Honouring Migrant Women’s Stories through Film and Community-Engaged Scholarship
2025-05-09 15:00 - 16:30 (America/Toronto) | Hybrid – Zoom and room 142, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Join the webinar: https://cigionline-org.zoom.us/j/82434479876?pwd=[REDACTED]
The Annual Dr. Kerry Preibisch Global Social Justice and Migration Lecture Series is organized by the International Migration Research Centre, with a first edition in 2016. Dr. Kerry Preibisch was a prolific scholar in the area of social justice and migration, who died of cancer in January, 2016, at the height of her career. The objective of this annual memorial lecture is to add to the myriad ways that scholars and students can keep her research and vision of promoting migrants’ human rights alive into the future.
About the Speakers
Aaraón Díaz Mendiburo research health, education, employment, social representation, and intercultural relations issues of agricultural migrants in Canada, their families, and both their communities of origin and destination. As an independent documentary film maker, he has directed and produced Migrant Mother (2020), Matices “Temporary” Migration in Canada (2011) and Migrants: Those who come from within (2007). He is currently working on his fourth documentary about the activism against the cannabis stigma in North America.
Evelyn Encalada Grez is a transnational labour scholar and community-labour organizer committed to critical sociology and decolonial theories of knowledge production that centers diverse ways of knowing and precarious workers’ experiences within the margins of the global economy. She is the co-founder of the award winning collective, Justice for Migrant Workers, J4MW that has advocated for the rights of migrant farmworkers in Canada for two decades. Her research bridges grass-roots activism with academic scholarship and through this approach Dr. Encalada Grez has extensively documented the lives of Mexican migrant farmworker women who work and forge transnational livelihoods between rural Canada and rural Mexico.

Balsillie Graduates Reunion 2025
2025-05-22 19:00 - 21:00 | ON
Calling all BSIA grads! Join us for our third annual Balsillie Graduates Reunion! This year’s reunion will take place near the ByWard Market in Ottawa.
BSIA graduates are invited to an evening of conversation and networking. This is an opportunity to catch up with old friends, and network with fellow alumni, staff, faculty and friends of the School.
We will provide the venue address, parking information and other event details, once registered.
Ann Fitz-Gerald, BSIA Director, will provide welcome remarks at 7:30 pm. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be served.
We hope you will join us!
Register now to get your ticket(s).

Bridging Science, Policy, and Society: The Role of Science Diplomacy in an Era of Technological Change
2025-06-04 18:30 - 20:00 | Room 1-42, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Hosted by the German Center for Research and Innovation (DWIH) New York in conjunction with the 2025 ACUNS-UN Workshop on Emerging Technologies.
This event, co-organized by DWIH New York under the auspices of ACUNS, the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and Wilfrid Laurier University, brings together ACUNS-UN Workshop participants, scholars, policymakers, and professionals to discuss Science Diplomacy (SD) as a key driver for international collaboration in an era of rapid technological disruption. It will also serve as an opportunity to highlight the upcoming edited volume, Science Diplomacy in an Era of Technological Disruption which explores how emerging technologies—Artificial Intelligence (AI), Quantum Computing (QC), and biotechnology—are transforming diplomacy and international cooperation.
It underscores the transformative potential of science diplomacy in bridging global divides in a polarized world, the central role of multilateral and higher education institutions as key actors in science diplomacy, how public-private partnerships and corporate influence are reshaping international scientific governance, and the growing tension between national security concerns and open science collaboration in areas such as AI, space exploration, and climate policy.
Agenda
6:30 PM | Arrival & Networking
6:45 – 7:15 PM | Interactive Dialogue with Dr. Jan Lüdert, DWIH NY
7:15 PM – 7:30 PM | Q&A Session
7:30 PM – 8:00 PM | Reception & Networking

Navigating Science, Policy, and Innovation: Career Insights from DWIH New York
2025-06-05 08:30 - 11:00 | Room 1-43, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
As part of the ACUNS-UN Workshop, Dr. Jan Lüdert will lead a career-focused session, offering participants insights into alternative career pathways in science diplomacy and the work of DWIH New York in fostering international science collaboration.
Key Discussion Topics:
• DWIH New York’s Role in Science Diplomacy & Transatlantic Collaboration
• Exploring Careers at the Intersection of Science, Policy, and Innovation
• Public vs. Private Sector Roles in Science Diplomacy
• Academic Entrepreneurship & Startups: How Scientists Can Shape Policy & Industry
• Engaging in Science Diplomacy Through International Organizations

How to Deceive Diasporas on WeChat: An Australian Case Study
2025-06-16 11:00 - 12:30 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Alternative social media like WeChat mediate English news for diaspora communities in Australia, but domestic actors take advantage of this underregulated space to create misinformation campaigns. These campaigns are contextually unique to targets and technologies. We use a critical disinformation studies lens (Kuo and Marwick 2021) to report on how the Australian WeChat economy works for misinformation producers. Findings show how misinformation adapts to Australian contexts—where tax burdens, constitutional ambiguity, and colonial threats—are translated into culturally proximate frames for Chinese speakers. Regulatory responses to these tactics are currently wanting.
About the Speaker
Luke Heemsbergen looks at where emerging technologies meet society and intervenes to unsettle assumptions and rewire potentials for our shared digital futures. He co-leads Critical Digital Infrastructures and Interfaces group at Deakin University, is a member of the Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, and is a founder of CAVRN.org. Previously, he served at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Canada. His work on emerging tech appears in international and national media, including The New York Times, Wired, ABC Australia, and Australian Financial Review, as well as diverse academic presses. His recent book Radical Transparency and Digital Democracy is published by Emerald.

Leading with Radical Inclusion: Transforming Government Institutions Through Fair and Just Participation
2025-06-23 11:30 - 12:30 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 131, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
A speaker event highlighting current governance work by the Chief Minister and Chief Innovation Officer of the Government of Sierra Leone. His discussion will be centred around his book titled Radical Inclusion, where he shares Seven Steps to Help You Create a More Just Workplace, home and World.
About the Speaker
Dr. David Moinina Sengeh serves as the Chief Minister and the Chief Innovation Officer of the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone. As Chief Minister, his role is to serve as adviser to the President and Vice President, and to work with the other Ministries, Departments and Agencies to deliver on the Government’s agenda. Prior to his current appointment, Dr. Sengeh served as Sierra Leone’s Minister of Basic and Senior Secondary Education from 2019 to 2023.
Internationally, Dr. Sengeh has served as the Chair of the Advisory Board for UNESCO’s Global Education Monitoring Report and is a member of the executive committee of the Board of the Global Partnership for Education. He also served as co-chair of the technical committee for UNESCO’s High-Level Steering Committee for Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education, and served as chair of the advisory board for the 2022 Transforming Education Summit.
Dr. Sengeh has been recognized as a senior TED Fellow, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, an Obama Foundation Africa Leader, a National Geographic Explorer and in Forbes 30 Under 30 in Technology. Before joining the Sierra Leone Government in 2018, Dr. Sengeh was a Research Manager at IBM Research Africa, leading a healthcare team that designed and implemented AI-enabled systems for the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and management of disease.
Dr. Sengeh obtained his Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Biomechatronics where he developed award-winning technology for human augmentation in designing comfortable prosthetic interfaces. He attained his bachelor’s degree in Engineering Sciences from Harvard College.
Dr. Sengeh holds several patents and has published academic and popular articles across the fields of education, healthcare and augmentation, and artificial intelligence. He has spoken to audiences globally on topics related to digital governance, education, youth innovation and inclusion, prosthetics design, the fourth industrial revolution and more.
His first book “Radical Inclusion,” was published by MacMillan as part of Melinda French Gates and Flatiron Books’ Moment of Lift Books in May 2023.
Outside of his work duties, Dr. Sengeh is a husband, father of three, afrobeat rapper, clothing designer and sports enthusiast.

Transformative Technologies and the Governance of Undersea Cables: Securing Critical Infrastructure in a Fragmented World Using a Regional Seas Approach
2025-07-07 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Dr. Brendon Cannon’s research examines the growing security threats to undersea communication cables, which carry over 99% of global digital traffic and underpin transformative technologies like AI and quantum computing. Using expert surveys and interviews, Brendon has analyzed how vulnerability varies across regions, geopolitical tensions, and cable types. His current research project at BSIA expands this by adopting a “regional seas” approach, focusing on the Gulf of Guinea, Western Indian Ocean, and the Sea of Japan, to develop regionally tailored governance frameworks. This contributes to broader debates on technology governance by addressing how critical infrastructure can be secured amid geopolitical fragmentation.
About the Speaker
Brendon J. Cannon is Assistant Professor of International Security at Khalifa University, Abu Dhabi, UAE. He earned a Ph.D. in Political Science from the University of Utah, USA (2009). His research is at the nexus of international relations, security studies, and geopolitics. He has published on topics related to regional security and geopolitics, the arms industry, and shifting distributions of power across the Indo-Pacific. Cannon’s articles appear in Defence Studies, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Asian Security and Third World Quarterly. His new book, edited with Kei Hakata, is Indo-Pacific Strategies: Navigating Geopolitics at the Dawn of a New Age (Routledge, 2021). He joined Khalifa University in 2016.

Human-Centred Digital State: The Case of Ukraine
2025-07-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
What happens when a country applies human-centred design to reimagine the relationship between citizens and the state? This talk will explore Ukraine’s groundbreaking approach to building a human-centred digital state, with a focus on the use of design thinking in developing digital public services. Through the digital government ecosystem Diia, Ukraine placed citizen needs, behaviours, and experiences at the core of its digital transformation. The session offers insights into how empathetic, inclusive, and iterative design can drive trust, resilience, and civic engagement, even in the most challenging contexts.
About the Speaker
Dr Bozhena (Bo) Kelestyn is a design thinking academic and practitioner with a diverse teaching and consulting portfolio. She works as an Associate Professor and Course Director for the MSc in Management of Information Systems and Digital Innovation at the Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, UK. Outside of academia, Bo is an Innovation Consultant and has worked with The Guardian Masterclasses as their lead design thinking masterclass tutor. Bo is the Founder of the pioneering Master’s level programme Leadership for Educational Transformation, aimed at supporting the rebuilding and transformation of education in Ukraine. Bo is working with the Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine on researching the case of the digital government ecosystem Diia.

Digital Epidemiology in Action: Harnessing Simulation Models for Evidence-Based Infectious Disease Control
2025-07-22 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Digital epidemiology leverages computational simulations, ranging from compartmental SIR/SEIR systems to AI-based and agent-based frameworks, to transform real-time data into defensible public health decisions. This talk distils the mathematical intuition and data pipelines that power epidemic models. It contrasts their utility for critical tasks, such as incidence forecasting, hotspot clustering, assessing shocks such as conflict or natural disasters, quantifying socio-environmental drivers of spread, and estimating vaccination thresholds for elimination. Case studies across infectious diseases demonstrate how calibrated, uncertainty-aware scenarios have informed surge-capacity planning, targeted immunisation, and risk communication. By outlining best practices for model selection, validation, and transparent communication, the talk argues that reproducible simulation is more than prediction; it is a dynamic decision aid that sharpens the timeliness, precision, and accountability of infectious disease control.
About the speaker:
Dmytro Chumachenko is an Associate Professor at the Department of Mathematical Modelling and Artificial Intelligence of National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute” (Ukraine). Currently, he is a scholar at the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Dmytro obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in “Applied Mathematics” and Master’s degrees in “Social Informatics” and “Project and Program Management” at the National Aerospace University “Kharkiv Aviation Institute”. Dmytro obtained PhD degree in Systems and Means of Artificial Intelligence at the Kharkiv National University of Radioelectronics and continued his research as a Post-doctoral Research Fellow at the Ubiquitous Health Technologies Lab of the University of Waterloo.
His research focuses on simulating the spread of infectious diseases and applying AI tools and methods for public health and strategic communications.

Data Governance is not Meeting its Potential to Govern AI
2025-07-29 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Dr. Susan Aaronson directs a small think tank, the Digital Trade and Data Governance Hub, which works to educate policymakers and the public about data and data driven change. Since 2019, the Hub has published a metric and dataset that allows researchers to compare data governance in 68 countries and the EU. The Hub developed 26 indicators (yes/no questions) about data governance at the national and international level and used this for 4 years of reports. However, data governance is changing for several reasons, including rapid change in AI, a growing recognition that data governance enforcement is inadequate, and a new understanding that there are types of data that are useful for AI, yet such data is not governed under existing rules (for example creative content on Reddit or Instagram). The Hub staff is trying to update the metric to accommodate these and potential other changes such as data sharing rules or policies to promote data sovereignty. The metric only includes indicators that at least one government is adopting, such as China’s regulations allowing firms to claim data as an asset or liability. In this talk, Dr. Aaronson will explain why we need to update the metric, why we seek public comment on our indicators, and the costs and benefits of such a metric as well as its utility. The Hub believes that the metric can provide new insights into how the quest for data is changing governance and how policymakers are responding to this challenge. It also may provide new insights into who influences data and AI policy.
About the Speaker
Susan Ariel Aaronson is Research Professor of International Affairs at George Washington University (GWU). Aaronson is also co-principal investigator with the NSF -NIST (National Science Foundation and (National Institute of Standards and Technology Institute for Trustworthy AI in Law & Society, TRAILS, where she leads research on data and AI governance. Aaronson was recently named one of GWU’s Public Interest Technology Scholars, where she works to encourage interdisciplinary research on technology.

MiFOOD Project Workshop: Migrant Food Security and Livelihood Resilience amid Global Disruptions
2025-07-31 09:30 - 12:30 | Room 1-23, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
The workshop presents key findings from the MiFOOD project, which investigates how international and internal migrants navigate food insecurity and build resilience in the context of global disruptions. Drawing from case studies in Canada, South Africa, and China, this session explores the intersection of migration, livelihood strategies, and access to food during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The presentations offer grounded insights into migrants’ adaptive responses and the structural barriers they encounter in diverse urban and rural contexts. The workshop aims to facilitate knowledge exchange among researchers working across geographic and disciplinary boundaries. It provides a platform to reflect on shared themes and divergent contexts, explore methodological insights, and discuss future directions for collaborative research within the MiFOOD network and beyond.
AGENDA
The workshop is cohosted by the MiFOOD network, the Hungry Cities Partnership (HCP), the International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) and the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA).

Green Hydrogen: Navigating the Hype, Realities, and Governance for Its Pragmatic Role in the Clean Energy Transition
2025-08-05 12:00 - 13:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Hydrogen was first discovered in 1766, and discussions about its use as an energy carrier for various applications have spanned over 150 years. However, interest in hydrogen has grown significantly in recent years after the Paris Climate Agreement and the Russian-Ukrainian war. Today, many major economies have released national hydrogen strategies, with a strong emphasis on green hydrogen and its role in decarbonizing various sectors.
Despite this interest, many green hydrogen projects have been delayed or cancelled. Thus, important questions are raised about the gap between ambition and reality. This presentation examines the fundamentals of hydrogen, explores the global hydrogen policy landscape, and investigates the technological, economic, and governance challenges of scaling up green hydrogen. A special focus will be placed on green ammonia as a promising early application.
The talk will conclude by outlining the need for a comprehensive governance framework and offering key policy takeaways.
About the Speaker
Dr. Munur S. Herdem is a Fellow at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), Adjunct Faculty Member in Management Science and Engineering at the University of Waterloo, and is leading the development of the forthcoming Energy Technologies Governance Laboratory.
Dr. Herdem earned his Master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Waterloo, where he focused his research on diverse energy conversion technologies, including coal gasification, fuel cells, and fuel reforming. He further developed his expertise during his postdoctoral studies at the Waterloo Institute for Sustainable Energy (WISE), concentrating on sustainable energy systems. Currently, his research integrates technology, physical sciences, policy, and governance to address critical issues in the clean energy transition, energy security, and access to affordable energy.

Technology Governance Summer School 2025
2025-08-11 09:00 - 2025-08-21 16:00 | ON
Course Directors:
Professors Jatin Nathwani and Ann Fitz-Gerald
This course provides graduate students with an in-depth understanding of the technology-policy nexus – an interface which has become a critical requirement for effective policy analysis and implementation.
Registered students will learn about the relevant domains and discourse supporting technology innovation, as well as the issues, datasets, and trends underpinning this emerging and increasingly relevant area.
The course will feature presentations from leading technology science and policy experts, and practitioners. Upon completion, participants will be awarded with a certificate.
Learning outcomes:
Students will gain knowledge of the key concepts underlying data science, data sets, data analytics, modelling and the use and application of these approaches in key policy areas.
Agenda
Who should attend:
BSIA, UW and Laurier students seeking to deepen their understanding of the technology-policy nexus. This will be an interdisciplinary course, developed for UW and Laurier graduate students with policy, social science, and STEM backgrounds.
Delivery:
The course will be delivered in person at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, with sessions held August 11 to 21, Monday to Thursday, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM. Lunch and refreshments are included in the course fee.
Registration
Register for the course using the form below. Students will be notified via email when their registration has been approved.
Program fee: $250
Payment is due by Monday, July 28, 2025, after registration approval. BSIA students may submit their payment by August 4, 2025. The fee is payable by e-transfer to info@balsillieschool.ca or cheque.
If you register and are unable to attend the course, please let us know as soon as possible so we can offer your spot to another student on the waitlist.
We offer a full refund for cancellations made no later than five days prior to the start of the program.
We do understand unexpected situations may occur that prevent you from joining the course, in which case please contact us via info@balsillieschool.ca as soon as possible and we can discuss if there may be any other option, including a credit for future use, or a partial refund. A decision on refunds requested after the 5-day timeframe will be taken on a case-by-case basis.

Technology Governance Summer School 2025 Registration

Full Name(Required)

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E-mail address(Required)Please use your institutional email address (Laurier, University of Waterloo, or Balsillie School of International Affairs)Program(Required)

PhD Global Governance

Master of Arts in Global Governance (MAGG)

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Balsillie School of International Affairs

University of Waterloo

Wilfrid Laurier University

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Please provide a short statement of interest in this program, indicating your research interests and what you hope to learn or achieve from it:(Required)Please let us know if you have any dietary restrictions:(Required)(e.g. vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, nut allergy, other allergies or N/A)

Fintech Innovations: Digital Remittances and Financial Inclusion in Southern Africa
2025-08-12 12:30 - 13:30 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Financial Technology (FinTech) is rapidly reshaping the remittance landscape in Southern Africa by enabling digital transfers and mobile money services that are speedy, efficient, secure, accessible and importantly, more affordable than conventional banking systems. This presentation critically examines the benefits and drawbacks associated with fintech and digital remittances within the broader framework of financial inclusion. Drawing on a case study from one of the Southern African vibrant routes, particularly the South Africa–Zimbabwe migration and remittance corridor. This presentation highlights how digital and mobile-based fintech solutions are extending financial technology services, such as cross-border remittances (cash and in-kind, including food), digital transactions, mobile money transfers and artificial intelligence (AI), to unbanked and marginalised populations. The case study highlights the potential of fintech to enhance economic resilience and support adaptation strategies, particularly among migrant communities and beneficiaries of remittances. The talk argues that when fintech innovations and digital technologies are based on inclusive and effectively regulated financial ecosystems, they can promote policies that are equitable and sustainable, thereby enhancing financial inclusion strategies throughout the region.
About the Speaker:
Dr. Sean Sithole is a Scholar at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA) and a Postdoctoral research fellow at the University of the Western Cape, researching under the MiFOOD network projects, supported by the CIHR, SSHRC, and NFRF, on the COVID-19 pandemic, migration, remittances, food security, and climate adaptation. He has coordinated research on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), climate change, and migration, and is also involved in journal reviewing, postgraduate lecturing, and supervision. Sean’s research and collaborative work have been supported by or conducted with organisations such as SIHMA, Stats SA, United Nations agencies, and the European Commission. His research interests include digital remittances, financial technology (Fintech), mobile transfers, the synergies between international migration and urban food security, the nexus between social media and migrant networks, and the role of information and communication technology (ICT) in development. Sean holds a Doctoral (PhD) and a master’s degree in development studies from the University of the Western Cape (UWC), Digital Marketing and Social Media Marketing certificate courses from the University of Cape Town (UCT), and Special Honours and BA degrees from the University of Zimbabwe (UZ).

Governance Through Prediction: An AI Model of Conflict Factions
2025-08-19 12:15 - 13:15 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Machine learning offers new opportunities to anticipate and manage violent conflict, especially in cases involving hybrid actors that defy conventional classifications. Conflict factions present in the Horn of Africa, whose trajectories have spanned political leadership, armed insurgency, and terrorist designation, present a compelling case for this approach. Drawing on a curated dataset of historical incidents and broader contextual indicators, such as political shifts, economic instability, and social unrest, this project uses machine learning to model the behavior of these actors and forecast their future actions.
The research investigates how behavioral patterns can be uncovered, which historical features most improve forecast accuracy and timeliness, and which internal and external factors influence the likelihood of violent events. It also explores how to make model outputs interpretable and operationally relevant, providing analysts and policymakers with actionable insights. While the immediate focus is on the Horn of Africa, the resulting framework is designed to generalize across other conflict-prone settings, offering a scalable, data-driven tool for supporting adaptive counter-terrorism strategies and informed governance.
About the Speaker:
Lirika Sola is a Scholar at the Balsillie School of International Affairs (BSIA), and a third-year Ph.D. candidate in the Department of Computer Science at Northwestern University, advised through the Northwestern Security & AI Lab. Her research lies at the intersection of machine learning, geospatial analysis, and counterterrorism studies, with a focus on modeling, forecasting, and mitigating malicious behavior in both digital and physical domains. She develops data-driven systems that integrate spatial information, behavioral patterns, and environmental context to support risk assessment and decision-making in security-critical settings. With an emphasis on bridging technical innovation and real-world applicability, her work is designed to inform decision-making across governmental, humanitarian, and security sectors.
She previously earned her Master of Science from Northwestern University and her Bachelor of Science in Computer Science from the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece.

PhD Dissertation Defence: Geographies of Trauma and Healing: Resistance, Resilience, ‘Ustawi wa’, and the Lived Experiences of African Women Refugees from the EHAGL Region in Canada
2025-08-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 123, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Rosemary Kimani-Dupuis‘ dissertation defence.
Abstract

This dissertation explores the lived experiences of African women refugees from the East and Horn of Africa and Great Lakes (EHAGL) region resettled in Ontario, Canada, with particular focus on the complex intersections of trauma, resilience, and healing within global refugee governance. It asks: How do the gendered and spatial dynamics of refugee protection and Canadian settlement systems sustain structural violence against African women refugees, and how do their transnational experiences challenge and reshape dominant frameworks of care, well-being, and institutional response? Through a multi-scalar analysis—macro (legal and policy frameworks), meso (institutional actors), and micro (women’s narratives)—the study explores how trauma is shaped, silenced, and contested across the forced migration trajectory: pre-flight, during flight, and post-flight. Central to this research is the Trauma and Epistemic Justice of Displacement (trauma-EJD) framework, which integrates Black feminist and decolonial epistemologies with a rights-based approach to center African women refugees’ voices, knowledge systems, and lived realities.
Situated within the broader landscape of forced migration and global refugee governance, this research foregrounds the invisibility and hyper-visibility of African women refugees, and the epistemic erasure of their experiences within dominant systems. Methodologically, the study weaves the trauma-EJD framework into a relational and reciprocal ethnographic approach. Ethnographic fieldwork, combined with policy and institutional analysis, reveals systemic erasures, gendered violence, racialized gatekeeping, and fragmented care within global refugee governance. In contrast, African women refugees’ testimonies illuminate practices of resistance, spiritual resilience, and collective healing, grounded in culturally rooted understandings of ‘ustawi wa’ and the continuity of ethics of care across borders and time. The findings articulate the spatio-temporal dynamics of trauma and displacement, offering a re-theorization of care and justice rooted in African women’s lived experiences within global refugee governance. The dissertation calls for structural transformation at global, regional, and national levels—toward trauma-responsive and justice-centered approaches that affirm African women refugees’ epistemic dignity. The trauma-EJD framework offers a roadmap for reimagining refugee governance rooted in dignity, relational care, and lived knowledge.
Supervisor: Dr. Jenna Hennebry
Committee: Dr. Bree Akesson and Dr. Stacey Wilson-Forsberg
Internal/External: Dr. Andrea Brown
External: Dr. Bukola Oladunni Salami, University of Alberta
Chairperson: Dr. Lisa Kuron
If you are interested in attending, please email events@balsillieschool.ca and indicate if you would like to attend in person or virtually.

Orientation Day 2025
2025-09-05 09:00 - 16:00 | Room 1-42, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Orientation Day activities will include a welcome by Balsillie School Director, Dr. Ann Fitz-Gerald, the School’s founder, Mr. Jim Balsillie, and CIGI President Paul Samson along with program information, a campus tour, photos, and lunch.
We look forward to meeting our new students!
AGENDA

WatPEG Welcome Event
2025-09-15 12:00 - 13:00 | Room 1-42, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
This event is open to CIGI, UW, BSIA and Laurier faculty and students.
The Waterloo Political Economy Group (WatPEG) is hosting a welcome lunch and meet-and-greet on September 15th from 12:00pm-1:00pm. This will be held in Room 142 at the Balsillie School (67 Erb St. W, Waterloo, ON N2L 6C2).
This will be an opportunity for members connect with other students and academics interested in political economy and chat about the state of the world economy over delicious food and drinks.
WatPEG is open to all faculty, graduate students and researchers at the University of Waterloo, Wilfrid Laurier University, the Balsillie School of International Affairs, and the Centre for International Governance Innovation, who are interested in the study of political economy. WatPEG also serves as the Balsillie School’s Global Political Economy research cluster.

Public Finances: Are We Near a Dangerous "Tipping Point"?
2025-09-16 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual, Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
In many advanced economies, longer term government bond rates have been heading up, even as shorter term rates controlled by central banks have been heading down. In this presentation, William (Bill) White attempts to explain why this is happening, why the underlying factors accounting for this trend might well strengthen, and the dangers that such trends pose both for the economy and our democratic political systems. He will suggest alternative sets of policies to reduce these dangers, and will make the case that “financial repression” seems politically the most likely outcome. Should this be the case, there will be important implications for global trade, global finance and geopolitics.
About the Speaker:

William R. White is currently a Senior Fellow at the C.D. Howe Institute in Toronto, Canada. Until April of 2018 he was the chairman of the Economic and Development Review Committee at the OECD in Paris. This committee carries on regular evaluations of the policies of both member countries and aspiring members of the OECD. In his capacity as chairman, to which he was appointed in October 2009, William White also contributed to meetings of WP1 and the Economic Policy Committee of the OECD. As well, he was for four years a member of the Issing Committee, advising the German chancellor on G-20 issues. William White has in recent years published many articles on topics related to monetary and financial stability as well as the process of international cooperation in these areas.
Mr. White was presented in September with the 2016 “Adam Smith Prize,” the highest award of the National Association of Business Economists (US). In May of 2015 he was honoured with the “Hans-Moller-Medal” from VAC, the alumni club of political economists at Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich. Prior to that, he received the annual “Prize of the Monetary Workshop in Monetary, Financial and Macro-Prudential Policy” in Frankfurt in May 2014.
Mr. White began his professional career at the Bank of England, where he was an economist from 1969 to 1972. Subsequently he spent 22 years with the Bank of Canada. He was appointed Adviser to the Governor in 1984 and Deputy Governor of the Bank of Canada in September 1988.
In addition to these permanent positions, Mr. White spent six months (1985-86) as a Special Adviser to the Canadian Minister of Finance and six years as a member of Statistics Canada’s Advisory Panel on the National Income Accounts. Since the late 1980s, he has been an active participant in many international committees, including the EPC and WP3 at the OECD, the G-10 Deputies, and the Bellagio Group which brings together senior government officials, central bankers and academics.

Pathways to a Sustainable World
2025-09-17 17:30 - 18:30 | CIGI Auditorium, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
This event is sold out. To be added to our waitlist, please select “Notify Me” below. You will be notified via email on September 16th if a ticket has become available for you.
In her talk, “Pathways to a Sustainable World” Diana Fox Carney traces how sustainability shifted from being dismissed in boardrooms to becoming a mainstream concern for companies and governments alike. Ms. Fox Carney frames 2025 as a turning point, with businesses moving away from ambitious pledges toward more realistic assessments aligned to credible pathways – which are themselves being tested in the face of growing political pressure from the US. At the same time, escalating climate change impacts make clear there is no pause button on the physical realities we face. Together these factors are profoundly shifting the language of climate dialogue, militating towards a more pragmatic and community-centred approach that places a greater emphasis on the resilience, health and cost benefits of climate action, even as issues of speed and scale remain pressing.
A ‘fireside chat’ with Ms. Carney and moderator Sarah Burch will follow the talk. Professor Burch is the Canada Research Chair in Sustainability Governance and Innovation and Professor, Geography and Environmental Management at the University of Waterloo and Balsillie School.
About the Speaker
Diana Fox Carney is an adviser to companies and investors that are seeking opportunities in the transition to a greener, more nature positive economy.
With a background in strategy consulting, natural resource management and climate policy, she has worked with firms and not-for-profit organisations in Africa, Europe and North America. She is a Fellow of the Balsillie School of International Affairs.
Please join us following the presentation for a reception and to view artistic and sustainability-engaged works.

Registration is required.
Please note: The use of cell phones or other recording devices are not permitted at this event.

Kigali @ 10: Global Climate Policy Durability without the American Federal Government
2025-09-22 12:00 - 13:30 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 142, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
Session 4 of the Net Zero Speaker Series.
Barry Rabe will focus on the challenges and opportunities associated with reducing emissions of the short-lived climate pollutants hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs). Discussion will focus on American and international policy developments and the implications for Canada’s attempt to move forward with its own Net Zero ambitions.
About the Speaker
Dr. Rabe studies the durability and performance of environmental and climate policy. Trained as a political scientist at the University of Chicago, he is the Arthur F. Thurnau Professor Emeritus of Environmental Policy at the Gerald Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. Rabe has received five awards in honor of his research from the American Political Science Association, including the 2025 Elinor Ostrom Award for career contributions to the study of environmental policy. His current research examines nuclear energy and waste policy, short-lived climate pollutants such as methane and hydrofluorocarbons, and pricing greenhouse gas emissions.
Rabe is currently a non-resident senior fellow in Governance Studies at the Brookings Institution, a global fellow of the Wahba Initiative for Strategic Competition, and a fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. He is the author or co-author of six books and co-edits a leading environmental policy textbook with Michael Kraft that was most recently released in 2025. Prior books include Trump, the Administrative Presidency, and Federalism (2020), Can We Price Carbon? (2018), Greenhouse Governance (2010), Statehouse and Greenhouse (2004), and Beyond NIMBY (1994).
Rabe regularly advises elected and appointed officials across governmental levels in the United States and Canada. He has served in formal advisory roles to the Secretaries of Commerce and Interior, the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Governor of Oklahoma. He was the first social scientist to receive an EPA Climate Protection Award and is regularly cited and quoted in the media

Domicide and the Meaning of Home
2025-09-29 12:00 - 14:00 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 142, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
This panel, co-hosted by the Migration, Mobilities, and Social Politics Research Cluster, the Conflict and Security Research Cluster, and the Zoryan Institute, will explore the discuss the concept of “domicide” and how this can be applied to contemporary cases of violence that we are witnessing around the globe today.
Domicide refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of living spaces or homes as a tool to displace or control populations of people. This can include the physical destruction of buildings and the erosion of a community’s sense of belonging. The Zoryan Institute and the BSIA are pleased to be welcoming leading scholars and experts from a variety of disciplines and backgrounds on this subject to introduce and contextualize the concept of domicide, and to draw important parallels to what we are witnessing in Ukraine, Gaza, Myanmar, Canada, and Nagorno-Karabakh today.
About the Speakers
Andrew R. Basso is Adjunct Professor at Wilfrid Laurier University. Dr. Basso is a political scientist who studies atrocity crimes (genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes) and political violence, international human rights laws and norms, transitional justice in theory and practice, and security and strategic studies. Dr. Basso’s research focusses specifically on processes of forced displacement as a method of atrocity perpetration, domicide (the intentional destruction of homes) as a human rights violation and breach of the laws of armed conflict, and barriers to Indigenous-Settler [Re]conciliation in Canada. His latest publications include Shallow River of Tears: Canada’s Stalled Paths to Reconciliation (McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2026), Destroy Them Gradually: Displacement As Atrocity (Rutgers University Press, 2024), From Bureaucracy to Bullets: Extreme Domicide and the Right to Home. (Rutgers University Press, 2022).
Christopher Powell (he/they) is a settler Canadian sociological theorist who has studied and written on anti-genocide, relational theory, and libertarian socialism. His works include Barbaric Civilization: A Critical Sociology of Genocide (McGill-Queens University Press, 2011); “Radical Relationism: A Proposal” in Conceptualizing Relational Sociology: Ontological and Theoretical Issues (Palgrave, 2013); “Revitalizing the Ethnosphere: Global Security, Ethnodivesity, and the Stakes of Cultural Genocide” (Genocide Studies and Prevention, 2016); and “Radical Complexity: Using Concepts from Complex Systems Theory to Think About Socialist Transformation” (New Proposal: Journal of Marxism and Interdisciplinary Theory, 2023). He is co-chair of the International School of Radical Relationism, a network of scholars using relational thinking to articulate visions of decolonial, emancipatory, and egalitarian social transformation, and is currently co-editing a collection of works by members of this network. Dr. Powell teaches as an Associate Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University.
Dr. Bree Akesson is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair (Tier II) in Global Adversity and Wellbeing. Her work and research focus broadly on global social work issues, ranging from micro-level understandings of the experiences of war-affected children to macro-level initiatives to strengthen global social service systems.
Past research projects include evaluations of psychosocial program for war- affected children in Chechnya and northern Uganda, global mapping exercises on child protection training in West Africa and southeast Europe, and exploratory studies on pregnancy, pregnancy loss, and postpartum depression among Syrian refugee parents living in Lebanon 2016.
She is currently the principal investigator for a study examining the experiences of refugee children and families living in Lebanon and Canada for which she received Ontario’s 2019 Early Career Researcher award. Her book, co-authored by Dr. Andrew Basso, From Bureaucracy to Bullets: Extreme Domicide and the Right to Home, documents the impact of home loss as a result of political violence on children, families, and communities.
Mohammed Nijim, a Ph.D. candidate in sociology and political economy at Carleton University in Canada, was born and raised as a refugee in the Al-Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the Gaza Strip. He completed his master’s degree at the University of Manitoba and his BA from Marmara University in Türkiye. For his PhD, Nijim focuses on the ongoing genocide in the Gaza Strip and the role of Israeli settler violence in transforming/destroying Palestinian society. His dissertation, titled Relational Sociology: Genocide and Settler Colonialism in Gaza, is based on in-depth interviews with genocide survivors from Gaza. Drawing on the frameworks of critical sociology and Indigenous epistemologies – particularly oral histories – his research analyzes the nature of settler violence and explores possibilities for justice and co-resistance. He published academic articles on topics such as genocide, settler colonialism, war, and food sustainability in journals including Critical Sociology, Sustainable Futures, and the International Journal of Human Rights.

Sonya Fatah is an associate professor at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Journalism where she has taught since 2017. Sonya’s teaching, research and practice are invested in areas of community-based live journalism, representation in the newsroom, press freedoms and media narratives on international reporting. Sonya is the founder and director of stitched! a community-based, interdisciplinary live journalism studio at the Creative School, and is the co-lead of the Canada Press Freedom Project, which received its seed funding from the Michener Foundation. As a career journalism practitioner, Sonya has worked across mediums in a largely global context. She has studied and worked in China, India, Pakistan, South Africa, the United States, Russia and Canada. Most of Sonya’s working life as a journalist was spent overseas in India and Pakistan, covering South Asia for Canadian and U.S. publications. She was reporter-on-assignment for the Globe and Mail and later a special correspondent for the Toronto Star. She was India correspondent for the Boston-based GlobalPost, now PRI. In addition to her journalism, she also develops audio documentaries and created a full-length feature doc, I, DANCE.

Henry C. Theriault, Ph.D., is Associate Provost at Worcester State University in the United States, after teaching in its Philosophy Department 1998-2017. He coordinated WSU’s Human Rights Center 1999-2007. With a background in radical social and political as well as continental philosophy, Theriault researches genocide denial, genocide prevention, post-genocide victim-perpetrator relations, reparations, and mass violence against women and girls.
He has lectured around the world and published numerous journal articles and chapters. He is lead author of the Armenian Genocide Reparations Study Group’s 2015 Resolution with Justice, and, with Samuel Totten, co-authored The United Nations Genocide Convention: An Introduction (University of Toronto Press, 2019), and, with Chunhui Peng, coeditor of Aftermath of Mass Violence: A Comprehensive Approach through Theory and Case Studies (Bloomsbury, forthcoming).
Theriault’s work has appeared in English, Spanish, Armenian, Turkish, and other languages. Theriault served two terms as president of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, 2017-2019 and 2019-2021. He has been founding co-editor of Genocide Studies International since 2012 and co-edited Genocide Studies and Prevention 2007-2012. He currently serves as vice-chair of the executive committee of the board of directors of the National Association for Armenian Studies and Research and is a member of the Armenian Society of Fellows.

The Great Trade Disruption: What Forces are Driving the Current Re-alignment of Global Trade? And Where are we Headed?
2025-09-30 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual, Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
This event is part of the STEM for Global Resilience Coffee Chat Series.
After designing and leading the global economic system for over three quarters of a century, the US has unilaterally pushed for fundamental changes to it since the new presidency. In his presentation, Dr. Hancock will examine the long and short-term forces driving these changes, and suggest ways that the system could both change and remain the same.
About the Speaker
John Hancock works at the World Trade Organization (WTO) in Geneva, Switzerland, where he has served as senior policy advisor to the Director-General, representative to the IMF and World Bank, and head of policy development. He spearheaded the launch of the WTO’s Aid-for-Trade Initiative, as well as the recent ‘Joint Initiatives’ on investment facilitation and other emerging issues. Prior to joining the WTO, John was senior advisor to Canada’s trade minister. He holds a PhD from Cambridge University, has written and spoken frequently on international issues.

Of Rapture and Rubble: The Political and Apocalyptic Discourse of American Christian Zionists Following October 7th
2025-10-01 12:00 - 13:30 | Hybrid – Zoom and room 142, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
In person tickets are sold out for this event. Tickets are still available for virtual attendees.
This work contributes to a prolific body of scholarship on the history and political implications of Christian Zionism in the (human) security of the Middle East and beyond. Its contributions are firstly theoretical through conceptualizing Christian Zionism as a discourse and ‘regime of truth’ in the Foucauldian sense, where power is negotiated through theological, geopolitical, military and economic intersections. This work is also empirically significant in analyzing the apocalyptic and prophetic roadmap – of rapture, revelation and Armageddon – proclaimed by John Hagee Ministries and Christians United for Israel (CUFI), a formal lobby group and the largest American Christian Zionist organization, which is also connected with the CUFI Action Fund. Their framing of human destruction is analyzed, supported by recurrent themes of ‘end times’ eschatology, on and proceeding the October 7 attack through sermons, social media outputs and outreach materials. Dr. Hynek examines the political, material and human consequences of a discourse which limits belonging to ‘God’s chosen people’ and fuses theological interpretation to unabated militarization, concerted political lobbying and campaigns of political activism.
About the Speaker
Sarah Hynek is Instructor of Contemporary Security Issues at Wilfrid Laurier University, and she has also served as College Professor of Politics at Sheridan College. Her research interests include Middle East politics, authoritarianism, (in)security and human rights, political violence, contentious politics, and religion and politics. Her doctoral work was based in Egypt where she conducted fieldwork and interviews with revolutionary activists, human rights advocates and Islamists following the military takeover. Her work on street battles and the weaponization of democratization in Egypt was recently published in Middle East Critique. Her new research focus is on Christian Zionism and its connection to human insecurity especially in Gaza. She holds a BASc from McMaster University, MSt in Theology from the University of Oxford, MRes in Political Research from the University of Aberdeen, and PhD in Politics and International Relations also from the University of Aberdeen.

On The Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent
2025-10-02 19:00 - 20:30 | CIGI Auditorium, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
The Balsillie School of International Affairs is pleased to host one of the key voices that defined Canadian journalism for decades, Brian Stewart, to discuss his upcoming book “On the Ground: My Life as a Foreign Correspondent.”
Brian Stewart, one of the most recognizable voices from CBC’s flagship news program The National, is a trusted and beloved Canadian journalist whose reporting has shaped public understanding for decades.
In On the Ground (September 16, 2025), Stewart reflects for the first time on the major stories of his career in a riveting blend of memoir and eyewitness history. From war zones to humanitarian crises, he has risked his life in pursuit of truth—always in service of journalism, history, and Canada.
With depth and clarity, he brings readers into the heart of some of the most pivotal global events of our time: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the Gulf War, the famine in Northern Ethiopia, the collapse of the Soviet Union, the fight against Apartheid, and more. He also chronicles the shifting tides of society—times of fear, hope, and innovation—as observed through the eyes of a reporter, a father, and a lifelong student of history.
Stewart’s incisive journalism has earned him numerous accolades, including multiple Gemini Awards, the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Canada.
About the Speaker
Brian Stewart was for decades one of the Canada’s most prominent television journalists and was acclaimed for his foreign coverage for both CBC’s The National and The Journal. Born in Montréal, and originally a newspaper reporter, Stewart went on to become foreign correspondent for CBC in London and NBC in Frankfurt. He worked in ten war zones, was host of the CBC Foreign Affairs show Worldview, and interviewed many of the historic figures of his time, including Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher, Salman Rushdie, and Henry Kissinger. After retiring, he was appointed Senior Fellow of the Munk School of Global Affairs, University of Toronto. Stewart is a recipient of the Order of Ontario, the Queen’s Jubilee Medal, and the Order of Canada.

The Strategic Foundations of International Economic Order: China, Bretton Woods, and the Cold War
2025-10-07 12:00 - 13:20 | Room 1-23, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
In the early 1940s, Nationalist China was an important shaper of the post-World War II economic order founded at Bretton Woods; by the early 1950s, the People’s Republic of China had become a target of Cold War economic sanctions and absent from the order’s major institutions. Tracing Nationalist and Communist ideas about China’s place in the international economic order, Amy King examines how these ideas shaped, and were shaped by, the changing character of that order from World War II to the early Cold War. She explores the order-shaping mechanisms used by Chinese actors, and the important continuities in Nationalist and Communist ideas about the strategic, rather than liberal, foundations of international economic order. Examining the order transition from World War II to Cold War highlights the incremental evolution in shared ideas that may occasion other moments of order transition, and the historical origins of contemporary Chinese economic ordering ideas.
About the Speaker
Amy King is Associate Professor in the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University’s Coral Bell School of Asia Pacific Affairs. She has published widely on China-Japan relations, the economics-security nexus in Asia, and China’s historical and contemporary role in shaping the international order. The author of China-Japan Relations After World War II: Empire, Industry and War, 1949–1971 (Cambridge University Press, 2016), Amy’s works have also appeared in the European Journal of International Relations, Modern Asian Studies, Security Studies, Journal of Cold War Studies, and the Cambridge Economic History of China, among others. Her research has been supported by an Australian Research Council DECRA Fellowship and a Westpac Research Fellowship, and she holds an MPhil in Modern Chinese Studies and DPhil in International Relations from the University of Oxford.

Trends in the Semi-Conductor and Chip Industry
2025-10-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Virtual, Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Dr. Hamid Arabzadeh has been the Chairman and CEO of RANOVUS, a leading technology provider of photonic interconnect solutions for AI/ML workloads, since its inception in 2012. Prior to RANOVUS, Dr. Arabzadeh was the Chairman and CEO of CoreOptics, based in Nuremberg Germany, an innovative provider of photonic subsystems for high-capacity networking applications. Dr. Arabzadeh held various senior management positions at Nortel Networks in Brazil, Mexico, England, and USA.
Since his return to Canada in 2010, Dr. Arabzadeh has co-Founded several Canadian scaleups in fields of AI Sovereign Cloud, Security and Healthcare with an eye to benefit Canada in a competitive Data and IP driven global economy.

Niños de la Guerra: The Use and Recruitment of Children by Organized Crime and Community Militias in Mexico
2025-10-16 12:00 - 13:00 | Virtual, Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
In parts of Mexico, children and teenagers are being recruited and used as lookouts, messengers, cooks and foot soldiers for organized crime syndicates and community defense militias. These battles are being fought as organized criminal groups seek to violently appropriate land, labour and livelihoods to control lucrative export commodities, such as poppies, avocados and lumber. In the absence of the state, community militias, or auto defensas, have arisen to defend their lands from these violent dispossessions. Children and young people are caught in the middle of these violent struggles – especially teenage boys – whose bodies, strength and stamina are coveted in the battle for territorial and economic control. Many youth are forcibly recruited, while others willingly join, caught up in the glamour of narco corridos, songs that glamourize drug cartels, violence, guns, and fast money. In response to this systemic violence, children and their families are fleeing to the U.S./Mexico border to seek asylum, a last dash hope to protect their children’s lives. This paper pulls from an interdisciplinary research project in Mexico that interviewed over 100 children, teenagers and families in migrant shelters along the U.S./Mexico border between 2020 and 2023. Drawing from first-hand testimonies, it explores the complicated ways children and youth are recruited into situations of armed violence in Mexico and explains why so many young people and their families are fleeing north.
About the Speaker
Dr. Kate Swanson is a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in International Peace, Security and Children and a Professor in International Development Studies at Dalhousie University. She has been working with migrant children and youth in Latin America for over twenty years, and with unaccompanied migrant youth in the U.S./Mexico border region for over a decade. Much of her research adopts a child-centred lens and uses participatory techniques to understand displacement, migration, violence, detention, and deportation. Trained largely in human geography, her work has appeared in journals such as: Antipode; Urban Geography; Gender, Place and Culture; and Annals of the American Association of Geographers.

AI Governance in Africa: Ethics, Inclusion, and Decolonial Futures
2025-10-20 10:00 - 11:00 | Virtual, Balsillie School of International Affairs, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, Canada
Join the webinar using this link: https://cigionline-org.zoom.us/j/88980275328?pwd=[REDACTED]
This Africa Forum panel brings together leading scholars from Senegal, South Africa, and Ethiopia to explore the ethical, inclusive, and decolonial dimensions of artificial intelligence governance in Africa. The discussion will consider how African research, values, and policy frameworks can shape global conversations on AI, drawing on experiences across health, law, and technology sectors.
The session will highlight perspectives from Prof. Sylvain Landry Birane Faye (Cheikh Anta Diop University), Dr. Sagwadi Mabunda (University of the Western Cape), and Dr. Beakal Gizachew Assefa (Addis Ababa Institute of Technology). The panel will reflect on opportunities for inclusive and context-sensitive AI systems and discuss how decolonial ethics can inform the design, deployment, and governance of emerging technologies across the continent.
About the Speakers
Dr. Sagwadi Mabunda is a Senior Lecturer in Law at the University of the Western Cape, an Advocate of the High Court of South Africa, and an accredited mediator. She specializes in cybercrime legislation, transnational criminal justice, and anti-money-laundering law. Holding a PhD on The South African Legislative Response to Cybercrime, her research examines how legal systems adapt to digital threats and evolving technologies. Dr. Mabunda has served as a research fellow with CyberBRICS (Brazil), New America’s Digital Futures Task Force (Washington D.C.), and the Royal United Services Institute (London). At UWC, she leads the Department of Justice & Procedure’s internationalization portfolio and supervises postgraduate research in cyberlaw and economic crimes. Her presentation, “Ubuntu, Law, and the Future of AI Governance,” draws on her legal scholarship and practical experience to explore how African philosophical traditions can inform ethical AI regulation and digital justice.
Professor Sylvain Landry Birane Faye is a Full Professor of Sociology and Anthropology of Health at Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar (Senegal), where he directs the LASAP-ETHOS research team. He holds a PhD in Social and Cultural Anthropology from the University of Bordeaux (France). Professor Faye’s work bridges the socio-anthropology of health, technology ethics, and the critical study of artificial intelligence in African contexts. His research explores the cultural and ethical dimensions of AI in public health, data governance, and algorithmic justice, emphasizing gender, inclusion, and community participation. A member of UNESCO’s AI Ethics Experts Without Borders network, he contributes to AI policy and capacity-building across Africa. His recent presentation, “AI, Health, and Ethical Challenges in Africa,” highlights lessons from his IDRC-funded AI4-DECLIC SN project and ongoing efforts to advance equitable, locally grounded approaches to AI governance and digital sovereignty.
Dr. Beakal Gizachew Assefa is a researcher and faculty member at the Addis Ababa Institute of Technology (AAiT), specializing in artificial intelligence, data science, and machine learning. His research examines the applications of AI across sectors including health, finance, and agriculture, with a particular focus on algorithmic fairness, trustworthy AI, and digital policy in African contexts. Dr. Assefa’s work integrates technical innovation with questions of governance and social impact, contributing to Ethiopia’s growing role in shaping responsible and context-sensitive AI systems. His presentation, “AI Fairness and Digital Policy in Ethiopia,” explores how national research and policy frameworks can foster inclusive, transparent, and equitable AI development across the region.

The Political Economy of China
2025-10-22 12:00 - 13:20 | Room 1-42, 67 Erb Street West, Waterloo, ON, N2L 6C2, Canada
This event is open to the BSIA and CIGI community, including all UW and Laurier faculty and students.
Please join the Global Political Economy Research Cluster for a lunchtime conversation about Prof. Hongying’ Wang’s new book Political Economy of China on October 22, 12:00pm to 1:20pm. Professor Wang will provide a brief overview of the book followed by a panel discussion with Prof. Gregory Chin (York University), Hao Xi (student, University of Waterloo) and Miriam Pedrozo (student, University of Waterloo). The event will be held in-person, and a light lunch will be served. Kindly register in advance so we can ensure there is enough for everyone.
China’s economic rise over the last four decades has been as confounding as it has been impressive. Few economies have grown as fast and changed the lives of so many people in such a short time. How is it that a nominally Communist state has been able to achieve this “economic miracle”? And what are the consequences of this rapid transformation into a global economic powerhouse both inside China and abroad? In this book, Dr. Wang addresses these questions and more in a lively and comprehensive introduction to China’s economic development in the contemporary era.
Across its twelve thematic chapters, the book offers a multifaceted examination of the history, sectors and policies that are essential for understanding China’s growth experience. Chapter topics include the evolution of the state and private sectors; rural economic development; the labour market; social welfare in China, the environment; macroeconomic management and finance; foreign trade and direct investment; and China’s “going out” strategy of overseas investment, that includes the Belt and Road Initiative. Written by a respected authority on the subject with more than a decade of experience teaching it to students, the book serves as a vital resource for anyone new to the study of Chinese political economy or seeking a deeper understanding of the political and economic logic behind the headlines about the miracle and mirage of China’s rise.
About the Speaker
Hongying Wang is an associate professor of political science at the University of Waterloo and a senior fellow at the Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI). She holds a BA from Peking University and a PhD from Princeton University. She teaches courses on Chinese political economy, Chinese politics, China and global governance, and Global South. Her research explores the interaction between structural and ideational forces, and between the domestic and the international in world politics and political economy. She is the author of Weak State, Strong Networks: The Institutional Dynamics of Foreign Direct Investment in China and co-editor (with Domenico Lombardi) of Enter the Dragon: China in the International Financial System. Her research has also been published in numerous academic journal articles, book chapters, and policy papers. In addition to her research and teaching, Professor Wang has been an active contributor to various public education programs. She has been a fellow of the “Public Intellectuals Program” of the National Committee on US-China Relations. She has appeared on various TV and radio programs, including C-SPAN, CBC, NPR, PBS, and TVO.
