International Speakers Gather to Discuss How the World is Being Reshaped

(Thunder Bay - March 17, 2006) On March 24 and 25, people from around the world will be gathering in Thunder Bay to share their knowledge and ideas on how the world is being reshaped by technological, economic, and social forces, and how people around the world are responding.

The conference "Old Economy Regions in the New Economy: A North/South Dialogue on Social, Cultural, and Economic Issues" will have speakers from Canada, Norway, Finland, Mexico, India, Cameroon, and Guatemala.

"The new economy is rapidly transforming the world in which we live," says Dr. Thomas Dunk, a Sociology faculty member at Lakehead, and an organizer of the event. "This conference is designed to bring people together to talk about these changes and how people are responding to them. The objective is to stimulate a dialogue between the North and the South in order to better understand how solutions to development problems in one region might be applied to other regions of the world."

Over the two days, the conference will focus on topics such as "In Search of Flexibility: Restructuring Canada's Social Model in the Face of Globalization" and "Cultural Resistance in Land Use Conflicts: What Wolves May Mean to the Rural Working Class" (a complete schedule is below).

"We invite members of the community to join us in this important discussion," says Dr. Bruce Muirhead, a History faculty member at Lakehead, and also an organizer of the event. "Our speakers will address the cultural, social, and economic situation of regions in the new economy in the North and the South, particularly social movement responses to regional inequities, sustainable development, and developmental prospects in those regions that are or were based on resource economies."

Sponsors for this event include Lakehead University's Department of Sociology and Department of History, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Lakehead University Alumni Bookstore, the Centre for Northern Studies, the City of Thunder Bay, and Thunder Bay Ventures.

The conference takes place at the Prince Arthur Hotel. The cost for faculty members and the general public is $50. Lakehead University students are welcome for free.

Friday, March 24
9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Session One: Keynote Address
Chris Smart, IDRC, "Development Issues in the Age of the New Economy: Connecting North and South"

10:30 a.m. - 10:45 a.m. Coffee Break

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Session Two: Facing the New Economy in Canada, Mexico, and Africa
Chair: Livio Di Matteo, Economics, Lakehead University

Stephen McBride, Political Science, Simon Fraser University, Vancouver, "In Search of Flexibility: Restructuring Canada's Social Model in the Face of Globalization"

Pekka Tapani Valtonen, Renvall Institute, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland, "From subsistence economies to global markets: Mexican experiences in opening up the economy"

George Agyare, Political Science, University of Alberta, Edmonton, "Subsaharan Africa and the New Economy"

12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch at the Prince Arthur Hotel

1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Session Three: Community Development Issues
Chair: Chris Southcott, Sociology, Lakehead University

Clara Sacchetti and Todd Dufresne, Anthropology and Philosophy, Lakehead University, "Re-thinking the geographies of economic development: the place of place and beauty in the New Economy"

Nils Aersather, Planning and Community Studies, University of Tromso, Tromso, Norway, "The transformation of places in the Nordic Periphery: A study of innovations in 21 Northern municipalities"

Asbjorne Roiseland and Brynhild Granas, Social Science, Bodo University College, Bodo, Norway, "Industrial Production or Cultural Economy? Urban Governance and Path Dependence in two Norwegian Communities"

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Session Four: Community Development in Northwestern Ontario and Beyond
Chair: Thomas Dunk, Lakehead University

Chris Southcott, Lakehead University, "Old Economy/New Economy Transitions and Shifts in Demographic and Occupational Patterns in Northwestern Ontario"

Panel Discussion on Community Development Issues: Nils Aersather, Asbjorne Roiseland, Catherine Dugmore (City of Thunder Bay), Mark Smith (City of Thunder Bay), Leslie McEachern (City of Thunder Bay), Chris Southcott, and Livio di Matteo (Lakehead University)

Saturday, March 25
9 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Session One: Inclusions, Exclusions and Identity in the New Economy
Chair: Pamela Wakewich, Women's Studies, Lakehead University

Belinda Leach, University Research Chair in Woman and Rural Change, University of Guelph, "Rumours of the Old Economy's Death ... Dangerous for Women"

Thomas Dunk, Sociology, Lakehead University, Masculinity and the Old Economy/New Economy Transition"

Scott Thompson and Gary Genosko, Sociology, Lakehead University, "A Kind of Prohibition: Alcohol and Risk Assessment in Northern Ontario 1927-1962"

10:45 a.m. - 12:15 p.m. Session Two: The New Economy, Nature, and Social Movements
Chair: Bruce Muirhead, Lakehead University

Ketil Skogen and Olve Krange, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Lillehammer, Norway, "Cultural Resistance in Land Use Conflicts: What Wolves May Mean to the Rural Working Class"

Harvey Lemelin, School of Outdoor Recreation, Parks, and Tourism, Lakehead University, "Black Bear-human encounters in Northwestern Ontario: Understanding the Human Dimension of Wild Life Management"

José G. Vargas-Hernández, Instituto Tecnologico de Cd. Guzman, Jalisco, Mexico, "Co-operation and Conflict Between Firms, Communities, New Social Movements and the Role of Government: The Cerro de San Pedro Case"

12:15 p.m. - 1:15 p.m. Lunch at the Prince Arthur Hotel

1:15 p.m. - 2:45 p.m. Session Three: Global Perspectives on the Prospects and Realities of the New Economy I
Chair: Jean-Yves Bernard, History, Lakehead University, Thunder Bay, Canada

Nils Semmler, Rentec Renewable Energy Technologies, Inc., Peterborough, "Tosepan Titataniske: United We Stand"

G.Koteswara Prasad, Politics and Public Administration, University of Madras, Chennai, India, "New Economy and Farm Sector in India"

Suzanne Fish, Political Science, University of Toronto, "The Botswana Success Story in Critical Perspective"

3 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. Session Four: Global Perspectives on the Prospects and Realities of the New Economy II
Chair: Ron Harpelle, Lakehead University

Ellie Ngongang, Economics and Management, Université de Yaoundé II, Cameroun, Africa, "Impact des sources de financement et l'effet de coûts de régulation sur la propension de l'entrepreneuriat au Cameroun."

Andrés Marroquin Gramajo, Economics, George Mason University, Washington, D.C., "Social Structure, Craft Production, and Development: The Case of the Wayúu of Colombia"

Mark Purdon, Political Science, University of Toronto, "Designing the Carbon Market to Promote Sustainable Rural Development in Regions of the Declining Old Economy"