Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Internal use Application for a Grant 488127 Identification This page will be made available to selection committee members and external assessors. Funding opportunity Insight Development Grant Grant type (Strategic Grants only) Individual Application title The Aesthetics of Reconciliation in Canada Applicant family name Applicant given name Initials Martin Keavy K Org. code Full name of applicant's organization and department 1480111 University of Alberta English and Film Studies Org. code Full name of administrative organization and department 1480111 University of Alberta English and Film Studies Scholar type Regular New Research Field If New, specify category 1 2 3 4 43001 Does your proposal require a multidisciplinary adjudication? Yes No Does your proposal involve human beings as research subjects? If "Yes", consult the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans and submit your proposal to Yes No your organization’s Research Ethics Board. Does your proposal involve activity that requires a permit, licence, or approval under any federal statute; Yes No or physical interaction with the environment? If 'Yes', complete Appendices A and B. Year 1 Year 2 Total Total funds requested from SSHRC 36,488 37,002 73,490 (from page 6) Personal information will be stored in the Personal Information Bank for the appropriate program. Application WEB 2011/01/28 Page 1 PROTECTED WHEN COMPLETED Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Family name, Given name Martin, Keavy Participants List names of your team members (co-applicants and collaborators) who will take part in the intellectual direction of the research. Do not include assistants, students or consultants. Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Kalbfleisch Elizabeth C Org. code Full organization name 1240911 Concordia University Department/Division name Art History Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Diamond Beverley Org. code Full organization name 1100111 Memorial University of Newfoundland Department/Division name Music / Folklore Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials McKegney Sam W Org. code Full organization name 1350811 Queen's University Department/Division name English Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Gilbert Helen M. Org. code Full organization name 9121302 Royal Holloway University of London Department/Division name Drama & Theatre Studies Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Dueck Byron R Org. code Full organization name 9121387 Royal Northern College of Music Department/Division name Academic Studies Personal information will be stored in the Personal Information Bank for the appropriate program. Application WEB Page 2 PROTECTED WHEN COMPLETED Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Family name, Given name Martin, Keavy Participants (cont'd) Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Sinclair Niigonwedom J.M. Org. code Full organization name 1590111 The University of British Columbia Department/Division name English Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Robinson Dylan W Org. code Full organization name 1350911 University of Toronto Department/Division name Faculty of Music Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Org. code Full organization name Department/Division name Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Org. code Full organization name Department/Division name Role Co-applicant Collaborator Family name Given name Initials Org. code Full organization name Department/Division name Personal information will be stored in the Personal Information Bank for the appropriate program. Application WEB Page 2.1 PROTECTED WHEN COMPLETED Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Family name, Given name Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Martin, Keavy Research Activity The information provided in this section refers to your research proposal. Keywords List keywords that best describe your proposed research or research activity. Separate keywords with a semicolon. Reconciliation; residential schools; aesthetics; performance; cross-cultural collaboration Priority Areas - Priority area most relevant to your proposal. Aboriginal Research Disciplines Indicate and rank up to 5 disciplines that best correspond to your proposal. Rank Code Discipline If "Other", specify Multidisciplinary and Interdisciplinary 1 50822 Arts Literature, Other Canadian - Literary 2 52516 Theory Other Fine Arts Performance Studies 3 50899 4 5 Areas of Research Indicate and rank up to 3 areas of research related to your proposal. Rank Code Area 1 240 Indigenous peoples 2 100 Arts and culture 3 320 Politics and government Temporal Periods If applicable, indicate up to 2 historical periods covered by your proposal. From To Year Year BC AD BC AD 1876 2013 Personal information will be stored in the Personal Information Bank for the appropriate program. Application WEB Page 3 PROTECTED WHEN COMPLETED Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Family name, Given name Martin, Keavy Research Activity (cont'd) Geographical Regions If applicable, indicate and rank up to 3 geographical regions covered by or related to your proposal. Duplicate entries are not permitted. Rank Code Region 1 1120 Central Canada 2 1130 Western Canada 3 1140 Northern Canada Countries If applicable, indicate and rank up to 5 countries covered by or related to your proposal. Duplicate entries are not permitted. Rank Code Country Prov./ State 1 1100 CANADA 2 5407 SOUTH AFRICA 3 1200 UNITED STATES 4 5 Personal information will be stored in the Personal Information Bank for the appropriate program. Application WEB Page 4 PROTECTED WHEN COMPLETED Social Sciences and Humanities Conseil de recherches en Research Council of Canada sciences humaines du Canada Family name, Given name Martin, Keavy Summary of Proposed Research The summary of your research proposal should indicate clearly the problem or issue to be addressed, the potential contribution of the research both in terms of the advancement of knowledge and of the wider social benefit, etc. From sponsoring national events that include cultural revitalization workshops, storytelling and large-scale performances, to allowing residential school survivors to submit art, stories, and music that express their experience, artistic practices form an essential component of Canada's Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC). While important scholarly contributions have already examined the political and social contexts of reconciliation and redress, our proposed project will be the first of its kind to examine the role that the arts play in the culture of reconciliation in Canada. As scholars of Indigenous literature, music, theatre, the visual arts, and dance, we will investigate the aesthetics of reconciliation as it is embodied in the artistic performances commissioned or inspired by the TRC. This project comes at a time when Canadians have been required to confront the history of residential schools and to think about the meaning of reconciliation with Aboriginal people. Our contention is that art, with its ability to compel audiences, to mediate traumatic experience, and even to gloss over political divides, plays a complex and crucial role in this process. Our project compares the aesthetic production of reconciliation and redress as it emerges in three contexts: those artistic practices that are a part of the TRC's national events staged in each region of Canada, commemorative events and artworks developed independently by First Peoples but initiated by the TRC, and artistic presentations that emerge independently in non-TRC related festivals of Indigenous performance. Toward this aim, and with the benefit of the wide-ranging artistic expertise of our collaborators, we will undertake fieldwork at these sites and develop the necessary theoretical frameworks by which to understand how the aesthetics of different artistic forms (narrative art, music, dance, theatre, film) elide, enable and affirm particular facets of reconciliation. Theoretically, our research will draw upon a range of aesthetic theory and on prior work regarding national projects of reconciliation and redress to examine how the material, aural, kinetic and tactile makeup of reconciliation is constructed. Over the next two years, the TRC will stage five national events, and have two rounds of commemorative project commissions (totaling $20 million). Our project is requesting funding to support our travel to the TRC's national events, commemorative events and two festivals that can only be engaged with by our team during the next two years. In studying these events, we will ascertain how artistic performances contribute to---or perhaps even govern---the process of reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Canadians. Through collaborative research, we will seek to better understand both the positive benefits of the arts in processes of reconciliation, and ask challenging questions about the limits. Do artworks provide a more manageable way to process the attendant pain which is beyond communication for both survivors submitting