In the mid-1970s, the Symons Report offered a foundational examination of how Canada was studied and understood within Canadian universities. While its influence was profound, many of the core questions it raised—about identity, environment, Indigenous peoples, gender, race, culture, and Canada’s place in the world—remain unresolved. In the decades since, scholars have significantly reshaped Canadian Studies through feminist theory, social history, critical race studies, Indigenous scholarship, and globalized approaches to area studies. Yet institutional pressures, shifting public attitudes toward the humanities and social sciences, and structural challenges within post-secondary education have brought the field to a critical inflection point.

This symposium responds to that moment by convening established scholars, emerging researchers, undergraduate and graduate students, and participants from adjacent fields to collectively reimagine what Canadian Studies might become—and how it can be renewed in sustainable and meaningful ways. Drawing on the field’s longstanding interdisciplinary tradition, the event foregrounds dialogue, collaboration, and mentorship rather than conventional conference paper presentations.

Format

The program is organized around an “unconference” model designed to maximize participation and open exchange. Three interactive workshops—focused on the broad themes of foundations, lands, and peoples—will be facilitated by leading Canadian Studies scholars and sparked by discussion-provoking idea briefs prepared by emerging scholars. These workshops will use a format that allows participants from the wider audience to enter the conversation and shape the direction of discussion.

A major feature of the day will be a large roundtable bringing together scholars with experience as Canadian Studies Centre Directors, Presidents of the Canadian Studies Network–Réseau d’études canadiennes, and Presidents of the International Council for Canadian Studies. This session will explore the challenges and opportunities facing Canadian Studies from local, national, and international perspectives. Participants will be invited to balance critique—what has not worked or is no longer working—with imagination—what Canadian Studies could become in different institutional and global contexts. A substantial portion of the roundtable will be devoted to open dialogue with attendees, focused on sketching practical steps for institutional renewal.

Objectives

Four core objectives guide the symposium:

1. to create space for open-ended dialogue about reimagining Canadian Studies;
2. to identify strategies for sustaining the field within and beyond existing institutional structures;
3. to foster mentoring relationships between established and emerging scholars; and
4. to develop a knowledge mobilization plan, including a follow-through task force to support implementation beyond the event itself.

By emphasizing inclusivity, interdisciplinarity, and actionable outcomes, Yet To Know Ourselves seeks not only to take stock of where Canadian Studies has been, but to help chart where it might go next. The symposium aims to inspire renewed commitment to understanding Canada in all its complexity—while building the relationships, ideas, and institutional pathways needed to ensure the field’s continued relevance and vitality.