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Cultural, Social & Political Thought

About CSPT

Our history

The Cultural, Social and Political Thought (CSPT) program started in 1988 with 6 faculty members from 3 departments: Warren Magnusson and Rob Walker (Political Science), John Michelsen and Monika Langer (Philosophy), and William Carroll and Rennie Warburton (Sociology). They received support from their departments and the deans of Graduate Studies, Humanities and Social Sciences.

The program welcomed its first Master of Arts (MA) students in 1989. For 15 years, it was only an MA concentration. In its early days, both Political Science and Sociology offered MA programs, allowing students from both fields to apply to CSPT. Philosophy had no graduate program then, so it eventually withdrew from CSPT. In the 1990s, English and History joined as participating departments.

Student representation in CSPT changes often. Historically, 60-70% come from Social Sciences, 30-40% from Humanities and about 5% from the Individual Interdisciplinary program.

In 2005/06, CSPT began admitting PhD students from English, History, Political Science and Sociology, or Individual Interdisciplinary students who met the program's strict entrance requirements.

CSPT has grown into one of the University of Victoria’s flagship programs. Its success is largely due to dedicated faculty who are committed to advanced inquiry and politically engaged critique. They have devoted countless hours to teaching, supervising and managing the program.

Our vision

CSPT's original vision was to provide an interdisciplinary supplement to graduate education in Humanities and Social Sciences. It aimed to challenge top students accepted into regular graduate programs. Since 2016, CSPT has considered expanding to other faculties.

CSPT is a concentration rather than a standalone program. This choice acknowledges that academics without strong disciplinary bases may struggle to find university jobs. Faculty hold primary appointments in traditional disciplines and are cross-appointed to CSPT for interdisciplinary research and teaching.

CSPT benefits from established department structures while maintaining autonomy over admissions criteria, seminar offerings, thesis proposals, supervisory committees and faculty qualifications.

CSPT aims not only to add value to existing graduate programs but also to challenge the separation of knowledge into distinct disciplines. Disciplinary traditions often assume what counts as "culture," "nature," "politics" or "the social" and study them separately. CSPT's vision questions these narrow confines.

CSPT is defined by open and non-ideological encounters related to cultural, social and political questions. It emphasizes self-reflection and the importance of questioning how we know what we know.

CSPT Emeriti

CSPT benefits from engaged emeriti, including:

  • Michael Asch
  • Greg Blue
  • William Carroll (founding member)
  • Evelyn Cobley
  • Arthur Kroker
  • Monika Langer (founding member)
  • Warren Magnusson (founding member)
  • John Michelsen (founding member)
  • James Tully
  • Rob Walker (founding member)
  • Rennie Warburton (founding member)