Charles Taylor Lecture Series 2026 : Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University)

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When:
12 November 2026 – 13 November 2026 16 h 00 – 18 h 00
Where:
The 12, salle Leacock 232, McGill University; the 13, Cinema J.A. De Sève, Concordia University
Will Kymlicka

The 2026 Charles Taylor Lecture Series welcomes Will Kymlicka for two talks on “An Ethics of Membership for Diverse Societies.”

The series of conferences will take place at McGill and Concordia Universities:

  • “The Need for an Ethics of Membership” (November 12 at McGill from 4:00 – 6:00 pm – Leacock 232)
  • “Addressing the Pathologies of an Ethics of Membership” (November 13 at Concordia, 4 – 6 pm – Cinéma De Sève) – followed by a reception

Please let us know you will join us.

About the speaker

Will Kymlicka is the Canada Research Chair in Political Philosophy at Queen’s University, where he has taught since 1998. He has published eight books and over 200 articles, which have been translated into 32 languages, and has received several awards. His books include Contemporary Political Philosophy (1990; second edition 2002), Multicultural Citizenship (1995), which was awarded the Macpherson Prize by the Canadian Political Science Association, and the Bunche Award by the American Political Science Association, Multicultural Odysseys: Navigating the New International Politics of Diversity (2007), which was awarded the North American Society for Social Philosophy’s 2007 Book Award, Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rights (2011), co-authored with Sue Donaldson, and, most recently, Animals and the Rights to Politics (2025).

This series of conferences are co-organized by the GRIPP – Groupe interuniversitaire de recherche en philosophie politique, the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ), Concordia’s Social Justice Centre, the Stephen A. Jarislowsky Chair in Human Nature and Technology – McGill University and the Chaire UNESCO d’étude des fondements philosophiques de la justice et de la société démocratique at UQAM.

Thanks to our partners for helping with publicity: Le Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la diversité et la démocratie (CRIDAQ), The Institute for Research on Migration and Society (IRMS) at Concordia University, le Groupe de recherche sur les sociétés plurinationales (GRSP), the Center for the Study of Democratic Citizenship (CSDC) and the Collectif de recherche Action Politique et Démocratie (CAPED).

  • Work in Progress Workshop on Structural Injustice @ Salle C-7088, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, Université de Montréal

    9 h 30 – 17 h 00

    The Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ) is hosting the “Work in Progress Workshop on Structural Injustice,” a workshop for doctoral candidates and early-career researchers. It is organized by Ellena Thibaud-Latour (Université de Montréal) and Vojtěch Svěrák (University of Groningen and Charles University), a visiting researcher at the CRÉ.

    Thursday, October 22, 2026, 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
    Room C-7088, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, Université de Montréal

    Many of today’s urgent problems are structural in nature: homelessness, global poverty, climate change, worker exploitation, white supremacy, gender-based oppression. They cannot be reduced solely to reprehensible acts of identifiable actors; rather, they stem from social processes, norms and institutional devices with complex histories. The workshop welcomes contributions to ongoing debates on structural injustice and responsibility from all disciplines concerned with oppression and domination broadly understood.

    The workshop is held in English and follows a pre-read format: the texts will be shared with participants after registration.

    Registration is free but required: registration form.

    Program:

    9h30 – 10h00 : Coffee and welcome

    10h00 – 13h00 : MORNING SESSION

    13h00 – 14h00 : Lunch break

    14h00 – 17h00 : AFTERNOON SESSION

    • Robbie Dillon – The Pose-Digital Indian: Indigenous Cu/cure & Identity in the Age of Al
    • Ellena Thibaud-Latour – Obstacles to Action and Political Responsibility: Indifference and the Recurring Issue of Motivation in the Context of Structural lnjustice
    • Vojtěch Svěrák – Promoting Justice from Within: Political Responsibility and Institutional Activism

    17h00 : Drinks

    Organizers: Ellena Thibaud-Latour (ellena.thibaud-latour@umontreal.ca) and Vojtěch Svěrák (v.sverak@rug.nl).

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  • Animals and the Right to Politics (OUP 2025) @ SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation, Concordia University

    All day

    On Friday, October 30, 2026, a book workshop will be held on the latest book by Sue Donaldson (Queen’s University) and Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University), “Animals and the Right to Politics”, published by Oxford University Press in 2025.

    The event is supported by the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ), the Groupe de recherche en éthique environnementale et animale (GRÉEA), Concordia University’s Social Justice Centre, the Animals in Philosophy, Politics, Law and Ethics (APPLE) network and the Observatoire québécois de droit animalier (OQDA).

    The workshop is organized by Valéry Giroux (Université de Montréal), Virginie Simoneau-Gilbert (Queen’s University) and Christiane Bailey (Concordia University), as part of the activities of the CRÉ’s Environmental and Animal Ethics research axis. It will take place at the SHIFT Centre for Social Transformation, Concordia University. It will be structured around five short commentaries, followed by an open discussion with all participants. The commentators are:

    Food and drinks will be provided throughout the day.

    Space is limited. If you are interested in attending the workshop in person, please contact the co-organizer at virginie.simoneaugilbert@queensu.ca for further information.

    Schedule

    Friday, October 30, 2026

    9:00–9:30 – Welcome and introduction

    9:30–10:30 – COMMENTARY 1

    • Virginie Simoneau-Gilbert (Queen’s University): Animal Minds and Politics: Greta the Goat, Political Bees, and Other Challenges

    10:30–11:00 – BREAK

    11:00–12:00 – COMMENTARY 2

    12:00–13:00 – LUNCH

    13:00–14:00 – COMMENTARY 3

    14:00–15:00 – COMMENTARY 4

    15:00–15:30 – BREAK

    15:30–16:30 – COMMENTARY 5

    • Christiane Bailey (Concordia University): Governing with Animals: Towards Inclusive Zoopolities

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  • Why Don’t We See Animals? @ En ligne

    11 h 30 – 13 h 00

    The Quebec Observatory on Animal Law and Concordia University’s Social Justice Centre, in collaboration with the CRÉ, invite you to a research workshop (in English) entitled “Why Don’t We See Animals?”, to be held on Thursday, November 5, 2026, from 11:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., on Teams. The workshop will consist of a presentation of a work in progress, followed by commentary and discussion.

    Pablo P. Castelló (University of Denver) will present his chapter entitled “On the Conditions for Recognizing Animal Freedom.” The chapter examines the work of Alasdair Cochrane, specifically his book Animal Rights Without Liberation. It aims to bring animal worlds into view and to establish the conditions necessary for recognizing their moral and political status as members of shared communities.

    The presentation will be followed by a commentary from Angie Pepper (University of Roehampton).

    The session will be held virtually. Registration is free but required: register here to receive the Teams link.

    For more information click here.

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