Ottawa, May 27, 2008 – A prominent German scholar is coming to Canada to further his research on political representation and political identity. Hans-Dieter Klingemann, a Political Science professor at the Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin and Freie Universität Berlin, has been awarded this year's John G. Diefenbaker Award by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Dr. Klingemann will spend a year, from August 2008 to July 2009, at Simon Fraser University (Burnaby, BC), working with the Department of Political Science, where he will undertake two research projects. His first project will examine the role of left-right orientation in political representation across nations. It builds on earlier work in which he explored how ordinary citizens understand "left" and "right" politics, place political parties along the left-right continuum as well as how political parties formulate and emphasize issues and position them on the left-right framework in their electoral campaigns.
Dr. Klingemann's second project on political identity will compare and contrast the Canadian experience, as a politically diverse and inclusive community in a multicultural setting, with the European challenges of identity and democratic legitimacy. Dr. Klingemann believes that Canada's experience can provide valuable insight for developing a political community in a culturally diverse society.
"Given his past record of research collaboration and professional association in the international political science community, Dr. Klingemann's visit to Simon Fraser University is certain to bring tremendous value to our department and the whole Canadian political and social science community", wrote David Laycock, Professor and Chair of the Department of Political Science at Simon Fraser University, in his letter of support for Dr. Klingemann's nomination. "It is hard for us to imagine a more deserving or prestigious candidate for the award and we are very excited to work with him in Canada."
Established in 1991, the John G. Diefenbaker Award is an annual award honouring the memory of former Prime Minister John G. Diefenbaker. It enables a scholar who is a German citizen to spend up to 12 months in Canada to pursue research in the social sciences and humanities. Candidates must be nominated by a university department or research institute in Canada. The value of the award is up to $75,000 provided by the Canada Council for the Arts, plus a travel allowance of up to $20,000 provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC). Funded by an endowment of approximately $2 million from the Government of Canada, the award is administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.
Hans-Dieter Klingemann is one of the world's most renowned political scientists, having made major international contributions to the study of comparative political behaviour, party politics, and political ideologies. He explains how institutions in government and civil society interact with key citizen attitudes and beliefs in democratic politics. In his long career, Dr. Klingemann has authored 13 books, over 150 articles and book chapters and edited 22 scholarly volumes. He has been a principal investigator on over 20 major research grants.
He is a member of the German Academy of Sciences, a foreign member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and holds two honorary doctorates. Dr. Klingemann has also been a visiting scholar at more than twelve universities across Europe and the United States, including an appointment as the Associate Director of Research at the Institut d'Études Politiques de Paris.
In addition to its principal role of promoting and fostering the arts in Canada, the Council administers and awards prizes and fellowships to over 150 artists and scholars annually in the arts, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences, health sciences and engineering. Among these are the Killam Prizes, the Killam Research Fellowships, the Molson Prizes, the Governor General's Literary Awards, the Governor General's Awards in Visual and Media Arts and the Walter Carsen Prize for Excellence in the Performing Arts.
For more information about these awards, including nomination procedures, contact Joanne Larocque-Poirier, Head of Endowments and Prizes, at 613-566-4414, or 1-800-263-5588, ext. 5041, or Kelly Rodrigues, Administrative Assistant for the John G. Diefenbaker Award, at 613-566-4414, or 1-800-263-5588, ext. 4083.
