The State of (In)Equality: Social Justice Under Siege is the fourth annual interdisciplinary conference presented by Humber College’s School of Liberal Arts and Sciences of Toronto, Canada in association with the International Festival of Authors (IFOA).

The perceived orthodoxy of progressive politics has come under attack in recent years by individuals, groups, and institutions that believe their actions and speech are being policed. The term ‘social justice warrior’ (SJW) emerged in 2011. This has attempted to switch the term ‘social justice,’ which has since 1840 been primarily a positive concept, into a mainstream pejorative used mainly to dismiss individuals and groups who espoused views concerning social progressivism, civil rights, cultural inclusiveness, gay rights, or feminism. For those activists and researchers who have spent their lives attempting to change society for the better, this is a troubling turn.

Our conference will examine the current and past state(s) of inequality and social justice from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The conference takes place October 28th and 29th 2017 at the Harbourfront Centre in Toronto.