Tag: History Chats

Canadian Archives at Risk?

On May 26th, 2014, a panel discussed recent developments in the archives world in Canada and the challenges archives face today. The panel was part of the Canadian Historical Association’s annual meeting in St. Catharines, Ontario.

Moderated by Erika Dyck (University of Saskatchewan), the panel featured Nicole Neatby (CHA Liaison – Archives), Peter Baskerville (Chair Modern Western Canadian History, University of Alberta) and Heather Moore (Former Chief Librarian at Public Safety Canada Library).

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Canadian-Archives-At-Risk.mp3]

Celebrating Canada Roundtable

On September 18 at the Canadian Museum of History, there was a roundtable discussion on the issues surrounding national celebrations and commemorations in Canada. The roundtable was part of the Celebrating Canada Workshop, which was chaired by Matthew Hayday and Raymond Blake.

Moderated by Matthew Hayday (University of Guelph), the roundtable featured Yves Frenette (Université de Saint-Boniface), Marc-André Gagnon (University of Guelph), Robert Talbot (University of New Brunswick), and Mark Kristmanson (CEO, National Capital Commission).

This was a bilingual session.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/Celebrating-Canada-Roundtable-Museum.mp3]

Canadian Historians and the Media

On Wednesday May 28, 2014 as part of the Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting, Activehistory.ca sponsored a roundtable discussion on the presence of Canadian historians in the media. The session was chaired by Ian Milligan of the University of Waterloo and featured Ian Mosby (McMaster University), Maureen Lux (Brock University), Sean Kheraj (York University), Mark Brosens (TVO), and James Cullingham (Seneca College/Tamarack Productions).

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CHA-Media-Panel.mp3]

Robert Rutherdale on the Local Responses of WWI

ActiveHistory.ca is happy to feature the inaugural talk of the Fall 2014 History Matters lecture series: historian Robert Rutherdale’s “Hometown Horizons: Local Responses to Canada’s Great War.”

Rutherdale delivered the talk at the Toronto Public Library’s North York Central Branch. He explores issues such as the demonization of enemy aliens, wartime philanthropy, and state authority and citizenship – all while asking what the study of the “local” can add to our understanding of the First World War and historical research in general.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/Rutherdale-Fall-2014-History-Matters-lecture.mp3]

Sochi and Beyond: Russia’s Anti-Gay Legislation, Human Rights, and the Practice of History

Russia’s so-termed anti-gay propaganda law, passed in 2013 by the Russian parliament, raised an array of issues relating to the status and rights of LGBT people in Russia, the lack of specific protections in the Olympic Charter relating to sexual orientation, and expected negative impacts of this law on scholarship in history, the humanities and social sciences. The roundtable brought together the perspectives of Erica Fraser, historian of Russia and Eastern Europe; Michael Dawson, historian of sport and popular culture; Lyle Dick, past-president of the CHA and practitioner of LGBT history; and CHA President Dominique Marshall, a specialist on Canada’s transnational history.  The panel was chaired by Yves Frenette, Chair of Advocacy for the Canadian Historical Association.  It considered the historical background to Russia’s anti-gay law and its justifications in “traditional values,” the status of LGBT human rights in the context of the Olympic movement, the particular challenges confronting researchers of LGBT history in Russia in light of Canadian experience, and the position of the Canadian Historical Association on the Russian law in terms of its core mandate and practice of defending the human rights of historians.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/CHA-Sochi.mp3]

Historical Research on Canada and Beyond

For the first time the winners of the two highest distinctions given annually by the Canadian Historical Association met for an exchange with the public and between each other. Jim Daschuk, author of the account of the “forced starvation” of aboriginal peoples in the Canadian plains in the 19th century, and Mark Phillips, whose book explores the many ways by which historians and their object are “distant” and close, met for a public conversation on a Saturday afternoon, November 1, 2014 at Ottawa’s City Hall.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/Daschuk-and-Phillips.mp3]

The Sweetest Sounds: Musical Life in Ontario 1880-1920

On October 21, 2014 Madelaine Morrison delivered a talk entitled The Sweetest Sounds: Musical Life in Ontario, 1880-1920 as part of the Ottawa Historical Association lecture series. In her address, Morrison discussed the evolution of the piano and its place in Ontario’s social life during these years.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/OHA-October.mp3]

Pride and Prejudice: Anti-Americanism Among Canada’s Intellectuals, 1891-1945

History Chats is pleased to present a recording of Damien-Claude Bélanger’s talk ‘Pride and Prejudice: Anti-Americanism Among Canada’s Intellectuals, 1891-1945’. The talk was delivered as part of the Ottawa Historical Association Lecture Series on February 17, 2015.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/DCB-OHA.mp3]

Isn’t All History Public? Knowledge, Wisdom, and Utility in the Great Age of Storytelling

On June 1, 2015, Dean Oliver delivered the Keynote Address of the Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting. His talk was entitled “Isn’t All History Public? Knowledge, Wisdom, and Utility in the Great Age of Storytelling.”

Oliver is the Director of Research at the Canadian Museum of History but his remarks are his alone and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the museum.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/Dean-Oliver.mp3]

Children’s Drawings and Humanitarian Aid: Transnational Expressions and Exhibitions

On June 2, 2015 Dominique Marshall delivered her Presidential Address to the Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting. The address was entitled ‘Children’s Drawings and Humanitarian Aid: Transnational Expressions and Exhibitions.’

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/06/CHA-Dominique-Marshall.mp3]

Commemorations in the National Capital Region: Evolution and Findings (Bilingual Episode)

During the Canadian Historical Association Annual Meeting, a roundtable was held discussing commemorations in and around Ottawa, including the planned memorial to the victims of communism.

The roundtable was chaired by Yves Frenette (Université de Saint-Boniface) and featured Alain Roy (Library and Archives Canada), Nadine Blumer (Concordia), Alan Gordon (Guelph), David Akin (Post Media).

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Panel-commemorations-SHC-1er-partie.mp3]

Trouble on Main Street: William Lyon Mackenzie King, Reason, Race, and the 1907 Vancouver Riots

On March 10, 2015, Julie Gilmour delivered an address as part of the Ottawa Historical Association Lecture Series. Entitled William Lyon Mackenzie King, Reason, Race, and the 1907 Vancouver Riots, the talk examined the Prime Minister’s policies and response to racial tensions.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/OHA-March.mp3]

Local, National, and Transnational Histories of Immigration to the Americas

In a public lecture given at Glendon College, York University, Erika Lee, Professor of History and Director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, elucidates another aspect of the entangled history of the Americas. In “Local, National, and Transnational Histories of Immigration to the Americas,” Lee discusses the development of a series of Asian exclusion laws that spread from British Columbia to Peru. By tracing both the circulation of ideas and the implementation of exclusionary policies, Lee demonstrates the interconnected nature of a history that has typically been framed in national terms. Lee outlines her transnational research methodology that integrates local and national scales in order to offer a more complete understanding of transpacific migration to North America. Her public lecture was part of a SSHRC-funded workshop held at Glendon College in late October 2012.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Lee-Histories-of-Immigration-talk.mp3]

The Making of Dufferin-St. Clair: 1900-1929

In 2011, historical geographer Richard Harris presented a talk entitled “The Making of Dufferin-St. Clair: 1900-1929. Following his talk, a room full of community members shared their personal memories of the area’s social and physical development.  Harris’s talk comes from research for his book, Unplanned Suburbs: Toronto’s American Tragedy, 1900 to 1950 (1996), which examined the rise and fall of working-class home ownership in Toronto’s suburbs.  The Dufferin-St. Clair neighbourhood, also known today as Corso Italia, is a key location in the book.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Harris-History-Matters-lecture.mp3]

A Town Called Asbestos

In “A Town Called Asbestos”, Dr. Jessica Van Horssen continues her survey of the history of asbestos in Quebec by examining the first asbestos industry boom between 1914 and 1939. The outbreak of war in Europe and the advent of aerial bombing in urban areas created a new market for the inflammable mineral. In the years after the war, asbestos found its way into a number of industrial products as both a flame retardant and as insulation. This growth in demand led to an expansion of mining activities and the establishment of large, multi-national asbestos mining corporations.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/Van-Horssen-Asbestos-talk.mp3]

Local, National, and Transnational Histories of Immigration to the Americas

In a public lecture given at Glendon College, York University, Erika Lee, Professor of History and Director of the Immigration History Research Center at the University of Minnesota, elucidates another aspect of the entangled history of the Americas. In “Local, National, and Transnational Histories of Immigration to the Americas,” Lee discusses the development of a series of Asian exclusion laws that spread from British Columbia to Peru. By tracing both the circulation of ideas and the implementation of exclusionary policies, Lee demonstrates the interconnected nature of a history that has typically been framed in national terms. Lee outlines her transnational research methodology that integrates local and national scales in order to offer a more complete understanding of transpacific migration to North America. Her public lecture was part of a SSHRC-funded workshop held at Glendon College in late October 2012.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/Lee-Histories-of-Immigration-talk.mp3]

Three Mile Island to Bhopal: the Life and Work of Environmental Activist Rosalie Bertell

In 2011, historian Lisa Rumiel 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. The presentation was the second talk of the 2011 History Matters lecture series.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Rumiel-History-Matters-talk.mp3]

Locating Parkdale’s Mad History: Back Wards to Back Streets, 1980-2010

In 2010, Megan Davies and David Reville presented an engaging talk on the ways in which mental health deinstitutionalization impacted psychiatric survivors and the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto.  In front of a packed audience at the Parkdale library, “Locating Parkdale’s Mad History: Back Wards to Back Streets, 1980-2010” examined the motivations behind deinstitutionalization and showed how community members are remembering the important event in Canada’s madness history.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Davies-and-Reville-History-Matters-talk.mp3]

Keeping the City Clean: Portuguese Women in Toronto’s Cleaning Industry, 1970-1990

In 2010, historian Susana Miranda gave a talk called “Keeping the City Clean: Portuguese Women in Toronto’s Cleaning Industry, 1970-1990”  at the Bloor/Gladstone branch of the Toronto Public Library.   The lecture was part of the Toronto Public Library’s History Matters series.

She started her presentation with a shot of the downtown office towers that grew to dominate the Toronto skyline by the late 1960s.  Miranda proceeded to examine the labour struggles of the women who cleaned these skyscrapers and other buildings across the growing metropolis.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Miranda-History-Matters-talk.mp3]

A Public Technology: Building Toronto’s Yonge Street Subway

Back in 2010, gave a talk called “A Public Technology: Building Toronto’s Yonge Street Subway”.  The lecture is part of the Toronto Public Library’s History Matters series.

The lecture discussed various episodes surrounding the building of Toronto’s original Yonge Street subway line during the late 1940s and early 1950s, with particular attention paid to the impacts of construction on local merchants and residents, and the immediate reactions of Torontonians towards the subway after it opened in 1954.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Young-History-Matters-talk.mp3]

Craig Heron on Toronto’s Booze-Soaked Past

Back in 2010, Canadian historian Craig Heron presented an entertaining talk at the second event of the History Matters lecture series, sponsored by the Toronto Public Library.

Heron discussed a number of aspects in the social history of alcohol in Toronto, from the public importance of nineteenth-century taverns to the imposition of prohibition in the early twentieth century.  The Annette Street library was an appropriate locale for the talk, since the Junction neighbourhood in which the library is located was the last remaining dry district in Toronto.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2010/10/Heron-History-Matters-talk.mp3]

Spadina Sweatshops: Jews and Gender in Toronto’s Labour Movement 1900 to 1939

In September 2011, 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.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Frager-History-Matters-lecture.mp3]

The Drake “Smoke Screen” Phenomenon: A Discussion with Dalton Higgins on Drake and Canadian Hip Hop History

On December 8, 2012, Accents on Eglinton, a community bookstore that specializes in publications on Africa and its diasporas, along with host Francesca D’Amico (PhD candidate in music history at York University), hosted an evening with Dalton Higgins, award-winning journalist, radio and TV broadcaster, to discuss his latest book Far From Over: The Music and Life of Drake (ECW Press).

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2013/02/Evening-with-Dalton-Higgins-Far-From-Over.mp3]

Recolonizing Confederation: Indigenous Policy and the Making of Canada

On April 22, 2017, Brian Gettler delivered his talk “Recolonizing Confederation: Indigenous Policy and the Making of Canada.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Episode-14-Brian-Gettler.mp3]

Why We Shouldn’t Talk About Confederation in 2017

On April 22, 2017, Steve Penfold delivered his talk “Why We Shouldn’t Talk About Confederation in 2017.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events. 

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Episode-13-Steve-Penfold.mp3]

 

The Broader Significance of the 1860s

On April 22, 2017, Heidi Bohaker and Paula Hastings  delivered their talk “The Broader Significance of the 1860s.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

This talk is part of our History Chats podcast series. You can subscribe to the History Chats feed wherever you get your podcasts.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Episode-12.mp3]

Setting the Plains on Fire: How Indigenous Geo-Politics and the U.S.-Dakota War Shaped Canada’s Westward Expansion

On April 22, 2017, Michel Hogue delivered his talk “Setting the Plains on Fire: How Indigenous Geo-Politics and the U.S.-Dakota War Shaped Canada’s Westward Expansion.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Episode-11-Michel-Hogue.mp3]

Putting Flesh on the Bones: The Meaning of the BNA Act in Confederation Era Canada

On April 22, 2017, Penny Bryden delivered her talk “Putting Flesh on the Bones: The Meaning of the BNA Act in Confederation Era Canada.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Episode-10-Penny-Bryden.mp3]

Irish Nationalisms and Canadian Confederation

On April 22, 2017, David Wilson delivered his talk “Irish Nationalisms and Canadian Confederation.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Episode-09-David-Wilson.mp3]

A Tale of Two Empires: Race and Revolution in the 1860s Caribbean

On April 22, 2017, Melanie Newton delivered her talk “A Tale of Two Empires: Race and Revolution in the 1860s Caribbean.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Episode-08-Melania-Newton.mp3]

Cosmopolitanism in James Barry’s Diary: The Atlantic World Views of a 19th-Century Nova Scotia Miller

On April 22, 2017, Dan Samson delivered his talk “Cosmopolitanism in James Berry’s Diary: The Atlantic World Views of a 19th-Century Nova Scotia Miller.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Episode-07-Dan-Samson.mp3]

Our Country is No Longer Able to Support Us

On April 22, 2017, Bill Waiser delivered his talk “Our Country is No Longer Able to Support Us.” The talk was part of “The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

This talk is part of our History Chats podcast series. You can subscribe to the History Chats feed wherever you get your podcasts.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Episode-05-Bill-Waiser.mp3]

The 1860s and the Origins of Canada’s Transitions to Fossil Fuels

On April 22, 2017, Ruth Sandwell delivered her talk “The 1860s and the Origins of Canada’s Transition to Fossil Fuels.” The talk was part of ‘The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

This talk is part of our History Chats podcast series. You can subscribe to the History Chats feed wherever you get your podcasts.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Episode-04-Ruth-Sandwell.mp3]

Uncomfortable Pews: British North America’s Religious Groups Ponder Confederation

On April 22, 2017, Mark McGowan delivered his talk “Uncomfortable Pews: British North America's Religious Groups Ponder Confederation.” The talk was part of ‘The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Episode-03-Mark-McGowan.mp3]

Evangelicalism, Liberalism, and the Origins of the Lord’s Dominion in Mid-Nineteenth Century Canada

On April 22, 2017, Todd Webb delivered his talk “Evangelicalism, Liberalism, and the Origins of the Lord’s Dominion in Mid-Nineteenth Century Canada.” The talk was part of ‘The Other 60s: A Decade that Shaped Canada and the World,” a symposium hosted by the Department of History at the University of Toronto as part of its Canada 150 events.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Episode-02-Todd-Webb.mp3]

Introducing History Chats

History Chats is a new podcast series from Activehistory.ca. Each Saturday we will post a different talk from our collection of world class historians. These will include conference sessions, public lectures, and roundtable discussions. So get your weekend started on a high note with History Chats.

[audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Episode-00.mp3]