July 23, 2019 — The summer edition of the magazine Relations (French only), entitled “Invitation à la marche,” has been on newsstands since July 12. Various activities such as taking a stroll, going on a pilgrimage, demonstrating, and migrating all show that the human journey starts with walking.
The article on walking invites us to reflect upon some inspiring ideas. Anthropologist David LeBreton suggests that we reconnect with our bipedal nature and the fact that we were born and “designed” to walk. José Acquelin and Catherine Caron draw us to poetic and artistic (singing and dancing) reflections on walking. Natasha Kanapé Fontaine, Lorraine Guay and Julien Simard deal with political reflections on walking, namely demonstrating and occupying and taking over streets, public venues and ancestral lands.
After several days of walking, I didn’t feel a void that was deepening, but rather an opening that was emerging. So much inward space was being created! And what to do with it? – Natasha Kanapé Fontaine
Jean-Claude Ravet invites us to read poetic and mystic meditations inspired by his pilgrimage along the way to Compostela.
In very powerful and beautifully crafted prose, Jesuit Philippe Demeestère draws our attention to forced marches and endless wandering, but also to the invincible dignity and moving resilience of the modern-day nomads who crossed his path during the years he spent ministering to the homeless, migrants and refugees. In a column entitled Sur les pas d’Ignace (In the footsteps of Ignatius), you will find a text by Jesuit Étienne Grieu about the paths to justice.
The second insight is that service to the suffering or impoverished can never, in the Church, be the responsibility of specialists who would be responsible for carrying out this task on behalf of other Christians. – Étienne Grieu
Other must-reads: an article by Adel Abderrezak on the Hirak, the nonviolent Algerian uprising, a reflection by Martin Hébert on structural violence and a text by Julien Simard on aging in our neoliberal societies. In his text, Simard explains how the State reacts to the aging of our population.
An aging population is scaring proponents of the “zero deficit and diminishing social role of the State,” for they see it as a danger sometimes referred to as the “grey tsunami” or “geriatric Armageddon” in the media. – Julien Simard
Also, on the eve of the traditional July 1st moves and the beginning of summer holidays, our debaters wonder if Airbnbs should be forbidden in light of gentrification and the lodging crisis.
Olivia Tapiero, Anne Fortin and Marc Chabot all pen columns imbued with summer and travel. All of these beautifully illustrated by Yayo, the artist featured in this edition.
Click here to read the free introduction to the article “Invitation à la marche” by Jean-Claude Ravet.