History News

Associate Professor Sofie Lachapelle has just published a new book, Conjuring Science: A History of Scientific Entertainment and Stage Magic in Modern France with Palgrave MacMillan.

from the dust jacket:
Conjuring Science explores the history of magic shows and scientific entertainment. It follows the frictions and connections of magic and science as they occurred in the world of popular entertainment in France from the mid-eighteenth to the early twentieth century. It situates conjurers within the broader culture of science and argues that stage magic formed an important popular conduit for science and scientific enthusiasm during this period. From the scientific recreations of the fairs to the grand illusions of the theatre stage and the development of early cinema, conjurers used and were inspired by scientific and technological innovations to create illusions, provoke a sense of wonder, and often even instruct their audience. In their hands, science took on many meanings and served different purposes: it was a set of pleasant facts and recreational demonstrations upon which to draw; it was the knowledge presented in various scientific lectures accompanied by optical projections at magic shows; it was the techniques necessary to create illusions and effects on stage and later on at the cinema; and it was a way to separate conjuring from the deceit of mediums, mystical showmen and quacks in order to gain a better standing within an increasingly scientifically-minded society.

In the Globe & Mail today, Dr. Matthew Hayday discusses the focus of plans for the 150th anniversary of Confederation.

"Federal Officials Wanted to Highlight Aboriginals, Women for Canada 150," by Jordan Press

Rebecca Beausaert, a sessional instructor in our Department, is this year's recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award (Sessional Instructor) in the College of Arts. The selection committee was particularly impressed by Rebecca's dedication to her students, who rave about her engaging way of presenting material, and her accessibility and helpfulness outside class.

Rebecca says: "I am very proud and honoured to receive this award, and wish to thank the College of Arts for recognizing me. I am very fortunate to be part of such a supportive community of faculty members and students here at Guelph. Teaching awards act as great motivators, encouraging instructors at all levels to continue offering the best possible learning experience."

Congratulations from all of us on a richly deserved award, which will be presented on Monday October 26 at the Awards Reception in the Atrium of the Science Complex at 4:30pm.

Beginning Winter 2016, we have a new course:

   HIST*2120 DE - Animals and Society

The course uses North American since 1600 as a case study. It provides a historical survey of modern human-animal relationships and the contradictions that characterize them in a consumer economy. Topics include: anthropocentrism over time, 19th century horses and animal breeding ideologies, anti-cruelty movements, pet-keeping and consumerism, animal figures in popular culture, natural history, taxidermy and the zoo, history of veterinary medicine, animals in sport and entertainment, 20th century urban wildlife, animals as biotechnology and research tools, and animals used in industrial agriculture.

visit our course preview page

PhD candidate Sarah Shropshire is this year's recipient of the Teaching Excellence Award (Teaching Assistant) in the College of Arts. The Selection Committee was impressed by Sarah's dedication to her students, particularly her commitment to supporting students in improving their work and to designing assignments that help students thrive in Distance Education courses. 

Sarah says, "Of any of the awards that I've received, this one really does feel special. It's wonderful that we have teaching awards like this in place for instructors at all levels. Personally, I find it an excellent motivator to keep working at my teaching skills."

Congratulations from all of us on a richly deserved award, which will be presented on Monday October 26 at the Awards Reception in the Atrium of the Science Complex at 4:30pm.

Thanks once again to Dr. Femi Kolapo for the latest Department of History Newsletter.

visit our newsletter page    get the .pdf

Jesse Palsetia has just published a new monograph with Oxford University Press, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy of Bombay: Partnership and Public Culture in Empire. The book is the first academic study of important philanthropist, merchant, and facilitator of the opium trade, Jamsetjee Jejeebhoy. Through a blend of biographical study and history of commerce in colonial India, the book provides a lucid account of the growth and evolution of the business community in colonial Bombay.

Berliner FC Dynamo was the football team of the East German secret police, the dreaded Stasi. Alan McDougall discusses how BFC Dynamo was able to dominate East German football in part through questionable referee calls and the controversy this created among football fans.

Listen to the podcast at the Wilson Center Digital Archive

See footage of the infamous penalty in the Lok Leipzig/BFC Dynamo match in March 1986.

Dr. Matthew Hayday has just published new research with UBC Press:

So They Want Us to Learn French:  Promoting and Opposing Bilingualism in English-Speaking Canada

Since the 1960s, bilingualism has become a defining aspect of Canadian identity. And yet, fifty years after the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism was formed and with over forty years of federal government funding and supports for second-language education, relatively few English Canadians speak or choose to speak French. What happened? Why has personal bilingualism failed to increase as much as attitudes about bilingualism as a Canadian value? Historian Matthew Hayday explores the various ways in which bilingualism was promoted to English-speaking Canadians from the 1960s to the late 1990s. He analyzes the strategies and tactics employed by organizations on both sides of the bilingualism debate. Against a dramatic background of constitutional change and controversy, economic turmoil, demographic shifts, and the on-again, off-again possibility of Quebec separatism, English-speaking Canadians had to respond to the bilingualism issue and face the decision of whether they and their children should learn French. So They Want Us to Learn French places these personal and national experiences within a historical, political, and social context. For anyone interested in language, education, national identity, and Canadian political history, this book provides a vivid narrative of a complex, controversial, and fundamentally Canadian question.

CALL FOR PAPERS: "Contesting History: Reflections on Perspective and Approach"

22nd Annual Tri-University History Conference, 5 March 2016

Best Western Plus Royal Brock Hotel & Conference Centre, 716 Gordon St., Guelph, ON

Please join us for the 22nd annual Tri-University History Conference on 5 March 2016 at the Best Western Plus Royal Brock Hotel & Conference Centre in Guelph, ON. Organized by the history departments of Wilfrid Laurier University, the University of Guelph and the University of Waterloo, the theme of this year’s conference is “Contesting History: Reflections on Perspective and Approach.” To this end, we welcome proposals on all aspects of history from both graduate students and faculty. You may submit for consideration an individual paper, panel, or roundtable.

Individual paper proposals should be no more than 200 words and accompanied with a short 1-page CV. Panel and roundtable proposals should provide a succinct overview, no more than 350 words, along with a list of names and institutional affiliations of each participant.

This year’s conference will also feature the inaugural Tri-University “Rapid Fire” Competition. Participants will have 3 minutes to deliver an overview of their dissertation, thesis or major paper to a panel of esteemed professors and conference attendees. The event will take place during the final session of the day and a number of prizes will be up for grabs. The “Rapid Fire” Competition is open to all graduate students. Interested students are asked to submit their name and a presentation title.

Proposals should be sent to triuhistory@gmail.com by the deadline, 1 December 2015. Get the poster .pdf