History Chats

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 … Continue reading Canadian Archives at Risk? →

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 … Continue reading Celebrating Canada Roundtable →

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 … Continue reading Canadian Historians and the Media →

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 … Continue reading Robert Rutherdale on the Local Responses of WWI →

History Chats is pleased to present a recording of Lynda Baril’s talk ‘Nos Glorieuses’: 100 Years of Women’s Hockey in Quebec. The talk was delivered as part of the Ottawa Historical Association Lecture Series on September 16, 2014. [audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/oha2014-09-16.mp3]

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

On Friday April 25, 2014 as part of the annual Pierre Savard Conference at the University of Ottawa, there was a roundtable discussing the future of history. Entitled ‘The Future of the Past: Transmitting History to Future Generations” the roundtable was chaired by Adria Midea and featured Jennifer Anderson (Canadian Museum of History), Stéphane Lévesque … Continue reading The Future of the Past: Transmitting History to Future Generations →

On October 7, 2014 Professor Chad Gaffield of the University of Ottawa addressed the issues facing universities in the 21st century as part of the University of Ottawa History Department’s Brown Bag Lunch Series. [audio http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Gaffield-Talk.mp3]

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 … Continue reading Historical Research on Canada and Beyond →

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]

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]

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

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]

On October 26, the History of Indigenous Peoples (HIP) Network sponsored the launch of two books by HIP member Douglas Hunter, which included a conversation with Douglas about writing for the public hosted by Boyd Cothran. The two books are: The Place of Stone: Dighton Rock and the Erasure of America’s Indigenous Past Beardmore: The Viking … Continue reading A Conversation with Douglas Hunter →

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]

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]

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 … Continue reading Local, National, and Transnational Histories of Immigration to the Americas →

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 … Continue reading The Making of Dufferin-St. Clair: 1900-1929 →

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 … Continue reading A Town Called Asbestos →

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 … Continue reading Three Mile Island to Bhopal: the Life and Work of Environmental Activist Rosalie Bertell →