Welcome back to our monthly series, “Upcoming Publications in Canadian History,” where I’ve compiled information on all the upcoming releases for the following month in the field of Canadian history from every Canadian academic press, all in one place. This includes releases in both English and French. To see December’s releases, click here.
***Please note that the cover images and book blurbs are used with permission from the publishers.***
N.B. This list only includes new releases, not rereleases in different formats.
January
Joanna Dean, Darcy Ingram, and Christabelle Sethna, eds., Animal Metropolis: Histories of Human-Animal Relations in Canada (Calgary: University of Calgary Press, 2017)
Animal Metropolis includes a diverse array of work on the historical study of human-animal relations in Canada. In doing so, it aims to create a starting point for an ongoing conversation about the place of animals in historical analysis and, in turn, about the way issues regarding animals fit into Canada’s political, social, cultural, economic, environmental and ethical landscapes.
One of the most striking aspects of this collection is its capacity to present a wide variety of topics, sources and methodologies within a tightly focused theme. The sources employed in these articles cover a broad spectrum, from state and legal documents to the popular press, from corporate records and NGO reports to personal diaries, and from materials on industrial agriculture to those of the tourism industry. Even more compelling than the sources are the methodological issues that the collection raises. One of our key objectives is to highlight the sheer diversity of approaches historians are employing in their efforts to analyze non-human subjects that do not produce documentary records of their own.
By focusing explicitly on urban contexts the book aims deliberately to cleave from a more obvious focus on wild animals and the wilderness environment that are so iconic to Canada. Readers will be impressed by the range of creatures, both domestic and wild: from horses and dogs to beavers and wolves to whales, fish, polar bears and captive elephants. Covering small and larger regions, and in some instances the nation as a whole, the collection offers impressive breadth in scope. Varying widely in the lenses through which human-animal relations are viewed, it brings to the forefront the contemporary as well as the historical dimensions of the issues it raises.
Formats available: E-book (free), Paperback (available in February)
Publisher’s link: https://press.ucalgary.ca/books/9781552388648
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Animal-Metropolis-Histories-Human-Animal-Relations/dp/1552388646/ref=sr_1_1?
January 5
Peter E. Paul Dembski, ed. Travels and Identities: Elizabeth and Adam Shortt in Europe, 1911 (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2017).
Elizabeth Smith Shortt was one of the first three women to obtain a medical degree in Canada, and her husband, AdamShortt, enjoyed a successful career as a professor of politics and economics at Queen’s University in Kingston. In 1908 Adam Shortt relocated his family to Ottawa to take up a commission to oversee civil service reform under PrimeMinister Wilfrid Laurier. There he convinced his superiors that an onsite investigation of four European countries would expedite his effort to improve Canada’s bureaucracy, and in June 1911 he and Elizabeth embarked on their trip.This book chronicles their Atlantic crossing and extended visit to England, aswell as trips to Switzerland, Austria, Germany, and the Netherlands.
The Shortts were generally pleasedwith England and its values, but Elizabeth was sharply critical of the behaviour of British nurses. Her diaries and letters, here reprinted, critiqued the lands and peoples she visited in Europe. Leading foreign feminists such as Lady Chichester and Mrs. Maud of the Mothers’ Union in England sought her advice, as did Alice Salomon in Germany, the corresponding secretary of the International Council of Women. The diaries and letters presented in this volume reveal the multifaceted nature of Adam and Elizabeth Shortt, from public figures to difficult employers to a couple who couldn’t help but live beyond their means.
PeterE. Paul Dembski’s introduction paints a picture of a couple who lived as moderate liberals with occasional conservative or radical views, and who blended science and an adherence to Protestant Christianity into their thinking. Their travel experiences, during a period of building political upheaval, provide a valuable snapshot of pre–First World War European society and culture.
Formats available: Paperback
Publisher’s link: https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/T/Travels-and-Identities
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Travels-Identities-Elizabeth-Shortt-Europe/dp/1771122250/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481834565&sr=1-9
January 7
Leonore Newman, Speaking in Cod Tongues: A Canadian Culinary Journey (Regina: University of Regina Press, 2017)
Lenore Newman explores Canada’s rich and evolving culinary landscape in Speaking in Cod Tongues. From oceans to prairie, from bakeapples to fiddleheads, from maple syrup to k’aaw, from the height of urban dining to picnics in parks, Newman describes a delicious and emerging melange representing the multifaceted nature of Canada.
Formats available: Paperback
Publisher’s link: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/S/Speaking-in-Cod-Tongues
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Speaking-Cod-Tongues-Canadian-Culinary/dp/0889774595/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481834534&sr=1-1
January 28
Maeve Conrick, Jane Koustas, Caitríona Ní Chasaide , Munroe Eagles, eds. Landscapes and Landmarks of Canada: Real, Imagined, (Re)Viewed (Waterloo: Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2017).
The image of the “land” is an ongoing trope in conceptions of Canada—from the national anthem and the flag to the symbols on coins—the land and nature remain linked to the Canadian sense of belonging and to the image of the nation abroad. Linguistic landscapes reflect the multi-faceted identities and cultural richness of the nations. Earlier portrayals of the land focused on unspoiled landscape, depicted in the paintings of the Group of Seven, for example. Contemporary notions of identity, belonging, and citizenship are established, contested, and legitimized within sites and institutions of public culture, heritage, and representation that reflect integration with the land, transforming landscape into landmarks. The Highway of Heroes originating at Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario and Grosse Île and the Irish Memorial National Historic Site in Québec are examples of landmarks that transform landscape into a built environment that endeavours to respect the land while using it as a site to commemorate, celebrate, and promote Canadian identity. Similarly in literature and the arts, the creation of the built environment and the interaction among those who share it is a recurrent theme.
This collection includes essays by Canadian and international scholars whose engagement with the theme stems from their disciplinary perspectives as well as from their personal and professional experience—rooted, at least partially, in their own sense of national identity and in their relationship to Canada.
Formats available: Paperback
Publisher’s link: https://www.wlupress.wlu.ca/Books/L/Landscapes-and-Landmarks-of-Canada
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Landscapes-Landmarks-Canada-Imagined-Viewed/dp/1771122013/ref=sr_1_23?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1481834584&sr=1-23
That’s all for this month! I’m guessing that January isn’t a big month for scholarly book releases. Are there any books in particular that you are looking forward to? Did I miss anything? Let me know in the comments below! And don’t forget to check back on Sunday for the regular Canadian History Roundup!
Leave a Reply