Dr. Leah Levac Launches Co-Edited Collection Creating Spaces of Engagement

Dr. Leah Levac, associate professor in the Department of Political Science and CESI Faculty Advisory Board (FAB) member, has just released a new co-edited collection, Creating Spaces of Engagement: Policy Justice and the Practical Craft of Deliberative Democracy. This book draws on case studies, sites of inquiry, and vignettes to raise and respond to questions such as:

• “Who is the ‘public’?”
• “What does public engagement in policy-making processes look like?”
• “How can our understanding of the ‘public’ be expanded to include diverse voices and experiences?” and;
• “What does this expansion mean not only for public policies and their development, but also for how we teach policy?”

As Dr. Levac explains, “this collection is shaped by important ideas for creating more inclusive and critical policy processes and outcomes”. Dr. Levac has a long history of working with CESI as a collaborator, supporter, and critical community-engaged scholar. Her work shines a light on the importance of engaging with often invisible and excluded communities in policy development. She is a member of the CESI Faculty Advisory Board, which provides guidance and advice to CESI on high-level issues including program development, staffing, strategic plans, and priorities. Along with her FAB colleagues, Dr. Levac has been an excellent resource to and ambassador for CESI.

“We place a great value on the expertise and support of the FAB, both as community-engaged researchers, and as experts working to further scholarship and ask important questions in their own fields. Dr. Levac is a dedicated and thoughtful colleague, scholar, and collaborator whose insights have been invaluable at CESI. We consider ourselves very lucky to have the opportunity to continue learning with and from her.”  

- Dr. Elizabeth Jackson, Director, CESI

In celebration of the release of this collection, the University of Toronto Press is hosting a virtual book launch on January 29. This moderated panel will reflect on the limitations of the current policy model and discuss the need for diverse voices and experiences in pursuit of policy justice. Panelists include:

Leah Levac, associate professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of Guelph and member of the Community Engaged Scholarship Institute Faculty Advisory Board.

Sarah Marie Wiebe, assistant professor in the School of Public Administration at the University of Victoria and adjunct faculty in the Department of Political Science at the University of Hawaiʻi, Mānoa.

Rachel Magnusson, senior project manager at the City of Vancouver.

Bruno De Oliveira Jayme, assistant professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Manitoba.

Moderator: Catherine Etmanski, professor and director of the School of Leadership Studies at Royal Roads University.

Find more details and register for the Creating Spaces of Engagement book launch.