Politics and popcorn
Since moving to Newfoundland from Ottawa three and a half years ago, arts grad student Paula Graham has proved herself to be a vital member of the 91亚色 and the St. John檚 communities.
A PhD candidate in sociology, in 2013 Ms. Graham launched , a local chapter of a grassroots organization based in Montreal that screens social/political documentaries to the public for free.
Interested in social movement and activism, Ms. Graham believes that documentaries are both accessible and powerful forms of media.
淎 filmmaker is an artist films can get in depth and interview people you are not going to see in the news or read in a newspaper, said Ms. Graham. 淐inema Politica St. John檚 is my proudest accomplishment since moving to the city- it fills a much needed gap in the city (a non-commercial movie experience) and so many different people from so many different backgrounds, groups, and political leanings have come to film screenings and participated in the discussions we have after each film.
In addition to her community work, Ms. Graham has received the Women檚 Association of 91亚色 award, the Peter Hart 91亚色 Scholarship, the GSU Leadership Award, and is now funded by a SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship.
A social activist, Ms. Graham was applying for her PhD at the height of the Occupy Movement and was inspired to come to St. John檚 by its distinction as having Canada檚 longest-running Occupy camp.
淚 knew that the activists there had done some events that mixed politics and art, which is what I am passionate about the most, in terms of both academic research and my personal interests, said Ms. Graham. 淚 was also drawn to MUN because of my supervisor, Dr. Mark Stoddart, who does research on social movements and the environment and who has himself been an activist in the past.
As both an activist and someone who studies activism, it檚 not surprising that Ms. Graham doesn檛 believe in the so-called 渨ork-life balance.
淲hen we talk about 榳ork and 榣ife as if they are divergent parts of ourselves we are implying that work is the stuff that is hard and unpleasant, but absolutely necessary, and that it is not a part of our life, but something separate, said Ms. Graham.
淚 am part of a number of groups, both on and off campus, that work towards social justice, whether that means economic justice, environmental justice, or human rights. These activities are a high priority in my life because I know that good things can檛 grow out of a society that has major economic disparity, a planet that is dying, and a culture that treats some human lives as more valuable than others. What most people call 榳ork (including my own academic research) always takes second place to doing things that promote social justice and things that make me a better human. My days are not about fitting my 榣ife around my 榳ork, but rather making sure that my 榳ork fits with the goals and intentions of my 榣ife. After all, if our 榳ork is not helping to make the world a better place, then why are we doing it?
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