Professors and peers discuss J. Edward Chamberlin’s book, “If This is Your Land, Where are Your Stories?’

On Oct. 20, students and Brantford residents left a day-long conference at Laurier wondering what it was all about. This conference was held in the Carnegie Building giving professors and peers the opportunity to examine Edward Chamberlin’s book, If This is Your Land, Where are Your Stories? Themes and issues regarding the Grand River Forum were also discussed. “I think they should have done a better job explaining the conference,” Brantford resident Glen Harris points out. “They seemed to be rushing the speakers through their discussions and it only made the audience more confused.”

Brenda Murphy, a Contemporary Studies professor teaching Climate Change and Society, presented a discussion about stories from three different cultures and how they leave their carbon footprint. Using Chamberlin’s book as a guide, Murphy and her two assistant’s attempted to find common ground between the three cultures. The main goal of this discussion was to show the audience how culture and class have an effect on our carbon consumption by discussing ancestors and their carbon footprint. The three women claimed that by explaining the science behind it all, they could find a way of reducing their carbon consumption which would save the Earth. The audience gained some useful knowledge about climate change and how it relates to society, however, they  found it a bit difficult to completely understand what Murphy’s discussion had to do with Chamberlin’s book. “I read Chamberlin’s book and I still couldn’t understand what the climate change discussion had to do with it,” Laurier student Lainie Wisniewski states. “I can’t imagine what people who haven’t read the novel were thinking,”

Another speaker at the conference was Rob Kristofferson. His readings were about

‘Stories of the Self, Imaginations of Home: Crafts Workers and Their Diaries in the Mid-

Victorian Transatlantic World’ Kristofferson’s paper offered the story of how a

journeyman patternmaker named Andrew Mcllwraith told himself a story of hope for

success which led to his actual success. McIlwraith was the only known Upper Canadian

craftsman to leave documented diaries of his activities. Kristofferson claims that

McIlwraith’s documents are an important source to the Canadian working class and

social history. Kristofferson did a great job telling the story of a young craftsman,

however, according to the audience he too did a poor job of relating it to Chamberlin’s

book. Another Laurier student named Chris Pimentel said. “It was a frustrating

discussion. A few members of the audience and I were all wondering what it had to do

with Chamberlin’s book.”

The speakers and leaders of the conference meant to raise questions, create new idea’s

and provoke thought about Chamberlin’s novel and their particular aspect in their

discussion. The audience seemed to think that although their intentions were good, the

conference was a major failure.