Jean Vanier Research Centre at King’s University College UWO

King’s University College at Western University has announced the creation of the Jean Vanier Research Centre (JVRC). Endorsed by Jean Vanier, founder of L’Arche and Faith & Light, the centre will create, support, and promote projects and initiatives based on his ideas and works. The Jean Vanier Association in France is a committed partner sharing documents and providing funding, promotion, and in-kind supports. L’Arche is also a partner sharing expertise, leadership, and resources. The centre will remain independent in order to maintain academic credibility.

The director of the centre is Dr. Pamela Cushing, Associate Professor and founder of the Disability Studies program at King’s who is a longtime associate of L’Arche and Vanier. She said, “Jean Vanier has been speaking and writing since the 1960s about the crucial challenge of creating a society that embodies genuine belonging, dignity, and recognition of the gifts of those most often marginalized in society. The basic idea of the Jean Vanier Research Centre is to place those insights into the light of academic study so that we might better articulate his exceptional contributions to knowledge of difference, community, and listening in a way that mobilizes them for use in enhancing our society and the place of disabled people within it.”

King’s was seen as a natural fit for the JVRC due to its mission as a Catholic college and because of its Disability Studies program. Dr. Sauro Camiletti, Interim Principal and Academic Dean at King’s, said, “Dr. Vanier’s philosophical, social scientific, and theological writing has the potential for greater influence in a setting like King’s, where a diverse array of students and scholars can engage with, critique, and advance the best of his ideas.”

In June 2019, the JVRC will launch an inaugural effort to bring together scholars and leaders from L’Arche and other organizations that draw inspiration from him. The hope is that this small group will form the basis from which the centre will build a network of scholars, non-profits, self-advocates, care workers, and leaders.