Abstract
The content of history textbooks and curriculum is an important factor in the political socialization of succeeding generations of students. This study of representative classroom textbooks authorized for use in Ontario at three distinct eras of the 20th century shows how the main lines of interpretation have shifted over time. During the pre-World War II [...]
Posts under ‘Does History Matter?’
New Active History Paper: Citizenship Literacy and National Self-identity by Larry A. Glassford
Activating Foucault for Canadian History
by Steven Maynard
“What does a queer, sadomasochistic philosopher have to do with the study of Canada’s past?” This is the question I ask students at the beginning of my first-year survey course on Canadian history. Over the years, colleagues have suggested that first-year undergrads aren’t ready for Foucault. But experience tells me that not only [...]
History and the Problem of Auto-referentiality
by Jeremy Nathan Marks
Historical writing has long suffered from the problem of auto-referentiality. Auto-referentiality, as I define it, simply means historians are writing only in reference to human subjects and human problems. I don’t mean to say that historiography is populated only by human beings but we do not currently possess an extensive literature where [...]
Active History and learning from the early-Canadian past
As the university of Sussex restricts its history curriculum to post-1700 English history and post-1900 European history. How important is early-Canadian history to current issues facing Canadian society? And how does research on early-Canadian history compare with the study of later periods?
The Historical Memory of Louis Riel: A Long-Standing Canadian Debate
A controversy has erupted over the past week surrounding how Canadians should remember Louis Riel, a 19th century Métis who not only led the 1869 Red River and 1885 Northwest Rebellions, but also negotiated the terms for Manitoba’s entry into Confederation in 1870 before his execution in 1885 for high treason.
In a pamphlet [...]
Acts of Contrition: Rethinking the Purpose and Effect of Government Apologies
By Teresa Iacobelli
In March 2010 the Qikiqtani Truth Commission (QTC) will draw to a close with the release of a final report and recommendations for the future. While the QTC has been ongoing since 2007 most Canadians remain unaware of its existence, and of the historical and social issues that it addresses. The QTC was [...]
The Relevancy of Historical Topics
Do the topics that we choose, as historians or aspiring historians, help accentuate the gap between the public and the academic?
“Local Effort Brings Our Past to Life”: Halifax Chronicle-Herald
This post discusses a recent effort to bring the local history of an area into the history classroom and asks broader questions about the role of local history generally.
The Reason for the Season?
A flurry of criticism was directed at MP Scott Brison of Kings-Hants after he sent Christmas cards to his constituents featuring a photo of his family. Criticism stemed not from the fact that Canadian MPs are sending out Christmas cards in such a culturally diverse country. Instead, Brison has come under attack by a vocal group [...]
Broadening participation in the Academic Conference
Conflict often arises between how professional and non-professional historians interpret the past. Broader participation in academic conferences can help to resolve this. Three upcoming conferences in 2010 are discussed.
