In this era of alternative facts and the 24-hour news cycle, online magazine Salons reminds us that scholarly journals in the humanities and social sciences play a key role understanding and advancing our society.
Each month between June 2017 and June 2018, a well-known researcher and stakeholder in the cultural or academic fields will provide commentary on a key issue in Canadian society. Their analyses will be based on a selection of research articles that the public will be asked to explore.
“Research in the humanities and social sciences is exceptionally rich in Canada. Its results are generally disseminated as articles published in scholarly journals,” explained the director of the Salons project, Vincent Larivière, a professor at the University of Montréal and Scientific Director of the Érudit platform.
“A research article often represents years of work and analysis for a researcher and is subject to a rigorous evaluation process. Our goal is to remind the general public of the role played by these publications in society as a whole and demonstrate the extent to which research is now available to all,” he added. “Thanks to digital technologies and open access, academic knowledge has never been so easy to attain. Salons is a kind of monthly stylistic exercise that will introduce the general public to these resources and show how accessible they are, as well as how relevant and rich.”
The project will take advantage of the celebrations marking Canada’s 150th anniversary to bridge the gap between the academic community and civil society, as well as between the country’s two linguistic communities, since the site is completely bilingual. Consequently, it will look at 13 themes to examine the question of Canadian identity. These include linguistic duality in national celebrations, the integration of indigenous communities in archaeological projects, changes in education within the country, and feminist perspectives on Canada. 
The project is coordinated by the Érudit Consortium and has been placed under the leadership of Vincent Larivière (Université de Montréal) and Jean-Philippe Warren (Concordia University) with support from a team of researchers from several Canadian Universities. It received financial support from the SSHRC (Connection/Canada 150 Programs) and is backed by several Canadian research organizations.
Salons project: goals
- Examine Canadian citizenship through Canadian research in the humanities and social sciences
- Remind readers of the role played by articles and academic journals in disseminating knowledge and moving society forward.
- Promote open access to knowledge (journals, archival holdings)
About Érudit
In partnership with Canadian documentation organizations and scholarly publishers, Érudit works toward the digital dissemination of scientific and cultural publications in the humanities and social sciences. Érudit is an interuniversity consortium of Université de Montréal, Université Laval and Université du Québec à Montréal and receives support from the Fonds de Recherche du Québec – Société et Culture. Since 2014, it has been recognized as a major science initiative by the Canadian Fund for Innovation.
Contact person
Gwendal Henry – Communications Officer, Érudit
514-343-6111, extension 2723