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History, Memory, Grief: A 30th Air India Anniversary Conference
2016 John Douglas Taylor Conference: May 6-7, 2016, McMaster Innovation Park
Supervisor:Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty, Department of English and Cultural Studies
Student Practicum Position:
Interviewer for the creation of a video archive related to the 30th anniversary of the Air India tragedy (1 position)
Position Description:
- prepare interview questions,in consultation with the conference organizers, that aim tocapture some aspects of theconference participants’ experiences with the Air India tragedy and its aftermath as well asexperiences with/in the conference itself, and to simultaneously archive some of the community-engaged scholarly practice of the conference
- consult with conference participants about individuals’ willingness to be interviewed, accommodations required for interviews, and available times for interviewing during the conference
- prepare a schedule of interviews to be carried out during the conference and book venues for interviews
- prepare brief bios of participants for inclusion in the Air India digital archive(hosted by the Sherman Center for Digital Scholarship, Mills Library)
- liaise with representatives from the Sherman Center to gather information about the procedures and requirements for contributing a video archive to the center’s collection
- gather information about technical requirements for carrying out the interviews including what equipment will be required, and where and how to access that equipment on campus or liaise with a professional videographer (identified by the conference organizers)
- interview conference participants (if available May 6-7; if not, work on the preparation only)
- assist in editing and uploading interviews, and transcribing interviews (if available in May 2016)
Conference Description (excerpt):
In the June 23rd, 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, 329 people, mostly Indo-Canadians, died. It prompted the longest and most expensive criminal investigations in Canadian history, a belated public inquiry that declared the bombing “a Canadian Tragedy” (in 2010), and the Canadian government’s public apology on the 25th anniversary of the bombing for “institutional failings” and the mistreatment of families. Yet, as ShereneRazack noted in her expert witness testimony at the Air India public inquiry, “Canadians do not recall June 23, 1985. As a nation, we were not shaken, transformed and moved to change our own institutional practices for a tragedy we considered had little to do with us.” Using the Air India tragedy as a framing narrative, this conference seeks to prompt a broader conversation about the making of race and nation in Canada, Canadian history and public memory, South Asian racialization and belonging in North America, aesthetic responses to violence, and memorialization practices, among others. Situating the Air India tragedy within local, national and transnational contexts and temporalities, we hope to raise more widespread awareness of the Air India tragedy and its continuing impact on our shared present and future.
The conference will create a space for dialogue and facilitate exchange of knowledge between Humanities and Social Science scholars; between scholars and cultural producers; and between scholars, creative artists, Air India family members, and the general public about this critical event in Canadian history. Confirmed participants include ShereneRazack and Stef Craps (plenary speakers), LataPada (dance performance and talk on personal loss), Susheel Gupta (Chairperson, Air India Victims Family Association), and creative artists Padma Viswanathan and Renée Saklikar (on the remembrance of the Air India events in creative writing).
History, Memory, Grief: A 30th Air India Anniversary Conference
2016 John Douglas Taylor Conference: May 6-7, 2016, McMaster Innovation Park
Supervisor: Dr. Chandrima Chakraborty, Department of English and Cultural Studies
Student Practicum Position:
Website developer for the 2016 John Douglas Taylor Conference (1 position)
Position Description:
- create an open-access website for the 2016 John Douglas Taylor Conference entitled “History, Memory, Grief: A 30th Air India Anniversary Conference”
- maintain and update the website
- in collaboration with conference organizers, develop and uploadcontent pertaining to conference details (logistics, program, etc.)
- in collaboration with conference organizers, gather and upload the academic, community, and government/ public resources that relate to the Air India tragedy
Conference Description (excerpt):
In the June 23rd, 1985 bombing of Air India Flight 182, 329 people, mostly Indo-Canadians, died. It prompted the longest and most expensive criminal investigations in Canadian history, a belated public inquiry that declared the bombing “a Canadian Tragedy” (in 2010), and the Canadian government’s public apology on the 25th anniversary of the bombing for “institutional failings” and the mistreatment of families. Yet, as ShereneRazack noted in her expert witness testimony at the Air India public inquiry, “Canadians do not recall June 23, 1985. As a nation, we were not shaken, transformed and moved to change our own institutional practices for a tragedy we considered had little to do with us.” Using the Air India tragedy as a framing narrative, this conference seeks to prompt a broader conversation about the making of race and nation in Canada, Canadian history and public memory, South Asian racialization and belonging in North America, aesthetic responses to violence, and memorialization practices, among others. Situating the Air India tragedy within local, national and transnational contexts and temporalities, we hope to raise more widespread awareness of the Air India tragedy and its continuing impact on our shared present and future.
The conference will create a space for dialogue and facilitate exchange of knowledge between Humanities and Social Science scholars; between scholars and cultural producers; and between scholars, creative artists, Air India family members, and the general public about this critical event in Canadian history. Confirmed participants include ShereneRazack and Stef Craps (plenary speakers), LataPada (dance performance and talk on personal loss), Susheel Gupta (Chairperson, Air India Victims Family Association), and creative artists Padma Viswanathan and Renée Saklikar (on the remembrance of the Air India events in creative writing).