"Reconciliation and the Transition from Orality to the Written Expression," Saint Paul University, Ottawa, October 29-30, 2009.

The goal of this conference is to bring together a broad audience of Aboriginal Peoples, First Peoples, and scholars; academics; and other interested individuals to discuss Reconciliation and the Transition from Orality to the Written Expression as well as to break new ground in terms of alternative approaches and further paths of research. In many cases, the process of objectification assumes that the only difference between oral and written records is materiality, and that once this is achieved, oral [Aboriginal] records then conform to a Western prerequisite for verifying truth; that is, they appear more trustworthy because they become immutable and hence can be assumed genuine based on Western standards .This conference proposes to research and explore how this perception is integrally connected with reconciliation and how language and culture are the basis of a climate of reconciliation towards fostering respect and understanding and thus possible work toward mutual reconciliation. Please send an abstract, maximum length of 150 words, by October 1st, 2009 to: Anitta Aaltonen (aaaltonene@ustpaul.ca).