Active History

The politics of proclamation, the politics of commemoration

September 30, 2013 1 Comment

By Tom Peace

October 7^th 2013 marks the 250th year since King George III issued what is, for Canadians, the Crown’s most famous Royal Proclamation. Over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the English monarch released over a hundred royal proclamations. Some of these proclamations declared war (usually against France), others – such as the Royal Proclamation of October 23^rd 1759 – mandated public thanksgiving and celebration, while others focused on more local laws (lotteries in Virginia in 1621, prohibiting trade in Hudson’s Bay in 1688, establishing a post office in 1711, and mandating ‘fast days’ in England during the American Revolution). Few of these proclamations, however, carry the historical legacy of the one issued in October 1763. This morning, ActiveHistory.ca and the Robarts Centre for Canadian Studies presents a week-long series of 14 essays situating this Royal Proclamation in its historical context. Continue reading →

From foie gras to Maple Leaf Gardens: 39th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards & William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture look at what’s RIGHT with Toronto’s heritage and history scene

September 27, 2013 3 Comments

As a number of recent high profile issues have made clear, preserving Toronto’s unique heritage is an ongoing effort full of challenges. However, it’s rare that we stop to celebrate all the things that are right with the city’s heritage and history scene.

On Tuesday, October 15^th, Heritage Toronto takes time to do exactly that at the 39^th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards & William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture. This premier event celebrates the books, short publications, media, architectural work and community heritage volunteer efforts which have made Toronto a better place today while also telling the story of its past. Councillor and Heritage Toronto Board Member Sarah Doucette says, “This event is a must-attend one for every Torontonian. It celebrates blending old and new in a way that makes our city great.”

Heritage Toronto’s flagship annual public lecture, the William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture, is also delivered at the Awards. The lecture is named for William Kilbourn, an academic, writer, politician, mentor and champion of the arts and humanities in the city. In his memory, each year a speaker is chosen to reflect the passion and dedication to our city that he inspired. Previous speakers have included David Crombie, Adrienne Clarkson, David Mirvish, John Fulford, Ursula Franklin, Peter Oundjian, Cameron Bailey and Chief Bryan Laforme of the Mississaugas of the New Credit First Nation.

This year’s William Kilbourn Memorial Lecturer is sure to be engaging: Gail Dexter Lord, co-Founder and co-President of Lord Cultural Resources, has advised governments, museums, and other organizations in Toronto and around the world on innovative approaches to culture and heritage. Her lecture topic is “Building Heritage with Innovation.”

The 39^th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards & William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture begins with a Nominees’ Reception at 6 p.m. and ends with a post-reception for all in attendance. The Awards and Lecture begin at 7:30 p.m. Both receptions are catered by Daniel et Daniel with complimentary Casa-Dea Estates Winery wine tastings. Woodcliffe Landmark Properties is proud to be Presenting Sponsor and The Restoration Council of Ontario (Carpenters’ Union Local 27 & Restoration Local 598) are proud Nominees’ Reception sponsors.

Ticket prices start at $15 and can be purchased online at performance.rcmusic.ca, by phone at (416) 408-0208, or in person at the Royal Conservatory box office.

Here are 39^th Annual Heritage Toronto Awards & William Kilbourn Memorial Lecture nominee highlights: Continue reading →

Austerity, Investment and the Relative Consequences of De-Industrialization?

September 26, 2013 1 Comment

Hebden Bridge, Yorkshire in 2010 (photograph by author)

By David Zylberberg

Being a historian of the Industrial Revolution who lives in the 21^st century involves thinking about two worlds whose economic geography has reversed. Eighteenth and early nineteenth century industrialization was concentrated on the coalfields of northern England, central Scotland, southern Belgium and to a lesser extent northern France. Manufacturing expanded in these same regions into the twentieth century and, along with the German Rhineland, these became Europe’s industrial heartland. I cannot speak to the German case, but the steel mills, coal mines and heavy industries of the other regions declined and often disappeared in the 1970s and 1980s. Thus, I write about the economic ascendency of Yorkshire when for my entire lifetime it and similar regions have been associated with economic decline, unemployment and population loss.

Yorkshire, Hainaut and the Nord-pas-de-Calais are among the traditional industrial regions of England, France and Belgium. Inside those countries, all of them are associated with traditions of heavy industry, air pollution and the more recent effects of de-industrialization. All three regions suffered with the loss of heavy industry in the 1970s and 1980s, but their fates over the last twenty years have been quite different. These differing fortunes offer insights into the long-term effects of government investment and austerity in depressed economies. Continue reading →

History Slam Episode Twenty-Nine: Canada’s Cross-Country Train

September 25, 2013 1 Comment

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

By Sean Graham

Whenever I have to fly, I generally feel like this and assume that the flight is going to end like this. As a result, when I learned that Congress this past spring was going to be held in Victoria, my initial reaction to having to confront two cross country flights in the matter of days was something like this – although I will say that being able to watch Airplane on the flight out did make the entire experience much more bearable.

It quickly dawned on me, however, that I could take advantage of being on the west coast by taking the train back to the Eastern Time zone. Often included in those ‘100 Things To Do’ lists, the train follows a northern route out of Vancouver and stops in Jasper, Edmonton, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg on its way to Toronto. I had done the trip between Saskatoon and Toronto a couple of times, but I had never done the whole route, which takes parts of five days (the train left Friday night and arrived on Tuesday morning). While the amenities were nice – the beds are surprisingly comfortable, the food is outstanding, and the inclusion of an on-board shower is critical – the opportunity to really soak in the country was what really made the trip worthwhile. From the mountains to the Prairies to the Canadian Shield, there is a chance to see the diversity of Canada’s landscapes. Continue reading →

125 Years of Stanley Park: Before and After

September 24, 2013 2 Comments

By Sean Kheraj [also see Sean’s website for a version with the Before and After plugin]

Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia, 1926 & ca. 2004. Sources: City of Vancouver Archives, Photograph Collection, Van Sc P66; Stanley Park Ecology Society, Aerial Photograph of Stanley Park, ca. 2004

Stanley Park has changed quite significantly since it first opened to the public in 1888. In my new book Inventing Stanley Park: An Environmental History, I explore some of the major landscape transformations of this relatively small peninsula located adjacent to downtown Vancouver. I found that the greatest landscape changes occurred after it became a public park. Aerial photography can provide some insights into those changes.

At first glance, it might appear that the park has changed very little. The peninsula is still mostly forested with a variety of conifers. Its shoreline is mainly intact. The boundary between the park and the city seems to be identical. But upon closer inspection there are several substantial landscape alterations that reveal the complicated environmental history of this urban park.

Prospect Point

Continue reading →

Miss Representation: A Must-See

September 23, 2013 No Comments

By Christine McLaughlin

Miss Representation (2011) is a documentary film that challenges the limiting representations of women in American media, exploring how these impact girls’ and women’s sense of self-worth and emotional health, while contributing to the overall devaluation of women in contemporary culture. Building from the premise that the medium is the message, the film is a call for media makers to be more socially responsible by employing positive female role models.

Written, directed and produced by Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the film begins on a very personal level, tracing her childhood through to the birth of her daughter. In asking what kind of future her daughter can look forward to, the film quickly shifts onto highly political terrain. An analysis of portrayals of women in the media, which are all too often belittling, demonizing and objectifying, reinforces the argument that “you can’t be what you can’t see.”

Continue reading →

Podcast: “History Under Harper: A Micro-Lecture Discussion”

September 18, 2013 No Comments

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

As part of Congress 2013, the Canadian Historical Association co-sponsored a panel with the Canadian Political Science Association on Wednesday June 5 entitled “History Under Harper: A Micro-Lecture Discussion.” Featuring 10 panelists and two discussants, the session analyzed the Harper Government’s use and understanding of Canadian history. An extremely well-attended panel, the discussion featured lively debate and a wide variety of opinions on the state of history in Canada.

The session was chaired by Matt James of the University of Victoria. The panelists were:

Yasmeen Abu-Laban (University of Alberta)
Adam Chapnik (Canadian Forces College)
Lyle Dick (Independent Scholar, Former President, CHA)
Alvin Finkel (Athabasca)
Kiera Ladner (University of Manitoba)
Jocelyn Létourneau (Laval)
Alain Noel (Université de Montréal)
Veronica Strong-Boag (University of British Columbia)
Daniel Weinstock (McGill)
Reg Whitaker (University of Victoria)

The two discussants were Avigail Eisenberg from the University of Victoria and Bryan Palmer from Trent University.

Please note that the opinions expressed are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views of their respective associations and affiliations.

Chemical Weapons and Conventional Bombs

September 16, 2013 3 Comments

Guernica by Pablo Picasso. 1937. Oil on canvas.

By Jim Clifford

Over the past few weeks that world has watched as the United States threatened to bomb Syria to punish the Assad Regime for using chemical weapons against his population. I, like many other people have wondered why chemical weapons are a “Red Line”, but deadly and efficient conventional weapons remain a widely used and legitimate. Conventional attacks can kill large number of people. Aerial bombing or shelling with high explosive chemicals or incendiary chemicals inevitably lead to civilian deaths. The Syrian civil war has killed more than a hundred thousand people, but the Obama administration only reacted when chemical weapons killed 1300 (CNN). I expect the ratio of deaths between conventional bombs and chemical weapons in the 20th century were equally disproportionate. Does history provide any insight into why chemical gases are taboo and chemical high explosives conventional? Continue reading →

Vancouver lecture series: “Heroes and Villains: Rethinking Good and Evil in History”

September 13, 2013 1 Comment

Heroes and Villains: Rethinking Good and Evil in History
2013-2014 Lecture Series
Presented by the Department of History at SFU

It can be tempting to look at historical figures as either wholly good or wholly evil; as heroes or as villains. Mahatma Gandhi: high-minded hero. Rodrigo Borgia: scheming villain.

This perspective contains elements of truth, but also ignores the more complicated and compelling reality that both good and evil reside within us all. In its 2013-2014 lecture series, “Heroes and Villains: Rethinking Good and Evil in History,” the SFU History Department hopes to break down the good-evil binary by revisiting and re-evaluating the lives of some notorious heroes and villains of history.

All lectures will be held in the Fletcher Challenge Theatre at the Harbour Centre, 515 W. Hastings St., Vancouver, BC.

September 19, 2013 | 5:30 p.m.
Rebel Life: The Life and Times of Robert Gosden, Revolutionary, Mystic, Labour Spy
Book launch and talk
Mark Leier

October 24, 2013 | 5:30 p.m.
Great Soul or Great Schemer? Exploring the Myth of Mahatma Gandhi
Bidisha Ray

November 28, 2013 | 5:30 p.m.
Trudeau 2.0: Pierre’s Legacy and Justin’s Future
A panel discussion with Elise Chenier, Nicolas Kenny, and Allen Seager.
Hosted by Roxanne Panchasi

January 23, 2014 | 5:30 p.m.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly: Reflections on the Renaissance Papacy
Emily O’Brien

February 26, 2014 | 5:30 p.m.
The Yin-Yang of Malcolm X and Martin Luther King, Jr.
Karen Ferguson

March 27, 2014 | 6:30 p.m.
Ottoman Hero or Frontier Villain? Ahmed Feyzi Pasha (1839-1915)
Thomas Kuehn

Website: https://sfu.ca/history/events/heroesandvillains.html
Contact: Allison McMahon, (778) 319-3853, histcomm@sfu.ca

Tone Up, Tone Out, Tone Deaf: Author attitude and writing history

September 12, 2013 No Comments

By Merle Massie

I’m working on a new manuscript set during the Great Depression in Canada. The exploratory process of writing (for me, the weft) is threaded through the warp of reading – be that primary documents, oral history, my family history, or secondary sources. Sometimes I’ll catch myself. My writing style can change in response to whatever I’m reading. A chiding interdepartmental memo from 1936 on ‘sub-marginal lands’ elicits austerity and submissiveness; a bleak personal history will leave my words equally bereft; a newspaper article extolling the virtues of ‘poor man’s land’ might have me cheering and piling on the adjectives.

I’ve come to realize that it is not the words or the subject matter that I’m responding to. In all of these examples, the subject matter is more or less the same. I am responding, quite simply, to the tone of the work. Tone, as noted here in the blog Daily Writing Tips, is “what the author feels about the subject.” (This is different from voice, which is the author’s personality.) The authorial attitude toward subject of the penned work – do they like it? Support it? Hate it? Abhor it? Embrace it? Fear it? Look down on it? Love it? – infuses the word choice, the pace, the arc of its narrative, its tone. Continue reading →

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