"In an era where speed often dominates, our colleagues who have taken on the challenge of writing a book remind us of the unique insights and reflections that come from this dedicated pursuit," says Pascale Sicotte, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science.
Academic staff in Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science work hard to bring their exciting and valuable research to the world. Journal articles and opinion pieces constantly pour out of our walls, media outlets turn to our researchers as experts on various subjects, faculty members present at conferences worldwide throughout the year, and many books get published annually, some even receiving prestigious awards.
"In an era where speed often dominates, our colleagues who have taken on the challenge of writing a book remind us of the unique insights and reflections that come from this dedicated pursuit," says Pascale Sicotte, dean of the Faculty of Arts and Science.
Covering topics ranging from the Apostle Paul to the zest for adventure, here is a selection of books published by faculty members in 2023 and 2024.
Society & Culture
Ted Rutland, associate professor, Geography, Planning and Environment: Out to Defend Ourselves: A History of Montreal's First Haitian Street Gang, a collaboration between Rutland and Maxime Aurélien, the leader of the street gang les Bélangers, is a true story about Montréal’s crime world in the 1970s and 80s and the young Haitians who were living through this period.
Richard Foltz, professor, Religions and Cultures: Les Tadjiks: Persanophones d’Afghanistan, d’Ouzbékistan et du Tadjikistan presents, for the first time in French, the rich historical and cultural heritage of the Tajiks, a Persian-speaking people of Central Asia found primarily in Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Tajikistan.
Anna Kruzynski, professor, School of Community and Public Affairs: Quartier en lutte: Récits féministes et libertaires is an anthology of her writing that depicts two decades of activism in Montréal.
Greg M. Nielsen, professor, Sociology and Anthropology: Media Sociology and Journalism: Studies in Truth and Democracy raises important critiques about professional journalism and the role it needs to play to protect the fragility of democracy in a political climate increasingly driven by alt right populism.
Francine Tremblay, part-time instructor, Sociology and Anthropology: Self, Identity and Collective Action combines the theoretical groundings of George Herbert Mead, Han Joas, and Axel Honneth with Tremblay’s own activism to present an insightful overview of how to understand our selves and our collective potential.
Erin Elizabeth Lynch, senior fellow, Centre for Sensory Studies: Locative Tourism Applications: A Sensory Ethnography of the Augmented City looks at the growing field of locative apps through case studies from twelve cities and a deeper look at their value to tourists in Montreal and Christchurch, New Zealand.
Literature & Art
Warren Linds, associate professor, Applied Human Sciences and graduate program director, Masters in Human Systems Intervention: Workshop: The Art of Creative Inquiry, co-authored with Tony Gee, artistic director of Creation Myth Puppets, presents fundamental qualities of successful workshops and how they spurn inquiry.
Benoit Léger, professeur titulaire, Études françaises: L'étoile du nord: Le mystère éternel de Tom Thomson et de la femme qui l’aimait is Léger’s translation of Roy MacGregor’s definitive non-fiction account of iconic Canadian painter Tom Thomson.
Gillian Sze, assistant professor, English published three illustrated books: I Drew a Heart – a charming ode to favourite memories; The Little Green Envelope – a tale of the thirst for adventure; and When Sunlight Tiptoes – a celebration of everyday activities.
Jonathan Sachs, professor, English: Lord Byron: Selected Writings (part of the Oxford UP 21st-Century Authors series), edited with University of Virginia professor Andrew Stauffer, presents a thorough collection of Lord Byron’s work in chronological order, providing unique insights on the poet’s life.
Lian Duan, senior lecturer, Classics, Modern Languages and Linguistics: Art History, Narratology, and Twentieth-Century Chinese Art presents a new and thoroughly defended look at the interaction between Western influence and Chinese art.
Sophie Marcotte, professeure titulaire, Études françaises: Archiver le présent. Imaginaire de l'exhaustivité, co-authored with UQAM professor Bertrand Gervais, examines artistic and literary practices that challenge society’s instinct to digitally archive even the most mundane moments in everyday life.
Katherine McLeod, assistant professor, English: New Sonic Approaches in Literary Studies, a special issue of the quarterly journal English Studies in Canada, was co-edited by Jason Camlot, professor, English. The issue includes original writing from the two editors as well as other submissions.
Sprituality
André Gagné, professor and chair, Theological Studies: American Evangelicals for Trump: Dominion, Spiritual Warfare, and the End Times is a definitive overview of the American Evangelical movement and the political impact of the Neocharismatic-Pentecostal leaders on the political career of Donald Trump.
Marc des Jardins, associate professor and PhD graduate program director, Religions and Cultures: The Tradition of Everlasting Bön: Five Key Texts on Scripture, Tantra, and the Great Perfection is des Jardin’s translation of texts published between the eighth and 14th centuries that are central to Bön, an indigenous Tibetan religion with many similarities to Buddhism that is still practised today.
Matthew Anderson, affiliated facultly member, Theological Studies: Prophets of Love: The Unlikely Kinship of Leonard Cohen and the Apostle Paul finds surprising similarities between the two Jewish thinkers in their spirituality, countercultural perspectives, and impact on future generations.
Learn more about the variety of disciplines represented in the Faculty of Arts and Science.