Caroline Chapain
“My doctoral training at INRS’s Centre Urbanisation Culture Société opened my eyes to interdisciplinary and applied research practices that have served me enormously throughout my career. This training also gave me the opportunity to be part of a community of committed researchers, both professors and fellow students, principles of commitment that have guided the rest of my career.”
“I am very touched that my career path is seen as worthy of receiving this award and that it reflects INRS’s values of commitment, as these values have had a major influence on me.”
—Caroline Chapain, Doctorate in urban studies (2005), Associate professor in the Department of Management, University of Birmingham, UK
Snapshot interview with our 2024 Prix Lumières awardee • Trailblazer category
Why did you choose to study at INRS?
After completing my bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics and public finance at the Université de Montréal, I was fascinated by cities and urban development in Europe and North America. I was particularly interested in urban sprawl, transport development and public policy and wanted to continue my studies in this field. A professor recommended the INRS, where I could complete a seven-year doctoral programme. The first two years were essentially devoted to the study of urban development issues, with perspectives from sociology, politics, urban economics and so on. This encouraged an interdisciplinary approach to research. I thought that was great. It helped me expand my knowledge and develop my research thesis. As I’m interested in lots of things, I had two research subjects and I couldn’t decide which one to pursue. In the end, I reconciled the two by studying the development of transport in relation to urban development.
What do you remember about your experience at INRS?
It was exactly what I needed. It was a very positive experience. I met students from different backgrounds with a wide range of interests. The researchers were excellent. The programme was run in partnership with UQAM, with a really strong research approach at INRS. And it was research that was involved, committed, with progressive values and a desire to improve things. I met strong people there who lived their convictions daily.
What’s more, as students, we felt part of the research community, just like my research supervisor Mario Polèse and the other professors. Everyone was very approachable. It was a very stimulating environment and it opened many doors for me. As INRS had collaborative links with universities in Latin America, I did my doctoral research fieldwork in Puebla, Mexico. That was a real milestone in my career.
Do you have a favourite memory of the campus?
At the time, the Centre was on Durocher Street,near McGill University, right downtown, where everything converged. I remember that vibrant, dynamic feeling. And then there was the café on avenue du Parc, which was sort of the students’ headquarters. That’s where everyone met.
What’s the most important lesson you’ll take away from your time at INRS?
Coming from Europe and living in Quebec, I was already somewhat aware that our culture shapes us. But I really understood during my doctorate that where we come from influences the way we think and conceive the world. My time in Mexico opened my eyes to my privileges, if only to be able to follow this training, to carry out research and to have access to books. Over there, every researcher had to build up his or her own library.
I did research in deprived suburban areas. I found that my knowledge and my way of thinking about urban development and transport were essentially based on a somewhat reified Western vision. One of the external examiners for my thesis, himself Chilean, pointed me in the direction of Latin American literature on transport, which proved to be more relevant than European or North American works. Indeed, urban transport often develops more organically in Latin American cities, with different private transport operators and a variety of vehicles. There, if the population moves to a new area, the services will follow. This more informal approach facilitates urban development, where the socio-economic and political challenges are often exacerbated.
It was a shock, I wasn’t expecting it. Each of us assumes that our way of thinking is the right one. But what I’ve learnt is that, to do research, you have to be modest and humble. You have to put your preconceptions aside and not hesitate to be open to other ways of thinking.
Tell us about your career path since graduating.
After my doctorate, I spent a year working on transport research at the University of Winnipeg. Then, as INRS had close links with the Montreal Urban Community, I worked there for two and a half years. It was a context in which I could apply the research, but the decisions were often influenced by short-term politics. That wasn’t what I was looking for professionally. I like research that works for long-term societal change.
I explored positions in the UK, in Birmingham and Glasgow. In Birmingham, I found an urban studies research centre, an environment similar to INRS, with a strong culture of applied research. I immersed myself in the culture and creativity sector and urban and regional development for five years. I did research for cities, regions and economic development bodies in the UK and Europe, working with a wide range of people involved in these sectors. Through various studies, I have engaged in dialogue with a variety of stakeholders in the cultural and creative ecosystem and examined creative clusters to promote economic development based on a diversity of local and regional cultural activities. Over the course of a decade, I extended my network in France, Spain, Poland...
Then I joined the Business School at the University of Birmingham, where I moved from a strongly research-led environment to one focused on teaching very large groups of students and therefore more difficult to reconcile with my research commitments. And I had a burnout. While I was off work, I backpacked around Latin America for nine months to think about the next steps in my career. This gave me the opportunity to recharge my batteries and confirm that I loved academia, applied research and working to change things for a fairer world.
When I returned to work, I chose positions that allowed me to align both research and training with my values and to put in place initiatives to change the system from the inside. I led a major three-year project to decolonise the curriculum of the Birmingham Business School in order to rethink the way we think and do business and management science. And now, in view of the climate emergency, I’m undertaking to support the School in transforming its content and teaching methods so that our students, who are the players of tomorrow, can better face up to the challenges presented by climate change while taking account of existing socio-economic issues.
How did your time at INRS prepare you for your career?
It taught me how to work across disciplines. I discovered committed research. And I noticed a great openness. Above and beyond their expertise and skills, the teachers were human beings who shared their passion with us. That has stayed with me.
What advice would you give to current students?
Don’t be afraid of atypical career paths. A research career is not linear. You can change direction, but you have to accept that it takes longer to make the diversions. You have to follow your values and your passion. Today, there’s a very strong resonance between what I believe and what I do, and that’s what drives me from day to day. There were times when it wasn’t so clear. But you can’t be afraid, you have to accept doubts and uncertainty.
Often, in academia, you might think that you have a greater impact through your research work, through the advancement of knowledge, but in fact it’s more through training. What we teach is transformative for so many people who are studying to fulfil their dreams. And that’s so important.
Also, one thing I wish someone had told me when I was a doctoral student is that it's not just the thesis that counts. It’s everything around it: acquiring skills, networking, working with others, trying out new avenues... People and new experiences help us to evolve.
Finally, a word about mental health. I think it’s easier to talk about it in Canada. In my opinion, we need to think about the performance expectations of young researchers: they need to publish quickly, get research funding, there’s a whole discourse on excellence and performance, and so on. There’s all this talk about excellence and performance... We value the fact that we’re always super busy. But we have to be careful and make sure that we put our energy where our values lie, what’s really important to us, and find other forms of recognition to be happy and preserve our balance.
What are your wishes for the future?
My wish is that more and more people will take action for the planet, to change things before it’s too late. We’ve already waited too long. It’s high time we made the most of what we’ve got and that everyone added their bit to turn things around.