Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam BA’87, PhD
Arch Award Recipient - International Career Achievement Award
Profile
The life and career of Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam stands as a testament to resilience, unwavering dedication, and a profound commitment to fostering understanding and peace through education and community service. His exceptional contributions have been rightfully recognized with the International Career Achievement Arch Award, honouring his transformative impact and tireless efforts to mould us into conscientious global citizens.
Born in East Africa and raised in Calgary, Dr. Kassam's formative years were marked by a crucible of personal and societal challenges. His relentless pursuit of knowledge and justice has not only enriched the academic realm but also woven a tapestry of understanding and unity within the diverse communities he has touched.
"My first year was challenging because my father was very ill, and, within six months, we lost him. So, my first year of university was a challenging time," Kassam recalls. Despite these hardships, he remained deeply connected to his roots and committed to his community. "Calgary is a place where people are kind, they make eye contact and say hello. Yes, we have issues like any society, but there's a strong co-operative ethic."
His educational journey took him from Calgary to some of the world's most prestigious institutions, all on scholarships. "I had amazing teachers from elementary school onwards and amazing professors at the London School of Economics as well as Cambridge and Cornell Universities.. That’s the gift my parents, my teachers, and Calgary gave me."
As an International Professor of Environmental & Indigenous Studies and director of undergraduate studies for the American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program at Cornell University, Kassam strives to bring all people and even nature closer together. He has consistently advocated for deeper, more meaningful connections that transcend modern industrial economies and emphasizes that deeper understanding is crucial in fostering peace and co-operation. "If you understand something, whether it’s forests, weather systems or human societies, it becomes very hard to harm it," Kassam says.
“I have demonstrated (along with Indigenous communities) that humanity is embedded in its habitat; that is, nature is not separate from humanity,” he says. “This separation was a dangerous and destructive idea which we adopted with industrialization. Biological diversity contributes to cultural diversity and, in turn, cultural diversity contributes to biological diversity. I have provided evidence of this in the American, Canadian and Russian Arctic, as well as the Pamir Mountains of Afghanistan, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan.
His career has not been without significant challenges, including a cancer diagnosis at 29 and surgery to the spine and brain at 39 at correct a malformation. But he did not miss a beat.
Throughout his career, Dr. Kassam, now 60, has emphasized the unique role of academia in fostering open dialogue and advancing societal well-being. This is evident in his willingness to address controversial topics and support students in their quest for truth and justice.
"As a professor, my responsibility is to have open conversations, even about difficult topics,” says Dr. Kassam, who was a Freedom of Expression Fellow with Cornell University. “I was raised with the very dangerous idea that nothing is impossible."
Despite much of the doom and gloom over the COVID-19 pandemic in recent years and war and strife throughout the world in 2024, he remains optimistic about the future, particularly the potential of the new generation.
"I’m very hopeful about the new generation because I think they’re seeking to find something deeper that connects us," says Dr. Kassam. “Students are equipped to be global citizens and they can act effectively to liberate other young lives and provide self-empowerment through learning.”
Dr. Kassam's Arch Award recognition is a testament to his lifelong dedication to education, community service, and pursuit of understanding and peace. His journey, marked by resilience and a commitment to deeper connections, serves as an inspiration to all. As he continues his work, Dr. Kassam exemplifies the values of leadership, advocacy and the transformative power of education, making him a truly deserving recipient of this prestigious award.
Arch Award Recipient - International Career Achievement Award
The UCalgary Alumni Arch Award for International Career Achievement honours those whose international career accomplishments have brought distinction to themselves, credit to the university, and real benefit to their communities.
Dr. Kassam, 2024 International Career Achievement Recipient
Courtesy Maria De Lourdes Orozco Ramirez
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Insight is like rain, it falls on every person irrespective of their age, culture, economic status, ethnicity, ideological, religious or sexual orientation. The art is to know when one is receiving it and be grateful for the grace of insight. This process is simultaneously awe-inspiring and humbling. Therefore, through learning, students not only consume information, but also contribute insight to co-creating knowledge. These young and thoughtful scholars are the ones who change ways of understanding our complex and beautiful world. These are the people I work with. I have had the privilege to live through some of the most challenging times including straddling two millenniums. I am grateful for this life and the opportunity to contribute.
Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam
BA’87, PhD
Getting to know Dr. Karim-Aly Kassam
Was there any particular moment that stands out for you with the University of Calgary?
My life at University of Calgary was as both a student and as a professor. As a student, in 1986, as president of World University Services of Canada, we established the first student refugee sponsorship program. Students from all ideological bases came together to make this happen. As a professor, in 1995, I established the Theme School in Northern Planning and Development Studies (NPDS) and was its founding director. It was established through provincial support when Premier Ralph Klein was cutting health-care, educational, and public funding. Yet, he saw value in this program. The Theme School sought to engage First Nations and non-Indigenous students interested in contributing to the progress of northern communities. It was an interdisciplinary minor taught through the Faculty of Communications and Culture that explored issues such as economic development, sustainability, human ecology, gender analysis and strategic planning. I also raised funds for three scholarships for students in need.
Is there anything in the work you do that you think is maybe too often misunderstood or ignored by the public?
Not misunderstood, but seen in a different light than my life’s work in biological and cultural diversity because it had to be subtle and involved scholarly diplomacy. After Sept. 11, I edited and published two books that included essays from experts on terror, artists, First Nations, historians, military officers, newspaper editors, philosophers, religious studies scholars and even a stewardess that wrote a cartoon essay. The second book came about after two publications republished the Danish cartoons of the Muslim Prophet portrayed as a terrorist. This raised an important question about freedom of expression. I worked behind the scenes to diffuse potential conflict. I wrote an op-ed essay in the Calgary Herald explaining that no freedom is void of responsibility. Unlike Denmark or France, we had no violence in our city, no lives were lost or a single person injured. Instead, we had peace and mutual understanding. Recently, June 2024, here at Cornell, during the protests at U.S. universities, as Freedom of Expression Fellow, I defended the peaceful protests by students at Cornell. My painting and essay entitled Reflections on Freedom of Expression was published by the Cornell Sun, a student newspaper.
What is the most rewarding part of what you do?
The most rewarding part of my work is that I work across multiple generations; I work simultaneously in the past, present and future. The Indigenous Peoples of our homeland speak about thinking in terms of “seven generations.” I do not think this means looking into the future solely. Rather, if we place ourselves in the middle, at the fourth generation, then we can reflect upon the past — to our parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents; and then, with that hindsight, we gaze into the future — to our children, our grandchildren, and our great-grandchildren. That is seven generations. We give meaning to time itself, because we have the ability to put right the past — and, therefore, change the present and create a new future. Embodied in us are the seven generations because we are at once: repairing the past, transforming the present and reimagining the future.
What is your idea of perfect happiness?
Family, research, teaching, walks in blizzards, and ballet, jazz, classical, and pop music concerts.
What is your greatest fear?
Apathy and indifference.
What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
Impatience.
What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Lack of manners.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Decorative boxes and handmade carpets.
What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Compromise.
Which words or phrases do you most overuse?
Brilliant.
When and where were you happiest?
When observing my children succeed, fireflies at night, hummingbirds feed, turtles hatching, young fawns at play and then feed from their mother, blossoms in the spring, changing colours of trees in the fall, snow on branches in the winter.
Which talent would you most like to have?
To play and read music.
If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
Learn music and, therefore, learn patience.
What do you consider your greatest achievement?
Always choosing life and hope, despite incredible obstacles! In a personal sense, being a father.
If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
I do not want to come back! One should try and get it right the first time and learn from our faults. Life is a journey. There is no reset button.
Where would you most like to live?
Near the mountains and the ocean at the same time.
What is your most treasured possession?
Fountain pens and books.
Which historical figure do you most identify with?
Socrates, who engaged young people during challenging times and paid with his life.
Who are your heroes in real life?
Nurses, without a doubt!
What is your greatest regret?
As a young father, not being able to afford to buy a piano for my eldest child, my daughter, because I was a poor professor and, therefore, could not advance her abilities and she had to learn the flute instead.
These incredible alumni are changing the world with vision and purpose. Meet the 2024 Arch Award recipients.