Public Talk with Dr. Aftab Erfan

Making Sense of Conflicts on Our Campuses in Polarizing Times

Date and Time: Monday, March 10, 2026; 3:00 - 5:00 pm

Collaborators: Human Rights and Equity Office; Centre for Teaching and Learning

Throughout the ages, the core purpose of the public university has been relatively consistent: to develop the capacity for disciplined and critical thinking, to pursue evidence and build new knowledge, and to prepare citizen for a pluralistic society. To do this, universities commit to protecting multiplicity of perspectives, approaches and worldviews – a virtuous path that is inevitably paved with conflict. How do we understand conflict and the dynamics of its escalation at this moment in time? What does it mean to be inclusive and trauma-informed in our approach to working together without shying away from difficult or polarizing subjects? What are the qualities we need to foster in our collective social body to hold the complexities of this moment in time?

Open to the university community, this talk introduces a number of conceptual frameworks and weaves in stories of practice to help make sense of the dilemmas of pluralism we are facing and envision ways to navigate them. The idea is to be thought provoking, giving people language, inspiring/painting a picture of something better that may be possible. There will be a question-and-answer period following the talk. 

Register Here

Dr. Aftab Erfan is a scholar-practitioner, serving as the Executive Director of Simon Fraser University’s Centre for Dialogue, and Associate Member in the School of Public Policy. She was previously Director of Dialogue and Conflict Engagement at the University of British Columbia, and the inaugural Chief Equity Officer at the City of Vancouver. Educated as an urban planner, Dr. Erfan specializes in the study of deep-rooted conflicts and methods of deliberative democracy. She is a master facilitator who has worked on four continents. She is cautiously optimistic about the future of humanity.