Resilience, Mattering & Belonging: Interdisciplinary Approaches to Mental Health and Well-Being
Conference Program: Conference program
Contact: tifa@humber.ca
Conference Date: September 27-28, 2024
Conference Fee: $250.00 (includes some meals, snacks, and a reception)
Location: Harbourfront Centre, Toronto
Harbourfront Centre Maps: Site Map, Main Building Level 1, Main Building Level 2
Hosts: Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences (FLAS) and the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA)
Keynote: Regulating Emotions in an Apocalyptic Time
In 2024, we are faced with a variety of existential threats: disease, conflict, climate change, state violence, and the zombie-like return of many of the 20th century's worst political tendencies. The psychological impact of these threats is considerable. This is not the first time we have been faced with such threats, of course. The stand-off of the Cold War trapped millions in the crosshairs of nuclear warheads and raised the possibility that any random moment on any unremarkable day could be their last. Because intercepting ICBMs was an impossibility at the time, there were two main responses from American and Canadian governments. First, there was a public push towards the exercising of emotional management. Second, massive bunkers were dug into the ground to try to ensure the survival of senior government officials and gold.
In 2023, the hosts of The Uncover Up and My Nuclear Life podcasts conducted a thought experiment. What would happen if a nuclear war broke out? Would emotional management techniques be effective? Was civil defence possible? What would it be like to survive the first wave of destruction in a bunker? To answer these questions, they filmed a documentary in the bowels of the "Diefenbunker" outside of Ottawa, Ontario, which will premiere at this year’s conference.
Our conference committee welcomes individual presentation proposals of 300 words, and panel proposals (3 people max) of 900 words, based on any of the above themes. This will be the tenth annual Humber@TIFA interdisciplinary conference held by Humber College’s Faculty of Liberal Arts & Sciences in association with the Toronto International Festival of Authors (TIFA), one of the most celebrated literary festivals in the world. TIFA is located at the Harbourfront Centre, one of downtown Toronto’s major cultural and artistic venues.
