihad, and its billboards as well as journalists are expected to play a role in influencing the public in order to create this newly imagined state. Most of the billboards are related to disseminating messages on imposing Sharia law as well as calling for Jihad and the promotion of the terrorist group, while billboards about women and men’s garments are also prominent especially in that they reflect ISIS’s standardized vision of the ultra-conservative society it intends to form in its different territories.
Dr. Adeela Arshad Ayaz
Concordia University
Deconstructing the ‘pathology’ of radicalization
The mainstream analysis and examination of radicalization have used a particular perspective which focuses more on the symptoms rather than the causes. In this presentation, I argue that for a better understanding of the real causes underlying these problems, we need an ontological change in our worldviews to analyze and seek solutions to extremism and radicalization. I look at the intersectionality of factors, internal, external, and systemic that contribute to the rise of radicalization and extremism. I use metaphors from conventional/mainstream medicine and holistic/traditional medicine. Conventional/mainstream medicine uses a reductionist paradigm and thus ends up treating the symptoms and not the causes. Radicalization and extremism should be treated as a chronic societal condition for which quick fixes will not work. We need holistic and integrative approach that connects with various experiences which can lead to the path of radicalization and extremism.
Dr. Naved Bakali
McGill University-Session Lecturer
Takfiri Ideology and its Divergence from Traditional Muslim Views: Understanding the Ideological Underpinnings of Islamic Terrorist Networks
Since the 9/11 attacks, Al-Qaida has been perceived as a major Muslim terrorist organization world-wide. However, with changes in leadership and an inability to adapt its recruiting methods, the self-proclaimed ‘Islamic State’, or ISIS, has since emerged as a dominating international terrorist network. In the aftermath of the civil conflicts in Syria and Iraq, dozens of Muslim youth in North America and hundreds across Europe have taken up arms with ISIS and other terrorist organizations (Stern & Berger, 2015). Additionally, there have been several ISIS inspired ‘lone-wolf’ terrorist attacks in North America and Europe, as well as a mass-shooting in Paris, killing 130 civilians by ISIS operatives. With thousands of twitter accounts celebrating and propagating ISIS’s twisted message of extreme violence and savagery, there is evidence to suggest that there is growing support amongst radicalized Muslim youth in Muslim and non-Muslim majority nations for this terrorist organization.
This presentation will examine the theological basis through which ISIS and other terrorist networks justify their views and acts of violence, often referred to as takfiri thought. This critical examination of ISIS’s theological underpinnings will trace the historical trajectory of these views within Islamic and Muslim history dating back as far as the 8th century and will demonstrate how these deviant views and practices are a radical divergence from traditional and mainstream Islamic theology. Such views represent fringe elements of Muslim society, and have historically been robustly refuted and opposed. Understanding the aberrant nature of takfiri ideology may potentially help pre-service educators, as well as others, better understand how such views are a deviation from traditional Islamic views and in no way represent the vast majority of Muslims worldwide. Furthermore, by understanding the problematic nature of takfiri ideology, teachers can challenge such views if they come up within classroom discussions and debates.
Dr. Hassan Bashir
Texas A&M University Qatar
Fighting Religious Extremism from Within: Advice from a South Asian Muslim Fundamentalist Thinker
This paper focuses on the work of Javed Ahmed Ghamidi who is an internationally renowned and highly influential Muslim fundamentalist thinker from Pakistan. Ghamidi is a strong critic of the existing curriculum of Madrassas in South Asia and the Middle East. He argues that the current status of madrassas in Muslim countries as institutions, whose primary purpose is to provide religious education to students from an early age, must be abolished. The state must make it mandatory for all primary and secondary educational institutions to provide regular education that includes non-religious subjects and pursuing specialized religious education should be the choice of each individual student at the college level. Ghamidi suggests that any serious and meaningful exploration of complex Islamic texts and practices requires a comprehensive basic education just as it is needed in other specialized non-religious fields like medicine and engineering etc. Ghamidi believes his approach towards educating future Muslim religious scholars will produce individuals who are more tolerant and open towards viewing religious disagreements as academic rather than existential disputes which demand or promote violent action. The paper presents a detailed overview of Ghamidi’s objections to the prevalent curriculum in Muslim madrassas and critically evaluates his claim that the curriculum used is the root cause of radicalization of Muslim youth. It also evaluates the practicability of Ghamidi’s views and highlights potential hurdles in developing implementable policy based on his suggestions.
Dr. Lynn Davies
University of Birmingham
Counting or Countering? Strategies for Anti-Extremism in the Social Media
Extremist organisations use a huge range of social media outlets and strategies to attract followers and maintain networks. There is much analysis of the way extremist messaging is conducted, and now we have complex metrics on who reads and shares such messages. However there is less solid analysis of anti-extremism strategies in the social media and what their impact is. This paper looks at the different types of counter-radicalisation initiatives to explore their possible reach and impact.
This entails firstly looking at why people decide to join extremist groups to see what attractions need to be challenged. Social network theory is useful in underpinning such analysis. I then distinguish different types or styles of anti-extremism intervention and their intended targets:
· Direct refutation for example, holding that the Qur'an and Bible are peaceful religions, using apps for this
· Indirect refutation: admission that there are violent and misogynistic passages and admonitions in sacred texts, but that they are context-specific, now outdated.
· Mass solidarity, showing the majority moderate face of Islam, hashtag campaigns
· The reality check: using the voice of former extremists to show the actuality of life in Syria/Bosnia and why they left
· Digital disruption – using humour and creativity to mock extremists and extremist thinking
· The market-place of ideas: open debate and freedom of speech rather than censorship of hate preaching or hate sites
· Linked challenges: focusing on anti-racism, educating against hate, anti-violence, rights education
· Using history, for example Holocaust education to understand propaganda
· Social media simulations for students to understand grooming
I hope to discuss with the audience what works, and with whom, and how we might assess such impact.
Dr. Cheryl Duckworth
Nova Southeastern University
Learning 9/11 in an Age of Terror: Meta-Narratives, Local Impact
This presentation will engage urgent questions for today’s classrooms. Building on my prior study of how teachers are teaching about 9/11, this presentation offers preliminary data on how students, and especially Muslim American students, are experiencing public schools and learning about 9/11 in the post-9/11 era. The election of 2016 of course made this even more urgent. I will share my preliminary data, and contextualize the data in the context of my research agenda which focuses on the role of historical memory in conflicts and narratives involving traumatized memory drive conflict as it is essential that peace educators consider it in working to interrupt extremism in the classroom. Finally, I conclude the presentation with observations based on data and classroom experience as to mistakes we peace educators seem to continue making and how to avoid them.
Dr. Uzma Jamil
Dawson College
Knowing Muslims: The Muslim Subject in State Discourses of Radicalization
This paper examines dominant discourses on terrorism, radicalization and the securitization of Muslims in the global political context of the 16-year-old “war on terror.” Central to these discourses is the idea of a Muslim subject who remains ontologically distinct from the “western” nation, framed as American/Canadian/British, etc., as the case may be. This ontological distinction, noted in Edward Said’s critique of Orientalism, facilitates the construction of knowledge about Muslims in the war on terror that reinforces pre-existing negative perceptions, leading to suspicion and scrutiny attached to Muslims collectively and globally today. This paper analyzes these ontological distinctions in state discourses of radicalization and their implications, using the Quebec government’s Anti-Radicalization Plan (2015-2018). It examines the expansion of the state discourse on radicalization from being a political and legal issue into a social problem, reinforcing Quebec-specific concerns about diversity, identity and intercultural relations between white francophone majorities and racialized Muslim and immigrant youth. It considers how this reinforces the social construction of Muslims as racialized threats to the nation, and more broadly, beyond the Quebec context to the west. The paper concludes by examining how this contemporary construction of knowledge about Muslims is not only an epistemological issue, but also a political one for educators to navigate through, and it offers some suggestions for engaging with these challenges.
Dr. Hassan Ghayda
UQAM
Preventing Violent Radicalization: From Theory to Practice
This presentation will introduce the audience to the SHERPA-RAPS team as well as the CPN-PREV (Canadian Practitioners Network- prevention of Radicalisation and violent extremism). The objectives of these initiatives will be presented in addition to the training and intervention models and practices that have been implemented and are currently being evaluated. Brief examples of clinical cases will be provided throughout the presentation.
Claire Lyke and Elise Bourgeois-Guérin
SHERPA Project
Presentation What if? Intercommunity Art Project
What if? is a research action project that examines the ability of creative collaborative art projects to create links within and between groups and between generations. We are interested in how collaborative creative projects might create opportunities for social inclusion and community building and thus help to combat social polarization. What if? is located in three neighborhoods, each selected for the diversity of their inhabitants. Throughout the course of the research, we have collaborated with community groups to create collaborative creative projects.
Our presentation will examine one these projects: an intergenerational dance video project carried out in the spring of 2017 between residents at a home for the elderly and a group of youth between 12 and 13 years old. The dance project consisted of ten workshops over the course of three months where the two groups developed gestures and selected themes that they were interested in exploring together. The final product of this project was a short two or three minute dance video featuring participants from the two groups. We used a new Story Carrier methodology, created by the SHERPA team, which combines art-based and ethnographic methods.
We are interested in how collaborative art projects could forge links between members of the same and different communities, and thereby aid in the primary prevention of radicalization. Looking through this lens, our presentation will examine moments of made and missed connections between members of the youth and elderly groups throughout the three-month long activity. How did working together towards a common artistic goal shape the possibilities for participants to create connections? How were disagreements and divergences between groups navigated? Finally we will look at this work in comparison with other intergenerational programming and with the developing theory on intergenerational relationships to contextualize our findings.
Nadia Naffi and Dr. Ann-Louise Davidson
Concordia University
Learning about “Otherness” in the Era of Radicalization: Disrupting the Dialogue through the Pedagogy of Understanding Oneself
In the era of social media, alternative facts and fake news, host society youth are expected to welcome and include refugees despite the terror shared online and fueled by a continuously growing hate speech and fear of radicalization. Research on youth and on social media claims that youth are influenced by the plethora of messages shared online (Spears & Postmes, 2015; Wohn, Ellison, Khan, Fewins-Bliss, & Gray, 2013). They are viewed as victims whose thoughts and behaviours are easily triggered and manipulated by exterior online forces. From a Personal Construct Psychology (PCP) perspective, online youth are viewed as knowing subjects, with experiences and construct systems that they use to construe the messages diffused online. In our presentation, we share how the interview protocol we designed based on Personal Construct Psychology principles to study how youth from host societies construe online comments about the Syrian refugee crisis became a powerful learning tool that allowed these youths to engage in critical thinking about media content and its influence on how they perceived the “Other” and the world events involving this “Other”.
John Neysmith
World Scout Committee
World Scouting’s Non-Formal Education Youth Program
World Scouting today is not what you may think. While today’s Scouting is 110- years-old, it is in 165 plus countries world-wide, with over 43 million official members of both genders. Also, scouting is no longer a northern hemisphere European/English movement; over 80% of our members are in the developing countries worldwide.
It is in these developing countries that many youth have no option but to live on the street, where they face the challenge of basic survival; no education or access to healthcare; no option but to live off petty crime and “sex services”. Moreover, many are forced into child labour and become soldiers of war. Drugs and alcohol are the tools they so often use to face this grinding life. The biggest loss to their living is the lack of love and trust which all youth need to live and develop as human beings.
These are the prime causes of the development of extremism and terror in many parts of the developing world. These youth may be tomorrow’s terrorists. Scouting today is in these slums and street life, opening the doors to schools; offering basic medical and health support; providing in-formal career development; giving them an alternative to drugs and crime; and helping them re-adapt to a normal life from that of child labour and soldiers of war. This is the best tool against tomorrow’s extremism and terror.
Dr. Mario Novelli
University of Sussex
Undermining International Solidarity and the Right to Dissent: De-Radicalisation as Discourse and Practice in UK Education
The UK’s PREVENT strategy has penetrated all levels of education in the UK, making educators and education institutions statutorily responsible for identifying signs of radicalization amongst students from nursery to university and for promoting ‘British Values’. This presentation builds on work of critical scholars (c.f Kundnani, 2014) on the way PREVENT and the discourse of de-radicalisation colonises educational space, undermines the potential of education institutions to promote critical debate, restricts freedom of speech, and limits the emancipatory potential of education to build alternative visions amongst youth. Through examples across institutions the presentation will highlight the way narrow conceptualisations of what constitutes ‘British Values’ frames the limits of acceptable debate and martials formal education to the service of a narrow conservative form of nationalism, mourning ‘worthy’ victims of the ‘war on terror’ whilst ignoring ‘unworthy’ victims of the ‘war on terror’ which is highly geographically and historically selective (Butler, 2016). In doing so it threatens to both undermine our common global humanity, obscure the internationalist traditions of the British people and the contributions that generations of immigrants have made to the construction of the nation. The presentation concludes with a call for educational spaces to vindicate and defend a hidden Britain, rooted in anti-imperialism, diversity, radical dissent, international solidarity and the struggles for social justice.
References
Butler, J. (2016). Frames of war: When is life grievable? Verso Books.
Kundnani, A. (2014). The Muslims are coming!: Islamophobia, extremism, and the domestic war on terror. Verso Books.
Dr. Bina Patel
La Vida Conflict Resolution Centre
Psychology of Female Violence
The purpose of my paper is to depict the role of women and gender as it impacts the radicalization process. Primarily, the paper will present on the neuro-cognitive behaviors and psycho-linguistics, which play a vital part in female suicide terrorism, specifically in my proposed theory of the radicalization process; alongside with additional elements such as religion and socio-cultural suppression. Furthermore, my research introduces postpartum depression as a contributing element that may serve as a trigger point for Islamic women in vulnerable environments to enter into martyrdom and successfully execute their missions.
Alicia Piechowiak
Concordia University
Creating suspect communities: Current counter radicalization education initiatives
Radicalization is a global concern urgently requiring the advancement of knowledge on preventative measures to decrease the appeal of radical ideologies and forge inclusive societies. In response to current global events governments worldwide continue to invest millions of dollars in law and order programs based on psychological models of radicalization. This approach has had adverse effects as it has contributed to the creation of suspect communities and securitization of citizens (Awan 2012; Coppock & McGovern, 2014; Heath-Kelly 2013). Furthermore, the inadequacy of current counter radicalization measures is made evident by the increase of extreme right wing political rhetoric in plural societies in North America and across Europe, hates crimes, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and violent acts labeled as terrorism by media outlets and governments alike.
The increasingly hostile social, economic and political environment accentuates the need for a prevention approach to radicalization, reinforcing academics call on governments to include a fundamental component in anti-terrorism strategies: education (Arshad-Ayaz & Naseem, 2017; Gereluk, 2012).
The objectives of this presentation are: 1) to critically analyze current meanings and processes associated with radicalization, extremism and terrorism produced by researchers, media and government policies and 2) to provide a critical overview and analysis of deradicalization and counter radicalization programs currently implemented in different regions of the world with particular focus on Australia’s Building Community Resilience (BCR) program and lastly 3) to argue that an alternative approach encompassing a broader understanding of radicalization, extremism and terror is necessary to counter this complex and highly divisive phenomenon.
Meriem Rebani-Gosselin
RCMP and PhD student at Université de Montréal
Using Community Policing Practices to Prevent Radicalisation Leading to Violence
Since 2011, it is estimated that between 2000 and 6000 westerners have left their countries for Syria to join various armed insurgent groups, including the group which calls itself the Islamic State (INHESJ, 2015; LIBE Committee, 2014). While other conflicts have certainly drawn out a certain number of westerners before, a phenomenon of this scale is undoubtedly unprecedented. This, doubled with a number of recent attacks around the globe said to be planned or 'inspired' by the group Islamic State, has given place to a wide array of international governmental efforts to counter these departures as well as to prevent further attacks. In a context of increased focus on national security, these efforts now mainly concentrate on countering what is believed to be the primary cause of this phenomenon: radicalization. More and more, talk of addressing the root causes of radicalization have emerged within western governments as reflected by the increasing usage of a new umbrella term: Countering Violent Radicalization (CVE). This new term, which has been said to be the most "significant development in counterterrorism in the last decade" can be understood as a policy spectrum which encompasses all non-coercive attempts at reducing involvement in terrorism (Ali et al, 2016; Romaniuk, 2015). This presentation will focus on how practices of community policing have been used in this context along with a discussion on the challenges and promises of this method (Schanzer et al., 2015).
Diana Rice
Dawson College
Building Community: Prevention of Violence and Radicalization at the Local Level
Frequently, media and political rhetoric focuses on acts of terror rather than prevention. In the cases where prevention is discussed, the dialogue does not delve into the socio-cultural and economic roots of how and why radicalization occurs. In addition, prevention is most commonly viewed by the media, academia and politicians, from a large-scale public policy perspective focused on security that targets minority ethnic peoples or religious organizations. The most contemporary and notable example of this is the so-called “Muslim Ban” in the United States that targets Arab Muslims from specific counties as threats to homeland security. While there are a number of practical reasons as to why this particular executive order represents poor policy, it principally reflects the common reflex of the western world to focus on internal security rather than an introspection for the causes of internal or external terrorist threats and education as the remedy.
While public policy and security are legitimate means to prevent terrorist violence, they do not address the socio-cultural and economic factors that lead someone, be it from the ethnic and religious majority or minority, to become radicalized and engage in violence. In order to positively and peacefully prevent violence, educational institutions should be endowed with the resources and a mandate to educate and build safe inclusive diverse communities. Prevention of radicalization at the local level particularly for youth should rely on a combination of in-classroom academics (particularly academics that focus on media literacy, critical race theory, the problematic of national-myth making and narratives etc.) in tandem with practical out-of-the classroom education that engages in community building.
This paper will focus primarily on how active engagement in community-building alongside academic study should be one of the responsibilities and tactics employed by educational institutions to prevent violence motivated by hate at the local level. I will use the Dawson College Peace Centre and the Peace Studies Certificate as a model of how post-secondary institutions can build safe, inclusive community spaces for youth that can help prevent violence and radicalization.
Dr. Cécile Rousseau, MD
McGill University
Keynote: Rethinking Risks and Benefits of Security Approaches in Education, Health and Social Services Institutions in the Prevention of Youth Violent Radicalization
The upsurge in public and governments’ perception of threat associated with youth violent radicalization in Europe and North America has centered the attention on minority youth and on religious forms of radicalization in spite of evidence of similar phenomena in majority youth and of the growing importance of other forms of radicalization (xenophobic and Neo-Nazi in particular). In most national plans, the blurred boundaries and direct collaborations between security/police interventions and health/social services/education sectors is justified by security arguments, which defend the necessity of a state of exception authorizing the bypassing of usual ethical rules of confidentiality and the respect of individual rights.
In most countries, guidelines for professionals implicitly propose a continuum between health and education interventions and security forces interventions to prevent youth radicalization, but the ethical dimensions of these models are not questioned, nor is their impact on youth and their feelings of trust/safety in the health and education systems and the subsequent capacity of these institutions to participate effectively in the prevention of further social polarization.
This presentation will propose a reflection on the ethical and intervention challenges associated with this issue in the education field. It will highlight the need to deconstruct ideological positions and to base practitioner guidelines on a risk and benefit analysis of the evidence in the available literature in the field, and on lessons learned in other situations involving youth violence.
Dr. Lynette Shultz
University of Alberta
Addressing the “Rise of the Right” and Acts of Extremism in Canada: What does UNESCO Have to Offer?
In recent months, concerns of extremism and the “rise of the right” have been discussed in academic, media, and policy locations in Canada and beyond. These discussions are cautious in using the terms “extremism” and “terror” when describing the actions of individuals and groups that position themselves as defenders of white settler rights with a particular focus on libertarian and patriarchal claims to freedom and dominance, even when these actors commit violent acts. These claims are amplified through various social media sites that are located both within Canada and the United States. Within this context, UNESCO, both in Canada and internationally, has taken a policy position against extremism, producing policy position documents and an action plan identifying education’s key prevention role. Using Fairclough and Faircloughs’ (2012) political discourse analysis to examine key UNESCO policy texts, this study is a policy encounter among the discourses of “the Alt-right”, the “united right”, and white supremacy groups with UNESCO’s position and guides for educators and policymakers. These encounters highlight how the values, consequences, and claims for actions (Fairclough & Fairclough, 2012) might produce, enable, and/or resist the rise of extremism and its violence.
Dr. Jeremy Stoddard—Via Skype
College of William Mary
Dr. Diana Hess
University of Wisconsin
Fifteen years after September 11, 2001: Terrorism, Terrorists, and the War on Terror in US State Social Studies Curriculum Standards
This presentation will focus on how the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 and ensuing US led ‘war on terror’, both domestic and international, are represented in US State Curriculum Standards. In particular, we focus on how the war on terror has intersected with the rise in nationalism, xenophobia, and anti-immigration sentiments. Rising political partisanship in the US is also apparent in both the framing and inclusion of the events of 9/11, the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and ongoing issues related to the balance between national security and civil liberties. In particular, there are apparent regional and state-specific differences that reflect the current national and international context as well as shifting educational policy in the US. The implications of how these events are incorporated into the standards shapes the long-term ways in which this content will likely be taught in American classrooms – with direct implications for how students’ views of the world, the Middle East, and Muslim communities in and out of the US are shaped.
Dr. Hicham Tiflati
Université de Montréal
ISIS’s Factory of Suicide Bombers: Rationale, Ideology, and Logistics behind Self-Immolation
Suicide attacks used by terrorist groups today are more commonplace than in any other period in history. For instance, these operations have become one of the main tactics used by ISIS while battling its enemies. There seems to be an infinite supply of candidates for these kinds of operations. In fact, ISIS has militarized martyrdom more than any other terrorist group. It has made it into an industry with its own factories, seminars, and propaganda. In the last two years, ISIS carried over 1500 suicide attacks in Syria and Iraq alone.
Self-immolation is explicitly forbidden (haram) in Islam. Its impermissibility is a settled doctrine in Islamic theology. In fact, The Quran forbids such actions in many instances. In verse 4:29: “And do not kill yourselves. Indeed, Allah is to you ever merciful,” and in verse 2:195: “…and do not throw [yourselves] with your [own] hands into destruction.” The hadith also clearly states: “And whoever commits suicide with a piece of iron will be punished with the same piece of iron in the Hell Fire.” Yet, many contemporary al-Qaeda and ISIS theorists and ideologues have argued that martyrdom operations are not, and should not be seen as suicide.
How, then did a haram action become convention for the followers of ISIS? How were they able to recruit huge numbers of children, youth, and elders to (shamelessly) volunteer as human bombs? Based on Islamic literature on martyrdom, on previous empirical research on ISIS suicide attacks, and on data extracted from ISIS media platforms, this enquiry struggles to understand what motivates and pushes individuals to sacrifice their lives for the Caliphate’s sake, and provides an initial understanding of how ISIS sells the phenomenon. I aim at constructing an efficient, yet comprehensive, content-analytical understanding to decode ISIS fighters’ socialization into martyrdom operations.
Crystina Wyler
Art Transforms Conflict Inc.
Transforming Cultural Identity: How Forced Migration Changes the Role of Women
The current global refugee crisis is transforming cultural identities, particularly in affected Syrian and Iraqi communities. As adult men are killed, incapacitated or migrate in search of work, these traditionally patriarchal cultures are being forced to re-evaluate their traditions as women (and even girls 13 or younger) are now having to become head of households. They are also joining the military or militia combat units, freely or by force. As gender roles are transformed, what will be the short term and long term effects on these patriarchal communities? Can this be an opportunity to transform the role of women from dependency to partnership?
This presentation will look at the factors that are currently influencing traditional gender roles among refugees in the MENA region. We will discuss how it represents both the positives of cultural growth and women’s empowerment, but also the risks of radicalization and gender-based violence. And, we will consider how effective learning and education programs can help provide the tools, knowledge and guidance to displaced communities to foster stronger female participation in community and peace building and understanding the concept of “completing NOT competing”.
Mahad Yousouf
Midaynta Community Services
Community Approach to Counter Radicalization
This year Midaynta Community Services would like to share the outcome of the 2nd annual conference —Youth Radicalization: New and Emerging Challenges—at the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto (U of T), on November 16–17, 2016.
The two-day conference consisted of six plenary sessions highlighting the factors that persuade youth to yield to radicalization and subsequently join extremist groups. These factors included: identity, education, interfaith relations, pastoral care, mental health, the psychology of terrorism, the dynamics of global conflict, police efforts to counter violent extremism, and the role of social media in youth radicalization. The deep intellectual dialogue inspired by these topics not only increased our understanding of youth radicalization, but also captivated the audience.
For the past four years, Midaynta Community Services has brought together experts from across Canada and the U.S. in a variety of fields to explore the causes of youth radicalization and strategies for preventing young people from joining extremist groups globally and domestically. Through roundtable discussions held once or twice a month at OISE, experts from various fields including law enforcement, civil society, academia, government, and religious leaders, discuss issues related to radicalization and countering violent extremism.
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Delegates
Dr. Ali A. Abdi
Professor & Department Head, Department of Educational Studies
University of British Columbia
ali.abdi@ubc.ca
Dr. Ahmed K. Al-Rawi
Assistant Professor, Communication Studies
Concordia University
ahmed.alrawi@concordia.ca
Dr. Adeela Arshad Ayaz
Associate Professor, Department of Education
Concordia University
adeela.ayaz@concordia.ca
Dr. Anila Asghar, McGill University
Associate Professor, Department of Integrated Studies in Education
McGill University
aneela.asghar@mcgill.ca
Naved Bakali, PhD.
Research Analyst, Tabah Foundation
Visiting Scholar at the Institute of Islamic studies, McGill University
Junior Research Affiliate with the Canadian Network for Research on Terrorism, Security and Society (TSAS)
Website: www.navedbakali.com
Email: nbakali@tabahfoundation.org
Dr. Hassan Bashir, Texas A&M University at Qatar
Associate Professor
Founding Director, The initiative in Professional Ethics
hassan.bashir@qatar.tamu.edu
Dr. Elise Bourgeois-Guérin
Postdoctoral fellow
McGill/SHERPA
Email: elisebg48@hotmail.com
Dr. Ann-Louise Davidson
Associate Professor
Concordia University
ann-louise.davidson@concordia.ca
Dr. Lynn Davies
University of Birmingham
Emeritus Professor of International Education, University of Birmingham, UK
Co-Director of the social enterprise ConnectFutures.
Website: lynndavies.net, ConnectFutures website: connectfutures.org
Email: l.davies@bham.ac.uk
Dr. Cheryl Duckworth
Associate Professor, Peace Education and Conflict Resolution, Nova Southeastern,
TETT Symposium Co-Chair
twitter cherylduckworth; http://teachforpeace.blogspot.com
Email: cd956@nova.edu
Dr. Ghayda Hassan
Clinical psychologist and Professor at Université de Québec à Montréal (UQAM)
Director for the Canadian Practitioner Network for the Prevention of Radicalization and Extremist Violence (CPN-PREV)
Researcher and clinical Consultant for SHERPA-RAPS
http://www.sherpa-recherche.com/fr/recherchepratiques/souffrancesocialeetradicalisation/
Email: hassan.ghayda@uqam.ca
Dr. Diana Hess
Dean of University of Winsconsin Madison’s School of Education
University of Wisconsin
Dr. Uzma Jamil
Dawson College
Email: uzma.jamil@mail.mcgill.ca
Kawser Ahmed
PhD candidate
University of Manitoba
umahme33@myumanitoba.ca
Claire Lyke
Research Coordinator Sherpa Research Institute,
McGill, Sherpa, CIUSSS Centre-Ouest-de-l'Île-de-Montréal
Email: claire.lyke.ccomtl@ssss.gouv.qc.ca
Nadia Naffi
PhD Candidate Concordia University
SSHRC Storyteller winner
Website: https://nadianaffi.com
Email: nadianaffi@gmail.com
Dr. M. Ayaz Naseem
Professor & Director, Education Doctoral Program
Department of Education
Concordia University
Convenor: International Symposia on Teaching about Extremism, Terror, and Trauma
Convenor: Concordia Institute on Creating Learning Against Radicalization
ayaz.naseem@concordia.ca
John Neysmith
World Scout Committee
Internal Auditor and Manager
World Scouting Committee
Email: jneysmith@sympatico.ca
Dr. Mario Novelli
Associate Professor of Education
Professor of the Political Economy of Education
Director for the Centre of International Education (CIE)
University of Sussex
m.novelli@sussex.ac.uk
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/cie/
Co-Director Research Consortium on Education and Peacebuilding
http://learningforpeace.unicef.org/partners/research-consortium/
Principal Investigator: Education sector governance, inequality, conflict and peacebuilding in Kenya and South Sudan
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/education/cie/projects/current/kenyasudan
Dr. Bina Patel
Conflict Resolution Specialist
La Vida Conflict Resolution Centre
binapatel33@gmail.com
Alicia Piechowiak, M.A.
PhD student and Course Lecturer, Concordia University
Teacher, English Montreal School Board
Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/alicia-piechowiak-m-a-850b9511a
Email: aliciaanna.piechowiak@mail.concordia.ca
Meriem Rebbani-Gosselin
PhD Candidate – Criminology
Université de Montréal, École de Criminologie
TSAS Network Junior Affiliate
Intervention and Prevention Coordinator
Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) - National Security Awareness Program
meriem.rebbani-gosselin@rcmp-grc.gc.ca
Diana Rice
Coordinator at the Dawson College Peace Centre
Dawson College
drice@dawsoncollege.qc.ca
www.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/peace-centre
Dr. Cécile Rousseau (MD)
Director General of Coordination & Research and Clinical Psychiatrist at the Montreal Children’s Hospital (Transcultural Psychiatry clinic)
SHERPA Research & McGill University
cecile.rousseau@mcgill.ca
Dr. Lynette Shultz
Professor, Director for the Centre for Global Citizenship Education and Research
Associate Dean International, Faculty of Education
University of Alberta
lshultz@ualberta.ca
Dr. Jeremy Stoddard
College of William & Mary
Associate Professor and Chair of Curriculum and Instruction
jdstod@wm.edu
Hicham Tiflati Ph.D. (c) (UQÀM)
Associate Researcher: Canadian Foreign Fighters (Waterloo University)
Co-investigator: Educational Trajectories of Radicalized Females (McGill University)
Project Coordinator: New Muslim Public Spheres in the Digital Age (SSHRC-UQÀM)
hicham.tiflati@gmail.com
Crystina Wyler
President & Founder Art Transforms Conflict
Email: cw@ArtTransformsConflict.org
Website: www.ArtTransformsConflict.org
Twitter: Crystina Wyler@ATC_Transforms
Mahad Yusuf
Executive Director
Midaynta Community Services
1992 Yonge Street, Suite #203
Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1Z8
mahad@midaynta.com
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Symposium Guide
Introduction
We look forward to welcoming you to Montréal, Concordia and the Symposium on September 25-27, 2017. In this guide you will find information on:
· The venue
· Accommodation
· Transportation
· Activities and extras
· Things to do in Montreal
· Location and Agenda
Venue Information
Location
The symposium will be held at Concordia University 1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. West in the Hall Building, room H-767. (See below for maps of the area.) There are escalators that will take you to the 7th floor (fastest way) or you may take the elevator located behind the escalators.
Session Type and Format
There will be three panels on each of the symposium days. Duration of each panel will be 90 minutes. Each presenter will be allocated a maximum of fifteen minutes to present an overview of her/his paper. Small and large group discussion of all presented papers will follow in the time remaining. To allow adequate time for group discussion, please limit your presentation to fifteen minutes.
Breaks and Lunch
Each session will be followed by a brief coffee and bio-break.
We will make reservations for lunch on September 25, 26, and 27 at a nearby well-priced restaurant. However, due to budget constraints, delegates are expected to pay for their individual orders.
Equipment
The symposium venue is equipped with data projectors. There will be a laptop available at the symposium hall. However, delegates may want to bring their own laptop computers. If you are a Mac user, please be sure to bring the correct Mac VGA adaptor. Audio/Video facilities will also be available in session rooms.
Internet access
Wireless Internet access will be available to symposium delegates, details on how to access will be provided at the symposium reception desk.
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Accommodation Information
Arriving in Montreal
If you are arriving by air, you will be landing at the Pierre Elliot Trudeau Airport which is about 20-30 minutes from the symposium hotel.
If you arriving by train you will be arriving at Gare Centrale from where you can take a cab (about 10 minutes: $5-7 depending on the time of the day) or use the Metro to Lucien L’Allier station on the Orange Line or the Green Line to Guy-Concordia station (about 10 minutes). A map of Montreal metro can be found below and at http://www.stm.info/en/info/networks/metro
Getting to the Hotel
To get from the airport to the Nouvel Hotel a taxi will cost you $40 + tip. The symposium hotel does not offer shuttle services. However, if you are traveling light, the public bus is very quick (45-60 minutes) in fact often quicker than a taxi.
The 747 Express will drop you off at Bishop and Rene Levesque which is three blocks (5 min.) from the hotel. You can find a schedule and map at http://www.admtl.com/sites/default/files/2015_747_A.pdf. Bus tickets need to be purchased from ground transportation before boarding for $10. Tickets can also be purchased on board using exact change in coins.
From Le Nouvel Hotel to Symposium Venue
Le Nouvel is about a 10 minute walk from the symposium venue (see map below).
Things to do in Montréal
Virtual Touristhttp://www.virtualtourist.com/travel/North_America/Canada/ Province_of_Quebec/Montreal-906413/TravelGuide-Montreal.html
15 things to do in Montrealhttp://www.amontrealerabroad.com/15-things-to-do-in-montreal/
Free things to do in Montrealhttp://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/city-guides/free-montreal-traveler/
Montreal’s 375th BirthdayThere are many events happening in Montreal to celebrate their 375th birthday which include:
1. Revolution : « You say you want a revolution »
From June 17th to October 9th - Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. When the youth wanted to change the world, the youth of Québec embraced the times. This immersive exhibition from the prestigious Victoria and Albert Museum, London, uniquely presented by the MMFA, comes to Montréal just in time to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Expo 67. Peace!
2. AURA
Until December 31 - Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal
Notre-Dame Basilica of Montréal
A luminous experience in the heart of the Basilica
Light, orchestral music and grandiose architecture combine to create a unique, three-act multimedia spectacle. Allow yourself to be transported by AURA and discover an unexpected, stunning universe presented upon one of the most sublime canvases imaginable: the Notre-Dame Basilica.
3. Cité Mémoire
From May 10th - Old Montréal en Histoires Cité Mémoire, an outdoor projection circuit unfold throughout Old Montréal
Cité Mémoire is a creation by Michel Lemieux and Victor Pilon, in collaboration with Michel Marc Bouchard loosely inspired by the history of Montreal. The work invites you to meet a host of characters who’ve witnessed the city’s evolution first-hand through a series of over twenty nighttime tableaux.
Cité Mémoire's Grand Tableau (Champ-de-Mars Metro) is presented every evening after dusk
Each hour on the hour.
4. Mode Expo 67
March 17th to October 1st - Musée McCord
Mode Expo 67
Expo 67 offered an extraordinary showcase for Montréal’s fashion designers. Fifty years later, the McCord Museum unveils its magnificent collection of clothes and accessories as well as its Expo archives. Here’s your chance to see more than 60 costumes, flight attendant outfits from different countries and provinces and designer clothes from names such as Marielle Fleury, Michel Robichaud, Jacques de Montjoye, Serge et Réal as well as John Warden. Sketches, breathtaking photos and testimonials by people who were at this amazing encounter give it a definitely retro twist!
5. Expo 67: The Place to Be From June 9th until October 15th - Outdoor exhibition on McGill College Avenue- McCord Museum. Montreal’s Universal and International Exhibition, which ran from April 27 to October 29, 1967, was a unique event in the history of Canada and remains an unforgettable memory for those who saw it. Jean-Louis Frund’s photographs capture the spectacular architecture of the various pavilions and conjure the excitement of this magical place, whose islands were summoned from out the St. Lawrence for the occasion by the project’s engineers. Walk through the installation of 24 photographs by Jean-Louis Frund on McGill College and feel the atmosphere of the Expo 67 site!
6. La Balade pour la Paix: An Open-Air Museum
June 5th to October 29th, 2017 - On Sherbrooke street, between the Museum of Fine Arts and the McCord Museum. Designed and organized by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts. Sherbrooke Street turns into an open-air museum, inviting everyone to join in a walk for peace through 72 works reflecting the spirit of Expo67.
Created by the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, this major international art exhibition will showcase 72 works carrying a message of peace and reflecting the universal values of humanism, tolerance and openness that inspired the creation of Expo67. In addition to commemorating the 50th anniversary of Expo67 and Montréal’s 375th, this open-air exhibition will mark Canada’s 150th.
7. Literary Saint Denis
June 15 to December 31st - Rue Saint-Denis, entre les rues Roy et Gilford. Using the built environment as a place for culture, textual sequences are fit into the urban fabric. The works are done by plateau artists and will be featured on different installations in public spaces, both those that will be specially-designed for the occasion as well as on existing environments
8. KM3
From August 30th to October 15th - Quartier des spectacles
The Quartier des Spectacles Partnership presents a large-scale art walk, from August 30 to October 15, 2017. The event features more than 20 original pieces and permanent art work, in the visual arts, digital arts, design and architecture, to be displayed outdoors on building walls, in public squares and at several unconventional sites within the Quartier des Spectacles.
The majority of the works will be created specifically for KM3. Whether participatory, immersive, playful, digital or contemplative, they will transform the way Montrealers and visitors see the city.