You are now in the main content area

Call for Applicants

StOries: Strangers to Ourselves
April 13, 2021
People walking on a sidewalk in New York City, writing in a notebook using a pen

Join CERC Migration for an innovative program of reading, discussion and creative writing to explore notions of identity and diversity in the contemporary Canadian context.

About the program

The experience of migration, as unique or universal as it might be, is always rooted in everyday stories, and can often be best expressed through literary and creative writing.

The CERC in Migration and Integration program at Ryerson University launches the StOries Project: Strangers to Ourselves as an alternative training project, grounded in research, reflection, and creative writing

The project, led by Anna Triandafyllidou and Alka Kumar, uses creative and literary writing to generate new insights about contested notions of identity and diversity in the contemporary Canadian context, as experienced at the intersection of multiculturalism, settler colonialism, and racism. Further, we are interested in exploring lived realities within formations and perceptions of self that emerge from race, ethnicity, religion, gender (and their intertwining) in Canada today; what they mean to each one of us; and how they shape our relationships with each other, and with Canada. Using literary and creative writing forms, the project will illuminate the complexities of these concepts, and of the related everyday experiences of inclusion or exclusion individuals encounter, assertion of difference and identity, including our efforts to blend in and become ‘invisible,’ and all the related in-between spaces. 

Selected participants will receive a participation fee upon successful completion of the project.

Project outcome

The StOries produced by the project will be included in an anthology edited by Anna Triandafyllidou and Alka Kumar.

Who is this program for?

This program is designed for graduate students (see specific eligibility below), who have an interest in experiential aspects of migration, as well as the issues these raise.

Who is eligible to apply?

Mandatory requirement: 

  • Applicant must be either a graduate student, currently enrolled in any program at a Canadian university, or have completed graduate studies in the last three years, either in Canada or internationally and currently reside in Canada.

Additional considerations: 

  • Individuals with an interest in exploring issues of identity and diversity, and all the liminal spaces that exist between being a ‘local’ and a ‘newcomer’ in Canada are encouraged to apply. 
  • A strong interest and some experience in creative writing is preferred. 
  • Prior knowledge or studies in migration are considered as assets. 

How to apply

Application deadline: May 20, 2021

Please send a motivation letter (1-2 pages) explaining why you are interested in being part of this project, and a short CV (2-4 pages) outlining relevant experience and expertise. Please submit in one file clearly indicating as filename: your first and last name. Optional: submit a sample of published (non-scholarly) work – up to 10 pages, for longer works please submit an excerpt. 

Send application to: cerc.migration@torontomu.ca

Results to be announced: Jun. 15, 2021

Start of the project: Jun. 25, 2021 – End of the project Feb. 15, 2022

See attached  (PDF file) PDF for program details.