Active History

Another Vision for the Canadian Senate

October 31, 2013 1 Comment

Pierre Trudeau with Paul and Mary Yuzyk, 1971. Image from http://yuzyk.com/contrib-can-e.shtml

By Jonathan McQuarrie

Lately, the Senate has dominated political headlines in Canada. This must mean that it did something wrong, since the only time that the Senate attracts headlines is when things go wrong. And indeed, Mike Duffy, Pamela Wallin, and Patrick Brazeau have all disrupted the tightly controlled messaging of the Conservative Prime Minister’s Office emphasis on fiscal responsibility and electoral accountability. To a lesser degree, reports of the now retired Mac Harb’s expense account unsettled the Liberal party. The NDP, sensing political gain and voter anger, has made abolishing the Senate one of its core messages, launching a ‘Roll up the Red Carpet’ campaign. Once again, the place of the august Red Chamber, populated by patronage appointments and part-time legislators, finds itself at the forefront of public discussion.

In a recent editorial, National Post columnist Jonathan Kay provided an interesting counterpoint to the recent discussion of the Senate, citing the work of the former Liberal Senator Yoine Goldstein. For Kay, Goldstein was a model Senator, writing a number of reports on technical yet important topics such as insolvency and patent law. A 2008 Toronto Star article credited Goldstein for advancing a bill against spamming—a law welcomed by many a person with an overburdened inbox. The general point is that, despite the multiple and pressing problems with the Senate, some Senators can indeed rise above the partisan fray to work in a broadly defined public interest.

In this spirit, it is worthwhile to recall the career of Senator Paul Yuzyk. Continue reading →

Dreaming of What Might Be: Introducing the Graphic History Project as a New Initiative for Radical History and Comics

October 30, 2013 1 Comment

By Sean Carleton

Illustrate! Educate! Organize! The Graphic History Collective (GHC) is pleased to announce the launch of their new comic book about the Knights of Labor in Canada called Dreaming of What Might Be: The Knights of Labor in Canada 1880-1900. The comic book is now available for free on the GHC Website.

Dreaming of What Might Be examines the contentious but significant history of the labour organization known as the Noble and Holy Order of the Knights of Labor. The comic book shows how the organization took root in Canada and “encouraged people to ‘dream of what might be’ and take action on the job rather than give into the poor conditions and lack of control others said were natural and unchangeable.” Dreaming of What Might Be does not shy away from some of the Knights’ discriminatory practices; however, in the end, the comic book suggests: “Though not without its faults, the Knights of Labor can still be drawn upon for inspiration. Today, as we work to develop new cultures and movements of opposition, the Knights’ call to ‘dream of what might be’ reminds us that an alternative society is always possible.” Continue reading →

Modernity’s Terrible Beauty: Reflections on Marshall Berman

October 29, 2013 No Comments

By Jon Weier

When I learned that Marshall Berman, the great American theorist of modernity, died last month, it seemed appropriate to go back and reread his masterpiece, All that is Solid Melts into Air: The Experience of Modernity. First published in 1982 and then reissued with a new introduction in 1988, this book represented Berman’s attempt to reinvigorate discussions of modernity. In it he sought to reconcile the long-sundered ideas of modernism and modernization, to examine the modern condition and discuss how we could live in the world in the face of constantly accelerating change, to reject the advent of separate post-modernist theories and reintegrate them into larger discussions of modernity, and to return to the intellectual and literary history of modernity in order to find answers that would be useful in understanding its present and future.

All that is Solid Melts into Air was recommended to me by one of my undergraduate history professors and an early mentor at the University of Winnipeg, Dr. David Burley. I read it just after graduating with my BA and realize now that there’s much of it that I didn’t understand at the time. Though I may have missed some of its nuance and complexity at the time, I’ve always remembered it as an important and defining influence on my intellectual development and my continuing fascination with the modern and all that it implies.

Considering its impact on my development, I’ve always been surprised that more historians haven’t read or engaged with Berman and his ideas. Continue reading →

“Hurry Hard!” Community Connections to Curling in Canada

October 28, 2013 2 Comments

By Krista McCracken

Curling on the Dartmouth Lakes, Nova Scotia, ca. 1897. Public Domain.

The days are getting shorter and colder, areas of Canada have already had the first snowfall of the year, and curling clubs around Canada are gearing up for the season. Curling has been part of Canadian culture for centuries and is still a sport that holds popularity amongst Canadians.

The form of curling that exists today has seen substantial changes since the first incarnation of the game in the 16th century. No longer are monstrously heavy bowling ball like stones being thrown down bumpy sheets of outdoor ice. Today’s curlers use circular stones with handles. The earliest circular stones which date from the 1800s were still quite heavy, often weighing over 70 pounds.

In Canada the early circular iron curling stones are believed to have been made from metal-rimmed hubcaps from gun-carriages or from melted down cannonballs. This form of iron stone is something that only existed in Canada with many other countries using granite or whinestone for the first circular stones. Today, the curling stones in Canadian curling clubs are made of granite and weigh 40 pounds.

Curling was brought to Canada by Scottish immigrants and the first curling club in Canada opened in Montreal in 1807. In the following years clubs opened in Halifax, Quebec City, Toronto, and on numerous military bases. The earliest accounts of curling games are often connected with Canadian forces and local police forces and often regimental officers were key in the formation of the first curling clubs. Curling was considered good for morale, fitness, and as an acceptable form of socialization within a regiment. By the mid 1890s curling had taken hold in many communities across Canada with popularity being strongest in Western Canada. The originally outdoor sport of curling, that required long sheets of ice and cool weather, was a perfect fit for a Canadian climate.

Hockey tends to get a lot of the attention as a winter sport, that is deeply connected to identity in Canada, but curling has played a significant role in shaping community and national identities in this country. The Canadian Curling Association statistics from 2011 indicate that approximately 653,000 people curl across Canada. Curling clubs are typically designed so that curling can be watched from a separate area that facilities socializing. These spaces often include tables, a bar, and a TV or two. In many towns these spectator spaces are used by curlers and non-curlers alike for community functions like dances, weddings, fundraisers, etc. Continue reading →

For an Artist-Historian, Film-Making is a Sea-Change

October 24, 2013 No Comments

Roald Amundsen, Japanese postcard, 1926. Author’s personal collection.

By George Tombs

I recently completed The Blinding Sea, a 52-minute high-definition historical film about the most successful polar explorer of all time, Roald Amundsen (1872-1928). He was first through the Northwest Passage, first to the South Pole, second eastbound through the Northeast Passage and first confirmed to have reached the North Pole.

This was no armchair exercise for me. As a historian, I found that making a film destined for schools, universities and museums was like starting completely from scratch. Continue reading →

Slavery in Canada? I Never Learned That!

October 23, 2013 5 Comments

Slavery advertisement from Upper Canada Gazette, 10 February 1806.

By Natasha Henry

The highly anticipated soon-to-be-released film, 12 Years a Slave, has garnered lots of attention following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film provides a shocking but realistic depiction of American slavery. It is based on the life of Solomon Northrup, a free man, who was kidnapped from his hometown in New York and sold south into slavery. Northup is able to regain his freedom after Canadian Samuel Bass, a carpenter from Prescott, Upper Canada, writes several letters to authorities in New York on his behalf. No doubt, Canadians are proud of the usual portrayal of us as crusaders against American slavery and wear the badge of “Canadians as abolitionists” with honour. Canadians readily embrace the notion of Canada as a haven for American freedom-seekers, who were escaping the same conditions that Solomon Northup endured. Once he was freed, Northrup himself helped fugitives flee to Canada, the “Promised Land.”

But what about Canadian slavery?

African slavery existed in the colonies of New France and British North America for over 200 years, yet there remains a profound silence in classrooms and teaching resources about Canada’s involvement in the African slave trade. Continue reading →

One Island, Two Worlds: Conflict between The Dominican Republic and Haiti

October 22, 2013 17 Comments

Cristo Rey, directed by Leticia Tonos Paniagua, 2013.

By Thomas Zajac

“One Island, Two Worlds” describes the experience shared by the Dominican Republic and Haiti, both located on the one island in the Caribbean that is shared by two nations. Recently, the Dominican government has ruled to take citizenship away from all children of Haitian immigrants born after 1929. It is also the phrase that introduces the film Cristo Rey (2013), which recently made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival.

The film is set in present-day Cristo Rey – a fictional slum in the Dominican Republic that is ruled by a gang leader. The main character, Janvier, is of both Haitian and Dominican descent (James Saintil, the actor who portrays him, is a Haitian who currently lives in the Dominican). In order to make money that he can send back to his mother in Haiti, he becomes a bodyguard for the gang leader’s daughter. He later falls in love with this girl in what is a classic element of cinema: a retelling of Romeo and Juliet.

Facts are not the main preoccupation with most historical films. Instead, they bring significant issues to our attention. These films motivate audiences to learn more about the issues portrayed on screen. This was particularly the case at TIFF, as Ron Deibert, a professor from the Munk School of Global Affairs, interviewed the cast about their experiences and the film’s political undertones after its screening.

Many of the current problems between Haiti and the Dominican Republic are based on the fact that millions of Haitians are currently living in the Dominican. Continue reading →

Stepping into the Past with Historical Walking Tours

October 21, 2013 3 Comments

By Jay Young

As the cold weather sets in southern Ontario, I’m reminded of the fun activities I enjoyed during warmer days of months past. This year I had the opportunity to design and lead a handful of historical walking tours of downtown Toronto.

These tours were based on particular themes within or approaches to the city’s history, and they catered to either very specific or quite diverse audiences. One tour examined the environmental history of downtown Toronto for a small group of visiting academics attending the 2013 Annual Meeting of the American Society for Environmental History (I designed the tour in tandem with a chapter of a similar topic that I published in Urban Explorations: Environmental Histories of the Toronto Region (2013), an edited collection created for the conference). Another walk, co-designed by Heritage Toronto’s Gary Miedema and Ryerson University’s Ross Fair, surveyed the general history of the city in ten stops. The tour served as a sort of “Greatest Hits” of Toronto’s history for the immensely popular Doors Open Toronto weekend held every May. The history of different modes of transportation during Toronto’s automobile age formed the theme of another walk, which I led as one of Heritage Toronto’s historical walking tours.

Although I’m a relative newcomer to historical tours, I’ve come to realize that this form of “making history” is quite a valuable way to present key questions and issues of the past to diverse groups of people. What follows are my thoughts on ways to create a successful tour. I hope it is useful for anyone who might consider designing or leading their own walking tour. Please feel free to contribute your own ideas in the comments section!

A theme and a place
Is there a particular historical theme or a unique place that interests you? The list of themes that can be explored in a historical walking tour is endless: architecture and infrastructure, the natural environment, political conflict, gender, sexuality, technology, arts and culture, and many more. Continue reading →

Toronto’s Spadina Museum Conversations Presents “Myth Making: Zombies, War and the Art of Advertising”

October 18, 2013 No Comments

Join in this series of participatory talks on topics that highlight how perspectives on movie monsters, war and product pitching in Toronto have evolved from the 1920s to today.

All talks are Tuesdays from 7 to 9 pm at Spadina Museum, 285 Spadina Road, Toronto, 416-392-6910. Tickets are $8/talk (students $5) or $20 for all three. Taxes not included.

November 5: “Vampires vs Zombies”

“Vampires in Film: A Reflection of Our Social Consciousness” by Kelly Michael Stewart, host of the popular monthly series, “Fright Nights at the Projection Booth”
Horror films have always been a reflection of society’s norms, fears and values. This is particularly evident in the cinematic use of vampires, which often pits “normal” society against the ever-changing “deviant” vampire. From the post war fears showcased in the silent classic Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922), to exploring changes in modern views on sexuality and relationships on the HBO show True Blood, vampires in cinema provide not only a psychological snapshot of mainstream society at the time but also of the moral boundaries and what is lurking just on the fringes.

“Symbolism in the Zombie Metaphor, 1968-2013” by Andrew Watson, PhD candidate in the department of history at York University Continue reading →

Talk: Dr. Jacalyn Duffin – “Historian as Activist: Tales from the Medical Trench”

October 16, 2013 1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

By Katherine Zwicker

Dr. Jacalyn Duffin began her career in medicine, practicing hematology in Ontario. A move to France, though, prompted Duffin to pursue a Ph.D. in history and, since her return to Canada more than two decades ago, she has balanced a career as a historian and practicing physician. As the Hannah Chair in the History of Medicine at Queen’s University, Duffin shares her unique perspective with the students and faculty of Queen’s medical school.

The University of Saskatchewan was pleased to welcome Dr. Duffin as a keynote speaker for the conference, “Connections and Communities in Health and Medicine: Society for the Social History of Medicine (SSHM) and Manitoba-Ontario-Minnesota-Saskatchewan (MOMS) History of Medicine Conference,” September 12-14, 2013. In this talk, Duffin examines the guiding principles of competency-based medical education (CBME) in Canadian medical schools and the CanMEDS Physician Competency Framework. More specifically, she examines her role as a historian working within the CanMEDS Framework and argues the importance of historical learning to inform, not one, but each of the seven roles in which Canadian physicians are to be trained: Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Manager, Health Advocate, Scholar, and Professional. To illustrate the importance of history within medical education, Duffin draws on her vast body of research and discusses whether quotas existed to control the acceptance of women and Jews into medical school, the historical context in which medical tuition and physician salaries have evolved, and, finally, some of the factors contributing to and the consequences resulting from the generic drug shortage that exists in Canada and around the world. Fans of White Coat, Black Art, on CBC Radio 1 will of heard a special program focused on Dr. Duffin’s research into drug shortages this past weekend: The Drug Shortage: An Encore and Update.

“The CanMEDS Physician Competency Framework describes the knowledge, skills and abilities that specialist physicians need for better patient outcomes. The framework is based on the seven roles that all physicians need to have, to be better doctors: Medical Expert, Communicator, Collaborator, Manager, Health Advocate, Scholar, and Professional.”

Dr. Duffin is the author of numerous books and articles in the history of medicine, including the popular text, History of Medicine: A Scandalously Short Introduction, as well as recent works Medical Saints: Cosmas and Damian in a Postmodern World, and Medical Miracles: Doctors, Saints and Healing in the Modern World. She is the past president of both the Canadian Society for the History of Medicine (CSHM) and the American Association for the History of Medicine (AAHM). In acknowledgment of her many accomplishments in history and medicine, Duffin has been named a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Canada and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.

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