artistic image of pine trees and lumberjacks

Public discussion: Canadians and their past

September 22, 2014 —

The Canadian Studies programme is delighted to host a Roundtable on “Canadians and Their Pasts” with Margaret Conrad (University of New Brunswick), Peter Seixas (University of British Columbia) and Gerald Friesen (University of Manitoba).

The Roundtable will be held on Friday Sept. 26 from 12:30 to 2:00 in 101 St. John’s College (Cross Common Room).

“Canadians and their Pasts” is a major study of the “historical consciousness” of Canadians, examining what Canadians think is important about their history. Three of the authors will discuss the main findings as revealed in the book that concluded the study, “Canadians and their Pasts“, published recently by the University of Toronto Press. The authors will discuss such subjects as the role “history” plays amongst the public and differences between the public and academic perceptions of Canada’s past. There will be time given to questions and discussion.

The invited historians include:

Gerald Friesen is Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History at the University of Manitoba
Margaret Conrad is Professor Emerita of History at the University of New Brunswick
Peter Seixas is Professor of Education at the University of British Columbia

Faculty of Arts, history

The Conversation: How self-compassion can help activists deal with stress

Why are activists, who are so passionate about their social justice work, so often burned out by those very causes? We don’t often think about activism as a form of labour, but it is. Research on the activists that make up social justice movements suggests that the pressures of activist work, can cause them to experience serious consequences to their own mental well-being.