Event Date: March 21, 2024 - 11:30 am to 1:00 pm
Location: FSS 4004, 120 Unversity Private, University of Ottawa

Presented by CIPS and the International Political Economy Network (IPEN)

Canada’s official strategic documents relating to quantum policy frequently refer to the unprecedented scope and pace of disruption promised by the next generation of quantum technologies. While these documents rely on an assumption quantum technology is important because of the radical uncertainty it creates for society, research and government funding priorities largely ignore the political stakes of quantum technology by instead framing quantum as a domain of techn(olog)ical—rather than social—domain. This presentation argues that quantum policy approach offers a window into the construction of technocratic exceptionalism, where “expert” domains are made safe from liberal democracy.

The event will be in English.

Speaker: 

Michael P. A. Murphy is a Banting Postdoctoral Fellow in the Centre for International and Defence Policy and Department of Political Studies at Queen’s University. He is the author of Quantum Social Theory for Critical International Relations Theorists (Palgrave, 2021), over thirty peer-reviewed articles, and numerous book reviews and chapters, receiving over 1500 citations. He received his PhD from the University of Ottawa and maintains an affiliation with the uOttawa Research Centre for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning.

Chair: 

Srdjan Vucetic is a professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA), uOttawa. His research interests are in international security, foreign & defence policy, and the Yugoslav region.