Kristen C. Howard In today’s increasingly online world, historians, researchers, and students want and expect online access to historical documents offered by galleries, libraries, archives, and museums. This includes not only journal articles and ebooks, but also primary sources and archival documents, which researchers increasingly expect to find online in searchable, digital formats. In turn, cultural heritage institutions have responded… Read more »
Shannon Stettner As a child, on Friday nights just before 9:00 pm, I’d tuck myself under a living room end table. If I was quiet and hidden, I could usually get away with watching at least part of Dallas. I was equal parts enthralled and scandalized. The epic “Who shot JR?” storyline was my first memorable introduction to crime and,… Read more »
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Unwritten Histories, a project created by Andrea Eidinger that has shaped how many of us think about the past—how it’s written, shared, and understood. In the coming weeks, the site will be taken offline. The material won’t be lost: Andrea is in the process of building a Pressbook to house the content, and the… Read more »
February 2026 marks the 30th anniversary of the first national celebration of Black History Month in Canada. This milestone offers an important opportunity to recognize the enduring legacy and resilience of Black Canadians and to reflect on a history that has often been overlooked. Canadian historians especially must confront the mythology that depicts Canada solely as a haven from racism…. Read more »
By Alisha Stranges and Elspeth H. Brown Ange Beever, digital illustration by Ayo Tsalithaba for The Pussy Palace Oral History Project, LGBTQ Oral History Digital Collaboratory. 2025. “When they first came in, I was pissed off that they had crashed the party. […] like these stupid men tromping through this place. I’m just like, ‘You look like idiots. You’re stupid…. Read more »
By Andrew Nurse and Roberta Lexier A crisis, Italian Marxist Antonio Gramsci wrote in response to the rise of fascism in the 1930s, occurs when: “The old order is dying and the new one is struggling to be born.” His point was that the crises societies experience have specific – if far from simple – historical causes. They also have… Read more »
Donald Wright When I learned that Jim Miller had died, I reached out to his partner, Lesley Biggs, to express my condolences. A few weeks later, she invited me to share a few words about him that would be read at his celebration of life. “It would be my honour,” I replied. And I meant it. Jim was something of… Read more »
Britain colonised Hong Kong in the 19th century through two treaties, which lasted in perpetuity, and a lease, set to expire in 1997. Much research into Hong Kong’s colonial history relies upon records held at The National Archives in London. With the expiry of the lease on the horizon, in 1983 and 1984, British and mainland Chinese officials negotiated the future of Hong Kong. Negotiations concluded that Britain would hand Hong Kong to China in 1997. Much research into Hong Kong’s colonial history relies upon records held at The National Archives in London. There is another cache of Hong Kong records in the UK but it remains unavailable to researchers and the wider public. In 2011, the British Government admitted it was holding tens of thousands of files created by colonial governments and shipped to the UK on the eve of decolonisation. It subsequently committed to releasing all of these files (save for those exempted on legal grounds). Over the course of a few years, some 20,000 records originating in 40 former colonies were made available at The National Archives as series FCO 141, known as the ‘migrated archives’. Yet files from Hong Kong were not amongst those opened.
By Nir Hagigi In October 2023, as Israeli bombs began to fall on Gaza, something unprecedented unfolded. For the first time in history, the victims of mass atrocity —and only the victims— broadcast their own destruction in real time. Unlike previous conflicts where foreign journalists or outside observers mediated what the world saw, in Gaza the task of witnessing fell… Read more »
This summer, the Government of Canada helped to promote visits to museums through the Canada Strong pass. While initially focused on seven of the country’s nine national museums, other provinces and territories also opted to offer reduced and free admission. Ultimately, 87 museums across the country were part of the initiative, and early data indicates that it helped to boost attendanc. While the removal of admission fees increases accessibility, and – in turn – public enjoyment and appreciation of museums, the reality is that museums across the country are suffering from a lack of resources. To be effective stewards of the cultural heritage that they care for, museums need adequate financial support.
