CFP: Symposium on Labour and the Environment

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Simon Fraser University
4th Annual Voices in Labour Studies Speaker Series
Symposium on Labour and the Environment

Feb. 11-13, 2027
Simon Fraser University Centre Downtown
Vancouver, British Columbia

‘‘The first premise of all human history is, of course, the existence of living, human individuals. Thus, the first fact to be established is the physical organization of these individuals and their consequent relation to the rest of nature.’’ – Karl Marx and Frederich Engels, The German Ideology

Encouraged by ongoing, fruitful contributions to the hybrid field of labour and environmental studies, we are organizing a three-day symposium on the ways those areas have been, are now, and could be brought together, ranging across time and varying by geographic scope. The first evening of the symposium will feature a keynote speaker on “Working-Class Environmentalism,” followed by a day-long set of paper presentations, and concluding with a final guided morning session.

The primary aim of the gathering is to assemble a group of two dozen key scholars from various disciplines to address the dual theme of labour and environment. The secondary aim is to draw enough quality participation for a planned ‘special section’ in the journal Labour/Le Travail. With both goals in mind, presenters should be willing and able to share a full paper draft with all other participants ahead of time.

If you are interested in making a presentation as an individual, please submit a professional c.v. of no more than two pages as well as a paper abstract of no more than 350 words. If you are planning to participate as a part of a panel, please submit c.v.’s and abstracts for each paper as well as a group abstract of no more than 250 words. These materials should be sent by email to John-Henry Harter (jhharter@sfu.ca) and Chad Montrie (chad_montrie@uml.edu) by September 1, 2026.

Current symposium sponsors include:
Labour Studies at Simon Fraser University as well as the Canadian Committee on Labour History

Feature Image: “Report of the Conference on Jobs and Environment/Rapport de la Conference sur Les Emplois et L’Environnement – 1978.  Michigan State University.”
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Heather Green

Heather Green is an assistant professor in the Department of History at Saint Mary's University. She is interested in the intersections of environmental and Indigenous histories, histories of Indigenous and Settler Relations, and mining history, particularly in the Canadian North. You can connect with her on twitter @heathergreen21.

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