IDEAS for the week of December 12

IDEAS airs Monday to Friday on CBC Radio One
at 8 p.m. (8:30 p.m. NT) and 4 a.m. (4:30 a.m. NT)

Glenn Gould visited the north only once, in 1965, when he took the Muskeg Express for a long rail journey from Winnipeg to Churchill, Manitoba. But he always remained intrigued by it. (The Estate of Jock Carroll, courtesy of The Glenn Gould Foundation)

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12

Return to North: The Soundscapes of Glenn Gould

In 1967, pianist Glenn Gould made a documentary for CBC Radio about the Canadian North. Gould applied the technique of contrapuntal music to documentary-making, with the result sounding something like a Bach fugue made of stories. In Return to North: The Soundscapes of Glenn Gould, CBC contributor Mark Laurie talks to four people who knew Gould intimately, and reinterprets Gould's contrapuntal technique to explore the landscape of Gould's life — and his ideas about music and radio. *This episode originally aired on December 21, 2017.

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13

Inherited Memories of Partition

Oral historian and writer Aanchal Malhotra has spent the last decade trying to understand the reverberations of the 1947 Partition of India — a rupture which took place four decades before she was born, but which continues to shape the lives of millions. Her new book, In the Language of Remembering explores the transmission of memory, grief, love, animosity and curiosity; how Partition influences the contemporary politics of India, Pakistan and Bangladesh; and what it means to unlearn beliefs you grew up with.

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 14

Demon Attack in Old Quebec

Historian Mairi Cowan investigates a rumoured demon attack as described by French settlers in Quebec in 1660. She rebuilds the scene of the 'crime' in her mind's eye, playing out the action to the extent her evidence allows, and discovering unexpected truths about daily life in old Quebec along the way. With contributions from fellow scholars Susan Ferber, Colin Coates, and Scott Berthelette.

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 15

Stursberg Lecture: Bellingcat

In a world that's increasingly hostile to journalists — barred from covering certain countries and conflicts, or even targeted in violent attacks — Bellingcat has become an internationally respected organization that does essential journalistic work, even though most of its staff are not trained journalists. Instead, they meticulously comb through publicly available online information to uncover the truth about wrongdoing, from the downing of Malaysian Airlines Flight 17 to allegations of war crimes in Syria and Ukraine. Giancarlo Fiorella, a senior investigator with Bellingcat was the 2022 Peter Stursberg Foreign Correspondent Lecturer in an event moderated by IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed.

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 16

A Clearer Universe: Dr. Louise Edwards

In 2024, our view of the universe is going to change drastically — and literally. High on a mountain in Chile, the complex construction of the Vera C. Rubin Observatory has been underway for the past seven years. But soon, it will be producing images of the night sky that are both sharper and more wide-ranging than ever before. It will revolutionize our knowledge of galaxies. And one of the astrophysicists involved in this exciting project is the brilliant Canadian scientist and master storyteller Dr. Louise Edwards.

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Journalist and advocate Maria Ressa says she still has hope for justice and truth in journalism but warns 'we have to actually speak when it matters.' Ressa delivered the 2022 McGill Beatty Lecture in October. (Owen Egan and Joni Dufour)

IDEAS IN THE AFTERNOON

MONDAY, DECEMBER 12 at 2 p.m.

'Silence is consent': Why journalist Maria Ressa risks her life for truth in journalism

Nobel laureate and renowned journalist Maria Ressa warns that we’re in the "last two minutes of democracy." She delivered the 2022 Beatty Lecture at McGill University and joined IDEAS host Nahlah Ayed to discuss what can be done to change the course against disinformation.