Trees are a common symbol for genealogy. Like lines of ancestry, trees contain many branches that are united through a common trunk but grow in their own direction. And like family history, we often only see the complexity of their roots when we start digging. In a previous post, I outlined strategies on conducting the research of one’s home, and offered… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Rumiel-History-Matters-talk.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadHistorian Lisa Rumiel recently presented a talk entitled “Three Mile Island to Bhopal: the Life and Work of Environmental Activist Rosalie Bertell” in front of an engaged audience at Toronto’s Parkdale library. Bertell, who has a PhD in biometrics, has long spoken out about the environmental consequences of nuclear power. Rumiel’s talk is available… Read more »
By Raphael Costa PhD Candidate, History, York University Coordinator, Portuguese Canadian History Project Like many initiatives, the Portuguese Canadian History Project (PCHP) started with a conversation over coffee. Brews in hand, historians of the Portuguese-Canadian experience, Susana Miranda and Gilberto Fernandes, hashed out the basis of the PCHP. It was 2008, with Susana knee-deep in her research on Portuguese-Canadian workers… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Frager-History-Matters-lecture.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadLast week, historian Ruth Frager presented a talk entitled “Spadina Sweatshops: Jews and Gender in Toronto’s Labour Movement 1900 to 1939.” The lecture examined the dynamics of the Jewish labour movement in Toronto and focused on a strike at the clothing factory of the T. Eaton Company in 1912. Frager’s talk is available here… Read more »
Two years ago Brant County proposed to sell eight community buildings to save costs. These buildings served as schools, daycares, museums, and community centres for the rural residents of Brant County. This article examines the fight to save one building, Langford School.
In this post Dagomar Degroot explores problems in the understanding of the relationship between society and climate in models of the future and descriptions of the past, before considering how historical climatologists can help forge more accurate visions of humanity on a warmer planet.
The passing of Jack Layton has unleashed a tremendous amount of mourning across the country. Saturday’s state funeral, usually reserved for current or former prime ministers, Cabinet ministers, and governors general, attracted thousands of attendees inside and outside of downtown Toronto’s Roy Thompson Hall. Many more people gathered at events held this past week across Canada to remember the man. … Read more »
Toronto Public Library is pleased to announce the 2011 History Matters series. This year these lectures focus on two themes—labour and environmental history in the Toronto area and beyond. Part of TPL’s Thought Exchange programming, these lively talks will give the public an opportunity to connect with working historians and discover some of the many and surprising ways in which… Read more »
Growing up in Cambridge next to Soper Park, the park became an extension of my backyard. I spent many days exploring the park, wading in the creek, catching crayfish and racing home-made boats. As a child the creek seemed mysterious and ancient. It was dammed with stone and concrete dams, and walled in with massive stones, broken by sets of… Read more »