This past Remembrance Day, historian Ian McKay gave a lecture titled “What’s Wrong With Flanders Fields.” He argues that Remembrance Day in general and the poem in particular have been conscripted as part of what he calls the “right-wing militarization of Canadian society.” McKay delivered the talk to the Queen’s University Institute for Lifelong Learning on November 11, 2012. You… Read more »
By Benjamin Bryce Over the past century, the ‘mosaic’ and the ‘melting pot’ have emerged in North America as concepts to explain Canada and the United States’ relationship with immigration and cultural pluralism. The term mosaic traces its origins to John Murray Gibbon’s 1938 book, Canadian Mosaic, while the melting pot emerged in public consciousness as the result of Israel… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/PM-Fantasy-Draft.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham When I was an MA student in Regina, I was talking to somebody about how great it would be if there could be a historical figures fantasy league. With the success of fantasy football and fantasy hockey, I figured that some sort of fantasy league could really boost the interest in… Read more »
By Benjamin Bryce Canadians frequently draw comparisons to the United States, but they rarely extend their gaze further south. Nevertheless, in a number of areas, Canadian history has been connected to that of several other countries in the Americas. For example, the Canadian government’s policies toward aboriginal people find many analogies in other parts of the Western Hemisphere. In areas… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Anti-Americanism-Take-Two.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham Has there been a week in recent memory that has been this scary? Start off with an earthquake in the Pacific, then the ‘Frankenstorm’, and top it off with Halloween. Given the fear associated with these events we wanted to do a podcast that really addressed some of this country’s greatest… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/Haunted-Walk-Edited.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham With Halloween just around the corner the History Slam decided to get into the spirit and explore the world of ghost tours! In the first half of the podcast I chat with Jim Dean of Ottawa’s Haunted Walk about how they put together their stories and the importance of historical accuracy. In… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/John-Resch-Final.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham The History Slam has gone international! In this edition I chat with John Resch of the University of New Hampshire – Manchester and get the American perspective of the War of 1812. So while people across the country commemorate the Canadian point of view of the war, Professor Resch describes how… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Laurie-Bertram-First-Cut.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadIn this edition of the history slam I talk to Laurie Bertram about her upcoming exhibit Pioneer Ladies [of the evening], which opens this week at the Human Ecology Gallery at the University of Alberta and has previously been on display in Winnipeg. We chat about material culture, the role of trauma in history,… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fall-Book-Preview-Edited.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham It’s the History Slam Fall Book Preview! Emily Harrington, the podcast’s official ‘publishing guru,’ stops by to talk about some of the new books coming out in the next few months. We also talk about what we’d like to see in new history books and give a bit of insight in… Read more »
https://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/History-Slam-Premier-Edition.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | DownloadBy Sean Graham Subscribe to the podcast (iTunes coming soon). As someone who studies the history of radio, it is a little embarrassing to admit that I spend just as much time listening to podcasts as I do the radio. For me, the ability to listen when I want, where I want, and on… Read more »
