Date & time
Tuesday, March 31, 2026
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
3 p.m. – 5 p.m.
Registration is closed
Workshops & seminars
Share this event:
A Crisis of Empathy?
Shared Suffering in the Contemporary Moment
Cost
This event is free.
Website
Where
4TH SPACE
J.W. McConnell Building
1400 De Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Accessible location
Yes - See details
This event brings together two thought leaders who will explore how political polarization erodes our capacity for empathy. As public debates become more conflictual, how do we remain present to one another’s suffering, even when we fundamentally disagree? Rabbi Lisa Grushcow offers a spiritual perspective on empathy and suffering, while anthropologist Samuel Veissière examines the social forces driving deepening division. Together, they invite us to consider how we might listen, connect, and heal in fractured times.
Organized by Marc Lafrance, Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life, Provost’s Office and Lisa White, Executive Director, Equity Office.
How can you participate? Join us in person by filling out the form or online by registering for the Zoom Meeting or watching live on YouTube.
Have questions? Send them to info.4@concordia.ca
Speakers
Lisa Grushcow
Senior Rabbi
Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, Westmount
Samuel Veissière
Professeur associé, Département de psychologie (section psychodynamique) Université du Québec à Montréal (UQÀM)
Clinicien Chercheur, Recherche Action sur les Polarisations Sociales (RAPS)
CLSC Parc Extension, CIUSS Centre Ouest de Montreal
Adjunct Professor, Department of Anthropology, McGill University
Jennifer Bourque
Chaplain and Coordinator, Multi-faith and Spirituality Centre, Concordia University
Description: A panel that explores empathy in public debates, through the examination of social forces that drive the division between opposing voices and spiritual perspectives that can support listening and connection.
Organized by: Marc Lafrance, Special Advisor to the Provost on Campus Life; Lisa White, Executive Director, Equity Office
Participants:
Lisa Grushcow
Samuel Veissière
Jennifer Bourque
Marc Lafrance
With: The Equity Office
Spectrum ID: