To mark the recent publication of Penser les violences sexuelles (La Découverte, 2025), you are invited to a public discussion between philosopher and documentary filmmaker Marie Chartron (author of Penser les violences sexuelles) and journalist Maude Petel-Légaré (producer of the podcast Les enfants nés du viol) at the bookstore n’était-ce pas l’été on Friday, March 13, 2026, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., at 6792 Saint-Laurent Boulevard, Montreal, Quebec.

A phenomenon that cuts across all social circles, sexual violence has returned to the forefront of political and media debates in recent years thanks to various feminist movements (Agression non dénoncée in 2014, Me Too in 2017, Dis son nom in 2020, etc.) and certain high-profile trials (the Gomeshi case, the Rozon case, the Hockey Canada case, etc.). However, these debates often obscure the deeper issues at stake: far from being isolated acts, these acts of violence are part of a broader social structure. So how should we think about them? And how can we combat them?

Moderated by Cécile Gagnon (author of Existantes. Pour une philosophie féministe incarnée), this discussion will be an opportunity for the author to present her book and discuss ways of addressing sexual violence from a documentary and activist perspective.

The public discussion will follow a study day on “Penser les violences sexuelles comme injustice structurelle,” which will take place at the Université de Montréal on Thursday, March 12. For more information about the study day, click here.

This discussion is organized in partnership with the Centre de recherche en éthique (CRÉ) and is funded thanks to the generous contributions of the Department of Philosophy of the Université de Montréal, the Société québécoise de philosophie (SPQ), the Groupe de recherche interdisciplinaire en philosophie politique (GRIPP), the Réseau québécois en études féministes (RéQEF), the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Citizenship and Minorities (CIRCEM) and the Réseau perspectives féministes (RPF).

*N.B. Mediators will be present on site for the duration of the event. Please note that the event will take place in French.