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Conference Announcement "Towards a Democratic Cosmopolis: Diaspora, Citizenship, and Recognition" Interdisciplinary Conference York University Toronto, ON (Canada) 21-24 October 2009 __________________________________________________ The conference will provide a unique opportunity to understand the emerging cosmopolitan realities of contemporary Toronto and other cosmopolitan cities, such as London, New York, Honk Kong, Buenos Aires, and Paris. The changing dynamic of migrations and immigrations in cities like Toronto are essential for contextualizing discussions of citizenship, recognition, and identity. The conference will bring together interdisciplinary scholars to discuss and debate the values of ‘democratic cosmopolitanism’. One of the questions to be addressed by the conference is the extent to which members of resettled groups – both migrants/immigrants as well as their descendants – feel they are part of a larger community (eg., as Canadians) in electoral participation as well as other aspects of exercising citizenship. Furthermore, do those resettled in Toronto and other cities shape their identities and experience recognition as citizens in terms of a sense of "place" and belonging or does a new form of global citizenship arise as a consequence of multicentred Diasporas and does it need to be integrated into our understanding of an emerging cosmopolitanism? What kinds of identities have been formed, how connected are they to each other within a community of origin and resettlement, and how do they see themselves as fitting into a larger community? Do ethnocultural groups feel they are recognized? Does settlement and life in large cities help them in terms of available ethnic spaces and places and do broader societal values of a cosmopolitan nature promote a sense of belonging and inclusion? The conference will stimulate interdisciplinary intellectual and professional interaction and promote ongoing research interests and collaboration for those trying to understand how citizenship and identity come together in a very large metropolitan area. The conference will consider contemporary and historical aspects of the diasporas of groups in the Toronto area including Jews, Muslims, Africans, Italians, and many others who have migrated for a variety of reasons including economic opportunity, political (and other) persecution and so forth. The conference is part of the series of "Diaspora, Citizenship, and Recognition." For more information, please visit our conference website: http://www.yorku.ca/cosmop/ __________________________________________________ InterPhil List Administration: http://interphil.polylog.org Intercultural Philosophy Calendar: http://cal.polylog.org
