Welcome to our Online Conference Webpage for English 470: Canadian Literature. Here you can find our research on Neoliberalism and how its intersection with the World Wide Web is impacting and reshaping Canadian literature. Our primary inspiration is Herb Wyile’s article Neoliberalism and the Future of Canadian Literature which can be found in the journal, Canadian Literature.
Our interest in this topic is two-fold. Firstly, a country’s market economy is a driving force in what is deemed “relevant” and “important” – Canada being no exception. Literature, as with any product created for consumers, is shaped by this factor that is increasingly being dominated by neoliberalist policies. Secondly, we are interested in this topic because the World Wide Web has become a driving force for changes in Literature. It is both shaped by the economy and provides a new platform for literature. We are interested in finding out how this fairly new technology combines with the economy in affecting literature in Canada. Take a look at our About Page to learn more!
We are looking forward to future discussions!
Maryam Baksh, Nicole Galloway, Julia Hofmann, and Courtney Lee
mgrieve
April 11, 2016 — 8:40 pm
Hello Maryam, Nicole, Julia and Courtney!
Your website looks great! I am very intrigued by your team’s research interests and intervention proposal for the upcoming online conference.
It’s funny that – with all the focus in this course on historical literature, and of the forces that shaped the field of Canadian Literature as we know it – I have not really ever stopped to consider what Canadian Lit will look like in the future, not how various factors come into play in the shaping of it. Therefore, I find your groups’s focus on the ties between neoliberalism and digital domains fascinating. As a geography student, I find many of our human geography courses tend to focus on the neoliberal impact on human space and place – however, I haven’t really encountered this idea in connection with literature studies.
Theeconomics of literature production is another area that I know little of, but am incredibly fascinated by (I did learn a little bit about Victorian era publishing this year, and am wondering whether connections can be drawn between the publishing innovations of that era and its impacts and the publishing climate of today).
I look forward to reading about your group’s progress in the future!
– Merriam
Sierra Gale
April 11, 2016 — 10:41 pm
I’m so excited you’ve decided to focus on Wyile’s piece, it was one of my favorites! I agree that it is very important to try and better understand the impact our economic system has on what type of literature is published, and by whom. I am curious to see what you find in regards to the topics we’ve been discussing throughout the semester. Your desire to look into how a neoliberal system impacts the publication of marginalized groups is an area that I look forward to reading about. I am also hoping to learn more about how literature in Canada, a country I see as increasingly embracing neoliberal values, will be able to ‘make room’ for, or open itself up to finding Chamberlin’s “common ground,” when neoliberal values are so strongly based in the historically European value system.
Danielle Dube
April 11, 2016 — 10:45 pm
HI Guys,
I’m really looking forward to your conference topic as I believe the World Wide Web has had such a large impact on how people tell their stories. This includes both positive and negative stories and I am intrigued by the point you make regarding the small voice of Canada in relation to other countries. I’m interested to see if there are ways that we can make sure those quieter voices have a chance to be heard. I’m looking forward to some great dialogue.
Danielle
neiabalao
April 12, 2016 — 12:42 am
Hey guys!
I’m excited to hear what your group has to say about neoliberalism and how it intersects with the world wide web! Frankly, my understanding of how neoliberal systems impact the cultivation of marginalized peoples is one that I am not the most familiar with, so I am quite curious about this particular area, and look forward to learning about it through your analysis. In particular, I’m definitely interested in reading about your research and assertions regarding the large impact that the world wide web has had, and continues to have on shaping Canadian literature! Developing a more in-depth comprehension of how the huge impact that the web has in shaping and reshaping many facets of our lives is something that has always been fascinating to me; I, along with many others, tend to overlook the power that the world wide web has in impacting a variety of avenues, especially the way in which we understand Canadian Literature, so I think this topic is one that is immensely relevant, and your discussion on this is one that I will be looking most forward to! 🙂
CarmellGolnick
April 12, 2016 — 8:39 pm
Hello Maryam, Nicole, Julia, and Courtney;
I also enjoyed Wyile’s intervention and even suggested it to my own group. We decided to go with Coleman’s piece, but I’m glad that another group decided to tackle this particular topic. The advent of the internet has created an undeniable sea change in terms of accessibility to Canadian literature, and I’m curious to see what you discover. I’m an avid political junkie as well, so I’m interested to see how the market economy plays a part in the accessibility of Canadian literature, and what types of literature the market economy favours. An interesting perspective! I’m looking forward to engaging with you all.
Carmell
CaitRobson
April 12, 2016 — 9:06 pm
Hi everyone!
I am excited that you guys chose this topic as the world wide web has such an extreme impact on how literature is written, produced, and distributed. One of the first blog posts we had assigned pertained to this www topic and it was my favorite one this semester. In regards to Canada’s market economy, I am intrigued to read your research. I have never thought about this before and it will be interesting to understand how the country’s market economy is a driving force for literature. You guys have such a large topic with unlimited resources and I really look forward to reading what you guys come up with!
Cait 🙂
Beatrice Lew
April 12, 2016 — 9:57 pm
Hi Maryam, Nicole, Julia, and Courtney
Your team has chosen such a pertinent and worthwhile topic! In this day and age, anybody can post anything on the internet but that doesn’t guarantee that they will be heard. As someone hoping to pursue a career in English education in the 21st century, I will undoubtedly be incorporating online resources into my courses. I’m excited to learn more about how the neoliberalism of the WWW has impacted and redefined our national literary canon, especially in regards to how technology and the internet “affect the ways we teach, learn, and research literature in Canada.”
Thanks,
Bea
KarenFang
April 13, 2016 — 10:31 pm
Hi Maryam, Nicole, Julia, and Courtney,
I really like your research topic on World Wide Web and how it impact and reshape Canadian literature. It is definitely evident that technology and online sources has played an significant role in how we write and distribute it. I believe there will be a lot great discussion on this topic because our society is heavily focused on the idea of the internet- world wide web and intersecting it with the idea of Neoliberalism is really relevant to the present day. Looking forward in following up with your research.. Thanks!!!
Warm regards,
Karen