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 last month’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.
March 15
Lynne Marks, Infidels and the Damn Churches: Irrelegion and Religion in Settler British Columbia (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2017).
British Columbia is at the forefront of a secularizing movement in the English-speaking world. Nearly half its residents claim no religious affiliation, and the province has the highest rate of unbelief or religious indifference in Canada. Infidels and the Damn Churches explores the historical roots of this phenomenon from the 1880s to the First World War.
Lynne Marks reveals that class and racial tensions fuelled irreligion in a world populated by embattled ministers, militant atheists, turn-of-the-century New Agers, rough-living miners, Asian immigrants, and church-going settler women. White, working-class men often arrived in the province alone and identified the church with their exploitative employers. At the same time, BC’s anti-Asian and anti-Indigenous racism meant that their “whiteness” alone could define them as respectable, without the need for church affiliation. Although Christianity retained major social power elsewhere, many people in BC found the freedom to forgo church attendance or espouse atheist views.
This nuanced study of mobility, gender, masculinity, and family in settler BC offers new insights into BC’s distinctive culture and into the beginnings of what has become an increasingly dominant secular worldview across Canada.
Formats available: Hardcover
Publisher’s link: http://www.ubcpress.ca/infidels-and-the-damn-churches
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Infidels-Damn-Churches-Irreligion-Religion/dp/0774833440
Sarah Teitelbaum, editor, Community Forestry in Canada: Lessons from Policy and Practice (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2017).
This book brings together the work of over twenty-five researchers to provide a comparative and empirically rich portrait of community forestry policy and practice in Canada. Tackling all forestry regions from Newfoundland to British Columbia, it unearths the history of community forestry across the nation, demonstrating strong regional differences tied to patterns of policy-making and cultural traditions. Case studies reveal innovative practices in governance and ecological management but also uncover challenges related to government support and market access. This book also considers the future of the sector, including the role of institutional reform, multiscale networks, and adaptive management strategies.
Formats available: E-book, hardcover, paperback
Publisher’s link: http://www.ubcpress.ca/community-forestry-in-canada
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Community-Forestry-Canada-Lessons-Practice/dp/0774831898/ref=sr_1_39?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487214953&sr=1-39
Andrew Thompson, On the Side of the Angels: Canada and the United Nations Commission on Human Rights (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2017).
When it comes to upholding human rights both at home and abroad, many Canadians believe that have always been “on the side of the angels.” This book tells the story of Canada’s contributions – both good and bad – to the development and advancement of international human rights law at the Commission on Human Rights from 1946 to 2006. In it, Canada’s reputation is examined through its involvement in a number of contentious human rights issues – political, civil, racial, women’s, and Indigenous. An in-depth historical overview of six decades of Canadian engagement within the UN human rights system, this book offers new insights into the nuances, complexities, and contradictions of Canada’s human rights policies.
Formats available: Hardcover
Publisher’s link: http://www.ubcpress.ca/on-the-side-of-the-angels
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Side-Angels-Canada-Nations-Commission/dp/0774835036/ref=sr_1_40?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487214953&sr=1-40
Sue Hendler, with Julia Markovich, “I was the Only Woman: Women and Planning in Canada (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2017).
“I was the only woman.” These words appear again and again in the stories of women planners working in Canada from the 1940s to the 1970s. Despite their small numbers, women were active in the Community Planning Association of Canada and the Town Planning Institute of Canada (later called the Canadian Institute of Planners) from the 1940s to the 1970s. This book tells their stories, expanding our understanding of what constitutes “planning” and who counts as “planners.” It challenges us to re-evaluate not only the profession’s past, but also its role in creating a more inclusive and equitable future.
Formats available: Hardcover
Publisher’s link: http://www.ubcpress.ca/i-was-the-only-woman
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Was-Only-Woman-Planning-Canada/dp/0774825871/ref=sr_1_42?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487214953&sr=1-42
Graham Broad, One in a Thousand: The Life and Death of Captain Eddie McKay, Royal Flying Corps (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2017).
This short microhistory details the life and death of Alfred Edwin “Eddie” McKay, a varsity athlete at Western University, who flew with the Royal Flying Corps in the First World War. Throughout the book, Broad switches creatively from the story of Eddie McKay to valuable lessons on how to “do” history, why the past matters, how to pose historical questions, and how to identify and challenge relevant source materials. The book concludes with four unsolved mysteries about McKay’s life, demonstrating to readers that even a detailed history is never really complete.
Formats available: Hardcover, paperback
Publisher’s link: http://www.utppublishing.com/One-in-a-Thousand-The-Life-and-Death-of-Captain-Eddie-McKay-Royal-Flying-Corps.html
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/One-Thousand-Death-Captain-Flying/dp/1442607467/ref=sr_1_80?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487216823&sr=1-80
March 18
John D. Pihach, Mudeater: An American Buffalo Hunter and the Surrender of Louis Riel (Regina: University of Regina Press, 2017).
Born the son of a Wyandot Chief in Kansas in 1849, Irvin Mudeater was one of the last great frontiersmen of the American West.
Hired to run wagon trains to Santa Fe, Mudeater fought off “Indian attacks,” was caught up in the Civil War, drove a stagecoach, and lived as a plainsman on the lawless frontier. Most of all, he was a buffalo hunter–killing 126 head in just one day.
In 1882, Mudeater moved to Canada, adopted the name Robert Armstrong, and portrayed himself as white. Shortly after the fall of Batoche, he played the lead role in bringing the fugitive Metis leader, Louis Riel, into custody.
John D. Pihach attempts to resolve the opposing stories of Riel’s surrender/capture, scrutinizes the sensational incidents in Armstrong/Mudeater’s life, and, with the inclusion of Mudeater’s unpublished memoir, allows this consummate storyteller to speak in his own voice.
Formats available: Paperback
Publisher’s link: https://uofrpress.ca/Books/M/Mudeater
Buy it on Amazon.ca: https://www.amazon.ca/Mudeater-American-Buffalo-Hunter-Surrender/dp/0889774587/ref=sr_1_22?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1487216570&sr=1-22
You may also be interested to know that for the University of Manitoba Press’s 50th Anniversary, they are offering 50% print copies of their books all year long! Go here for more info.
That’s all for this month! 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 get to check back on Sunday for a brand new Canadian History Roundup! See you then!
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