Welcome to Colloquia!

 

Colloquia is a space - or rather, a series of activities - for faculty, students, and administrators at universities and colleges as well as intellectuals across Canada who wish to promote open and honest dialogue and a culture of curiosity when it comes to talking about any topic, including difficult ones. Our aim is to bring people together, model dialogue and intellectual rigour, and reduce the polarization that may exist between different groups.

 

Colloquia includes four types of events:

The Colloquia Symposia Series: these include formal presentations by an intellectual as well small and large group discussions among individuals interested in the topic discussed by the presenter. These symposia follow the Chatham House Rules, and are held on a regular basis. Click here for more information. 

The Colloquia Conference: this one to two-day event is held yearly, usually in April. It includes presentations and round table discussions. Our next Conference will be held on April 25 and 26. Click here for more information. 

The Colloquia Conversations: these Conversations involve a dialogue between two intellectuals with diverging views. Our first Conversation wil be held in April 2024. Click here for more information.   

The Colloquia Debates: we plan on organising debates on various topics in the months to come. Click here for more information. 

 

A more complete description of each type of event can be found on our EVENTS page. These events are typically organized by Heterodox Academy - Canada or by the Heterodox Academy Campus Community at McGill University. However, other groups may also organise or co-organise events as well.

Ultimately, we want to promote the idea of looking at issues from a variety of perspectives and encourage diverse ways of thinking, which we refer to as the Colloquia Way. We also wish to model the kind of open, honest conversations we would like to see happen at our institutions, where we actively seek out arguments and solutions that speak to the nuances of complex questions, and avoid othering or strawmanning those we disagree with.