Benjamin Christensen

My research examines Canadian political economy, with a focus on social movements, public policy, and institutions. I am currently working on two research projects funded by Douglas College's RPG Inquiry Grant. The first examines anti-free trade activism during the 1980s, a social movement that challenged Canada's deepening participation into neoliberal economic globalization. As part of this work, with my co-investigator Dr. Chris Hurl (Sociology, Concordia University) we are building a digital archive that documents the history of this social movement while making our research data available to the public. This data includes participant interview transcriptions and an ephemera collection. Project website link: https://freetradehistory.ca/.

The second project is titled, "College Life: Teach teach teach, (research?)". With co-investigator Dr. Lisa Smith (Sociology, Douglas College) we are examining how college instructors in B.C. navigate their research agendas while employed at educated-focused colleges in a broader context of institutional reform to the province's college system.

I recently co-edited a special issue on nationalism and anti-free trade activism in Socialist Studies. I have also published on pension policy reform and the intellectual tradition of Canadian political economy. My research can be found in publications such as the CCPA Monitor, Studies in Political Economy, the Canadian Journal of Political Science, and Socialist Studies.