Simon Thibault

Simon Thibault is assistant professor in the Department of Political Science at Université de Montréal, where he teaches courses on political communications and on propaganda during conflicts. His doctoral research, funded through scholarships from the Trudeau Foundation and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), examined debate around the reform of the media environment during the reconstruction of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo. He has published in academic journals, co-authored book chapters, and co-edited two multi-author works. One of these, Journalism in Crisis: Bridging Theory and Practice for Democratic Media Strategies in Canada (forthcoming, University of Toronto Press) examines current issues facing the media and the need to rethink the structures that shape Canada’s media system. Prior to his doctoral studies, Simon Thibault worked as a journalist covering conflicts including the War in Afghanistan, the 2006 Israel–Hezbollah War, and the early stages of the War in Darfur on the Chad–Sudan border (in 2004). As a consultant based in Washington D.C. and Montreal he has performed development project evaluation that entailed field work in several countries.

Experience as a Pierre Elliott Trudeau Scholar

Being a Foundation scholar is an opportunity to rub shoulders with humanist intellectuals whose research focuses on questions that are essential to the advancement of society and the world. These often-inspiring meetings encourage me to set my sights ever further.

In addition to opening the door to a network of exceptional intellectuals and stimulating interdisciplinary discussions, the Foundation gives its scholars the means to achieve their ambitions. Thanks to the Foundation’s support, I was able to complete my field research in the Balkans, pursue my studies in Paris, and take part in academic colloquia in different countries where I presented my work and met with researchers from the four corners of the earth. A doctoral student could not dream of better conditions.