Frederick Bird

Professor Emeritus | Adjunct Professor
Frederick Bird.

Areas of specialization

  • International development and business;
  • The practices of global ethics;
  • The political economy of global poverty;
  • Comparative ethics;
  • Max Weber

Background

Professor Bird is a graduate of Harvard (Magna cum lauded in History), Harvard Divinity School, and the Graduate Theological Union (Thesis on the history of American responses to poverty), as well as a Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Concordia University, where previously he was a professor of Religion and a Concordia University Research Chair in Comparative Ethics. There he has organized research projects on contemporary religious movements, ethnic group institutions, comparative views of violence, and how managers respond to ethical issues.

Beginning in the late 90’s he organized a large multi-university study of the practices of internationally-connected businesses in developing countries. On the basis of these studies he has co-edited and written good parts of 6 books, including a number of essays as well as case studies on Shell in Nigeria, Rio Tinto in Madagascar, Placer Dome in South Africa, an independent oil company in Colombia, Falconbridge in Northern Quebec, and the Body Shop’s Community Trade program. He has also co-edited a recent book on the voluntary sector in Canada. He is currently working on an essay on “Weber and Ethics” and a book examining the Development and Practices of Global Ethics (with respect to the environment, business practices, human rights, the uses of armed force, problems of poverty, and the interfaith movement.

Additional information

For a full list of publications please see Dr. Bird's Curriculum Vitae (PDF)

Email: fbird@uwaterloo.ca