History News

Celebrate Black History Month and try your hand at transcribing. We suggest the Shadd Diary.

A journey into the Shadd Diary covers the years 1881-1889 and introduces the reader to a variety of fascinating individuals. Garrison is the son of Abraham Doras Shadd, the famed abolitionist and “conductor” of the Underground Railway, and brother of Mary Ann Shadd, the first black woman in North America to publish a newspaper. Garrison oversees his sons taking extended turns writing the diary, first William, then Charles, then others. You'll notice the change in hand-writing. They are fully engaged in farming and the community life of North Buxton.

The diary can be found here: https://ruraldiaries.lib.uoguelph.ca/garrison-william-shadd

We hope you'll join us!
- Erin Elizabeth Schuurs, PhD Candidate on behalf of Rural History at Guelph

The program for the 22nd Annual Tri-University History Conference on March 5, 2016 is here .pdf

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.”

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.

Get the poster .pdf

Rural History Roundtable Winter 2016
sponsored by the Francis and Ruth Redelmeier Professorship in Rural History.

February 9: Miguel Mundstock Xavier de Carvalho 
"Swine Production in Ontario in the 20th century: Environment and Animal Welfare"

February 26: Tina Loo
“Moved by the State: Forced Relocation and a ‘Good Life’ in Postwar Canada”

March 11: Hamish Maxwell-Stewart
“Rural Convicts in a British Penal Colony: Transportation to Van Diemen¹s Land 1817-1853"

March 24: Jean-Yves Dufour
“Man-Animal Relations, as Viewed by Excavations in the Castle of Roissy, France (12th–19th c)”

April 8: Renée Worringer
"Wolf in Dog's Clothing: The History of Sheepherding Dogs for Livestock Management"

For more information, see our Events feed to the right or get the poster .pdf

Undergraduate Research Assistantships* -- now accepting applications

Transient Youth: Hitchhiking Rituals and Growing Up in Canada, 1920-1980
- supervisor: Dr. Linda Mahood

War and Hospitality: British Tourism, Hotels, and the Great War
- supervisor: Dr. Kevin James

"Colonial Morality," Comparative Perspectives
- supervisor: Dr. Norman Smith

Historical Photography Depicting Canines in the North American West: Database and Archival Blog
- supervisor: Dr. Susan Nance

* Apply by February 10, 2016. See www.uoguelph.ca/history/job-postings for detailed project descriptions and application info.

For our 2016 Gateway Seminar on Feb. 4, History Alumni talk about their career paths and the value of their history degrees:

* Sonja Missio (BAH, History’08) is a Prospect Researcher and Information Officer at North York General Foundation, involved in a major fundraising campaign and an international soccer journalist.

* Samuel Sharp (BAH, History'12, MA History'15) is a Historical Interpreter at the Gibson House Museum and a Program Instructor at Colborne Lodge Museum, Toronto.

All History students welcome! Pizza & Pop will be provided! Get the poster .pdf

THERE IS A FUTURE IN THE PAST!

History professor sees reminders of former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, but also intentions to connect to the deeper Liberal heritage.

Wednesday, January 6, 2016 — Feature by Teresa Pitman

A few months after Canada’s federal election, commentators are still dissecting the campaign and new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is attracting global attention.

Prof. Matthew Hayday studies the history of Canadian politics at U of G. He’s intrigued by the ways Justin Trudeau’s campaign in the 2015 federal election echoed his father’s (former prime minister Pierre Trudeau) in 1968 and how it differed. Hayday points out that despite repeating some of his father’s strategies, Justin has also been careful to look beyond his father’s legacy and connect to a deeper Liberal heritage.

read the rest of the story at uoguelph.ca

Associate Professor Susannah Ferreira has just published a new book, The Crown, the Court and the Casa da Índia: Political Centralization in Portugal 1479-1521, with Brill.

from the dust jacket:
In The Crown, the Court and the Casa da Índia, Susannah Humble Ferreira examines the social and political context that gave rise to the Portuguese Overseas Empire during the reigns of João II (1481-95) and Manuel I (1495-1521). In particular the book elucidates the role of the Portuguese royal household in the political consolidation of Portugal in this period. By looking at the relationship of the Manueline Reforms, the expulsion of the Jews and the creation of the Santa Casa da Misericordia to the political threat brought on by the expansion of Ferdinand of Aragon into the Mediterranean, the author re-evaluates the place of the overseas expansion in the policies of the Portuguese crown.

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.