Advanced Institute for Globalization and Culture, Highlights of Dr. Mark Kingwell

Mark Kingwell, one of Canada's best-known public intellectuals presents the inaugural lecture of Lakehead Universitys Advanced Institute for Globalization and Culture (the aig+c or 'agency'). Kingwell's work has appeared in such venues as the Globe & Mail, The Walrus, and Harper's Magazine.

Founded to provide a platform for research topics such as the roles that culture plays as inspiration, challenge, and economic stimulus, the aig+c is very pleased to host Mark Kingwell. With his new book, Concrete Reveries: Consciousness and The City, Mark Kingwell is a fitting speaker to open the celebration of a new institute devoted to urban life.

According to Dr. Todd Dufresne, Co-director and Senior Research Fellow of the aig+c, globalization encompasses the social, cultural, and economic shifts that are characteristic of late or advanced capitalism.

In practical terms, there really is no aspect of contemporary life that is untouched by globalization. What this means is that the fate of people in Northwestern Ontario is bound to the fates of people all over the world. Thunder Bay is just as meaningful and rich an urban space as any city, says Dufresne.

The role of the urban environment in shaping a sense of identity is the subject of Kingwell's upcoming presentation. No room is just a space; it is always a place we are entering, occupying, or exiting, says Kingwell. Cities shape us, and we shape them. How does the urban environment help to mould our notions of ourselves, define the limits of social and political engagement, and inform our moral obligations as citizens? These important questions are deserving of consideration.

His presentation, Concrete Reveries: Consciousness + The City, took place on January 30, 2009. The event included a meet & greet and book signing.

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