As we approach the end of 2023, I want to express my gratitude to you and all the members of our humanities and social science community. Despite facing many challenges and uncertainties in the past few years, you have shown remarkable resilience, dedication, and creativity in advancing our disciplines, strengthening our institutions, and contributing to the public good.
Together, we have demonstrated the vital role that our fields of study play in addressing the complex challenges and opportunities that our society faces. We have not retreated into isolation or complacency, but rather engaged with the world and each other in meaningful and impactful ways.
Here are some of the highlights of what we have achieved this year:
We hosted a highly successful in-person Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, after two years of virtual gatherings due to the pandemic. More than 10,000 participants joined us to share their research, exchange ideas, and forge new collaborations across disciplines and sectors.
We secured a major new $800,000 investment in our flagship Scholarly Book Awards, which will support new Open Access grants and help many new authors in our community publish and translate their research. This builds on our long-standing tradition of excellence in Canadian scholarship, with over 8,000 books published since the inception of the awards 80 years ago.
We launched a new fund to support initiatives that advance Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Decolonization (EDID) in our community and beyond. This reflects our ongoing commitment to combat racism and all forms of discrimination while fostering a supportive and respectful culture in our disciplines and society.
We joined forces with the Coalition for Canadian Research to advocate for federal investment in Canada’s research system, with a focus on supporting graduate students and postdoctoral scholars. These are the future leaders and innovators of our community, and they deserve adequate and stable funding.
Twenty twenty-four will bring new challenges and opportunities for our community, including a federal budget and a fast approaching national election campaign. We will be ready to make our case for the value of higher education, and the importance of the humanities and social sciences, as we seek fair and sustainable funding for our research and teaching. We can succeed with your collaboration and support.
Thank you for trusting us to serve you and represent you, and for the important role you play in keeping our voice strong and our community united.
Sincerely,
Gabriel Miller
President and Chief Executive Officer
Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences