Category Archives: Doing History

Genealogy and Technology with Dr. Blaine Bettinger

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Black and white photo of a girl in a white, knee-length dress holding a bouquet of flowers and standing in an open metal gate. The photo is double-exposed so images of two girls and two adult women are faintly superimposed.

Commercial DNA tests have had many different impacts, from confirming existing research, breaking down brick walls, and uncovering long-hidden family secrets. DNA has become an essential component of genealogical research.

Confessions of a Textbook Author

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Alan MacEachern Last year, an email informed me of a death. Two, actually. Top Hat would no longer publish Origins: Canadian History to Confederation or Destinies: Canadian History since Confederation as either print or e-books. These twin textbooks, once as much staples of Canadian history survey courses as, well, the staples thesis, were being discontinued due to low demand. Origins… Read more »

The Future of Knowledge Mobilization and Public History Online: Supplementary Reading

In August 2024 representatives from multiple online history projects, universities, and public history institutions met in London to discuss key topics in online knowledge mobilization. Over the next several months attendees will publish essays reflecting on the topics we discussed. In the meantime, here are some open-access resources that intersect with workshop content.

Flattened History

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To the extent that we as historians accept as settled the first order questions about AI and instead opt to talk about nuanced details of implementation, I think we risk a very serious mistake. Here, then, I want to publicly state my view of AI and its use in history, and to do so without any qualification. I hate AI.

Herding with My “Enlightened Wolves”

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Herding dog behaviors originated from the hunting instincts of a wolf pack to chase, surround, and kill their prey. The human shepherd was able to redirect and utilize these instincts for their own survival and profit.

Historia Ex Machina: An Interview with Gilberto Fernandes

“Laborem Ex Machina: A History of Operating Engineers and Heavy Machinery in Canada’s Construction Industry” is a new podcast and digital companion created by historian Gilberto Fernandes. Activehistory.ca editor Edward Dunsworth spoke with Fernandes about the project and his broader experiences in public history. Here’s an edited version of the interview. Edward Dunsworth: Tell me a bit about Laborem Ex… Read more »

Are historians valuable in 2024? Perspectives of an interdisciplinary researcher

By Fionnuala Braun Every month, my team at SPHERU (Saskatchewan Population Health and Evaluation Research Unit) meets to discuss the progress of our work and share professional development ideas. At the first meeting of the year, we all had to tell a bit about ourselves: our name, degree, and what project we were assigned to. Working around the room, it… Read more »

Repost: A Signature Pedagogy for History Instruction?

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Active History is on its annual August hiatus. In honour of syllabus-writing season, we are reposting a selection of teaching-related articles from the past year. Today’s repost features Paul McGuire’s piece from 11 April 2024. While you’re here, we also invite you complete our survey. Paul McGuire This is the sixth entry in a monthly series on Thinking Historically. See… Read more »

Repost: Entering The Jagged Landscape of History: Can We Teach Our Students to Apply Historical Thinking Skills?

Active History is on its annual August hiatus. In honour of syllabus-writing season, we are reposting a selection of teaching-related articles from the past year. Today’s repost features Paul McGuire’s 2 November 2023 article. While you’re here, we also invite you complete our survey. Paul McGuire This is the second entry in a monthly series on Thinking Historically. See the Introduction… Read more »

Repost: When Class Content Gives the Professor Nightmares, It Might be Time for a Warning

Active History is on its annual August hiatus. In honour of syllabus-writing season, we are reposting a selection of teaching-related articles from the past year. Next up is Erica L. Fraser’s piece from 21 February 2024. While you’re here, we also invite you complete our survey. This is the second in a three-part series on the use of content warnings… Read more »