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History: Jason Wilson's New Book on Canadian Concert Parties of WWI is Out!

The Department congratulates Ph.D. candidate Jason Wilson on the release of his new book from Wilfrid Laurier University Press: Soldiers of Song The Dumbells and Other Canadian Concert Parties of the First World War

From the jacket: The seeds of irreverent humour that inspired the likes of The Wayne and Shuster Hour and Monty Python were sown in the trenches of the First World War, and The Dumbells—concert parties made up of fighting soldiers—were central to this process. Soldiers of Song tells their story. Lucky soldiers who could sing a song, perform a skit, or pass as a “lady,” were taken from the line and put onstage for the benefit of their soldier-audiences.

Exploring the Dark Side of Nabobs: “Eastern adventurers” were seen as a threat

 Art history professor Christina Smylitopoulos knows. “It originally was a name for a Muslim official or leader, but it became a derogatory term used for British men who traveled to India in the hope of making a fortune and then returned to Britain fabulously wealthy and ready to climb into elite spheres of power and influence,” she explains.

History: Jodey Nurse on Fall Fairs, Then and Now

by Teresa Pitman
Inspired by her memories, Jodey Nurse has completed her MA thesis on the Peel County Fall Fair (now the Brampton Fall Fair) and is doing her PhD research on the history of women’s involvement in fall fairs. Her work has attracted attention from CBC Radio; she was interviewed in early September for the Fresh Air program to share what she learned about the history and importance of these annual gatherings in Ontario. Nurse completed her undergrad degree in history at Queen’s University and is now studying at U of G. Today, there are 230 fall fairs. Some, Nurse admits, are struggling, especially those close to large cities where there is more competition. While the first fairs were basically livestock shows organized by gentlemen farmers, politicians and others who wanted to improve farming by better breeding of animals and plants, over time they began to aim for a broader audience.
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History: New Courses for Winter 2013!

This winter the Department offers four new courses:

HIST*3240 "Food History" (Dr. Mosby)

HIST*3330 "The Scottish Diaspora" (Dr. Morton)

HIST*3450 "The Vikings" (Dr. Ekholst)

HIST*4170 "Exploring Digital Humanities" (Dr. Ross)

For course descriptions visit our undergraduate programs page.

History: Intoxicating Manchuria: Norman Smith's New Book is Here!

The Department congratulates Dr. Norman Smith on the publication of his latest book, Intoxicating Manchuria: Alcohol, Opium and Culture in China's Northeast (UBC Press, 2012)

from the jacket: In China, both opium and alcohol were used for centuries in the pursuit of health and leisure while simultaneously linked to personal and social decline. The impact of these substances is undeniable, and the role they have played in Chinese social, cultural, and economic history is extremely complex.

History: Brad Crawford On His Research in Rwanda

Brad Crawford is a MA student in the Department.
He studies conflict in modern Africa and the
Rwandan Genocide. - Susan

Land of a Thousand Lessons:
Reflections on a Tour of Rwanda
By Brad Crawford

Scattered throughout Kigali, the capital and largest city in the small East African nation of Rwanda, are massive billboards that read “Learning from our history to build a bright future.” The billboards evidently refer to the nearly one million Tutsis and Hutu moderates that were slaughtered during the one hundred days of the Rwandan Genocide in the spring of 1994. These billboards most likely lead some to wonder why a nation would promote the worst event in their national history so explicitly. As historians, we often cite “learning from our history to avoid the same mistakes in our future” as one of the main purposes for studying the subject. In Rwanda, this notion is consistently and actively put into practice. (click title to read the whole story)

History: Barb Mitterer Wins Exemplary Service 'Hidden Hero' Award

Congratulations to History's Departmental Manager, Barb Mitterer, who was awarded the University's Exemplary Service 'Hidden Hero' Award today - a much deserved recognition of Barb's crucial work in the Department. Kudos! We don't know what we'd do without you!

History: Jacqueline Murray Edits New Book on Marriage in Premodern Europe

Jacqueline Murray, Professor in the Department and Director of First Year Seminars at the University of Guelph, has published a new edited collection: Marriage in Premodern Europe: Italy and Beyond (Toronto: Centre for Reformation and Renaissance Studies, 2012).

from the jacket...
The articles in this volume provide an overview of the issues and complexities that informed marriage in the premodern West. They provide a series of ...

History: Ian Mosby on the Origins of Canada's Food Guide

by Teresa Pitman
Canada’s Food Guide has gone through a number of transformations since the creation of its predecessor – the more sternly named Canada’s Official Food Rules – 70 years ago. In comparison to the original Food Rules, the current Food Guide has fewer food groups, no specific recommendations about eating four to six slices of “Canada Approved Vitamin B Bread” per day, and definitely no rifle-toting milk bottles marching off to war on the posters and pamphlets promoting it. As post-doc Ian Mosby found in his doctoral research on the history of food and nutrition in Canada during the Second World War, the original Food Rules document certainly bore the mark of its wartime origins.
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