History for Lunch in March will feature a short presentation and discussion by recent MA alumna Anna England exploring "From History to Museum Studies."

Anna England completed her MA in History at Lakehead University in 2017. Her Major Research Project, "In Search of Freedom, Equality and Opportunity: African American Sojourners to the Soviet Union, 1920- 1940," focused on the experiences of African Americans whole the US during the interwar period in search of improved social, political, and economic prospects in the USSR. She began the Masters of Museum Studies program at the University of Toronto in Fall 2017 and has recently been accepted to complete an internship at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans this summer.

Anna will speak on her research as an MA student at Lakehead University and will reflect on her transition on to Museum Studies, and her current training at the University of Toronto. 
History for Lunch is an opportunity to put a bit of History in your diet and for members of the community and the Department of History to showcase their current research.

More information about the sessions can be found on the Department of History website (history.lakeheadu.ca) and on our Facebook page (facebook.com/lakeheadhistory)

On 9 May, the Department of History at Lakehead University is pleased to host Colonel (Ret’d) Patrick M. Dennis, OMM, CD, who will speak on "Reluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts and the Great War."

During the “Hundred Days” of the First World War, over 30 percent of conscripts who served in the Canadian Corps became casualties. Yet, they were generally considered slackers, shirkers, or malingerers for not having volunteered to fight of their own accord. Challenging long-standing myths about conscripts, Patrick Dennis examines whether these men arrived at the right moment, and in sufficient numbers, to make any significant difference to the success of the Canadian Corps. Apart from chronicling the seminal events that created the need for compulsory military service, he also focuses on the commanders who employed these conscripts and how their decision making was affected by a steady flow of reinforcements.

The presentation is based on his recent book and serves as the Thunder Bay launch of Reluctant Warriors: Canadian Conscripts and the Great War, published by UBC Press is association with the Canadian War Museum.

Speakers Bio: Colonel (Ret’d) Patrick M. Dennis, OMM, CD, is a retired Canadian Air Force colonel and fighter controller who served abroad for over twenty-two years, including tours as Canada’s deputy military representative to the NATO Military Committee in Brussels, Belgium, and as the Canadian defence attaché to Israel. He is a graduate of the United States Armed Forces Staff College, the NATO Defence College, and Canada’s National Security Studies Course, and hold’s a master’s degree in Leadership and Communication from the University of Northern Colorado. After leaving the military, he lectured on global political-military issues at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, and was a part-time instructor with the Canadian Forces College, Toronto, specializing in command and management and the law of armed conflict. He has written articles for Canada’s History, the Canadian Defence Quarterly, the Canadian Military Journal, the Canadian Military History journal, Air Power History, and Esprit de Corps magazine.

The Lakehead University Historical Society (LUHS) will be holding an Archive Crawl on Saturday, 20 October. It is a great opportunity to connect with fellow history students and get a behind the scenes look at the collections held in many of the museums and archives in the City of Thunder Bay. 

We will be meeting at the Lakehead University Archives (5th Floor of the Chancellor Paterson Library) at 1 pm and will be going to the Thunder Bay Archives, Thunder Bay Art Gallery, and the Thunder Bay Museum.

For more information please contact Christine Green, LUHS President, at cagreen1@lakeheadu.ca

On 27 March, Tim Irish will be giving a talk on The Alexander Henry: the journey to bring home the former Canadian Coast Guard icebreaker and lighthouse tender built in Thunder Bay

This presentation is part of the 2017-18 Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society's Lecture Series sponsored by the Department of History. Since 1908, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society has been regularly holding talks on a wide range of topics on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Thunder Bay Museum (425 Donald Street East) from September to April.

Free and open to the public.

Curious to know what Global Affairs Canada does? Thinking about a career as a diplomat or public servant?

The Department of History and Lakehead International have organized a meet and greet on 30 October with Mr. Mark Gwozdecky, Assistant Deputy Minister of International Security & Political Affairs (Political Director), Global Affairs Canada.

Students from all programs are welcome.

Bio: Mr. Mark Gwozdecky was appointed Assistant Deputy Minister, International Security and Political Affairs (Political Director) in November 2015. He held the position of Director General, Middle East & Maghreb Bureau from 2013 to 2015, and was acting Assistant Deputy Minister for Europe, Middle East & Maghreb from August to October 2015. From 2010-2013, he served as Ambassador to the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and Iraq. He joined the Canadian Foreign Service in 1982. He has served in Seoul, Manila, Damascus, and Vienna where he was Chief Spokesperson and Director of Public Information at the International Atomic Energy Agency. He has also held numerous positions, including Coordinator of the Landmine Action Team, Director of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation and Disarmament Division, and Director General for International Crime and Terrorism. He was named one of the Top 100 Most Powerful and Influential People in Government and Politics in 2018.

Resources and Sustainable Development in the Arctic (ReSDA) and the Resources, Economy and Society Research Group (RESRG), in cooperation with the Department of History and the Bay Street Film Festival, are pleased to present Angry Inuk, a feature-length documentary film by Alethea Arnaquq-Baril.

Angry Inuk looks at seal hunting, a critical part of Inuit life that has been controversial for a long time, and how a new generation of Inuit, armed with social media and their own sense of humour and justice, are challenging the anti-sealing groups and bringing their voices into the conversation. Director Alethea Arnaquq-Baril joins her fellow Inuit activists as they challenge outdated perceptions of the Inuit and present themselves to the world as a modern people in dire need of a sustainable economy. Angry Inuk has won several awards already and was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival’s 2016 Canada’s Top 10 list. Follow these links to find out more about ReSDA (http://yukonresearch.yukoncollege.yk.ca/resda/) and RESRG (http://www.resrg.ca/).

Thursday, February 2, 2016 | Finnish Labour Temple | 314 Bay Street | 7:00 pm
Discussion to follow.

Join us on 27 November to hear Sean Smith, Senior Archivist Archives of Ontario, speak about "Treaty 9: The James Bay Treaty" The presentation will begin at 7:30 pm. 

In 2013, the Archives of Ontario (AO) travelled with Treaty 9 to Moose Factory. At the time, the request by the Chief and Council of Mushkegowuk was seen as a unique and discreet situation and dealt with accordingly. Over the last 18 months, though, AO staff have travelled with the Treaty on three separate occasions.

Sharing the Treaty has not only become a significant point of engagement with Indigenous communities in northern Ontario, it has also challenged long held beliefs about archival practice and what it means to make records available.

Since our first visit to Moose Factory, the AO has come to understand the importance of this document to Indigenous communities in Treaty 9 territories leading it to question its responsibility in not only preserving a significant record but in also making it available. This presentation will explore a number of questions related to the AO’s experiences in sharing Treaty 9. It will also provide the AO with an opportunity get reacquainted with the heritage community in and around Thunder Bay, to share some of its recent initiatives and to explore ways we can be working together to reduce the distance between Thunder Bay and Toronto. 

This presentation is part of the 2018-19 Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society's Lecture Series sponsored by the Department of History. Since 1908, the Thunder Bay Historical Museum Society has been regularly holding talks on a wide range of topics on the fourth Tuesday of each month at the Thunder Bay Museum (425 Donald Street East) from September to April. All presentations are free and open to the public.

The Archives of Ontario’s (AO) Private Acquisition Strategy was created in 2014 to help shape the AO’s approach to its private acquisitions and to provide a framework  for the AO to begin examining its holdings and identifying areas where the province’s documentary heritage was lacking.

Working with the Private Acquisition Strategy afforded the AO the opportunity to start addressing some fundamental questions related to its responsibility in documenting the history of Ontario and Ontarians in all their diversity.

As a result, the AO has begun to re-examine its approach to private acquisitions and to shift its thinking away from solely acquisition to encompass also a broader concept of engagement. Whereas the AO’s previous approach to record creators was passive, relying (for the most part) on donors to take the initiative, through its Private Sector Engagement Framework the AO is transitioning toward a model that is pro-active, anticipatory, and strategic.

This presentation will examine the AO’s acquisitions mandate and its approach to private records creators over time. It will look at recent interactions with two very different communities, both intended to initiate discussions around the preservation and dissemination of documentary heritage.

History for Brunch on 11 February will feature a short presentation and discussion by Dr. Ronald Harpelle on "Mutiny in the Aftermath of WWI: The British West Indies Regiment in Taranto."

This talk will be held in participation with Black History Month. History for Brunch is an opportunity to put a bit of History in your diet and for members of the community and the Department of History to showcase their current research.

More information about the sessions can be found on the Department of History website (history.lakeheadu.ca) and on our Facebook page (facebook.com/lakeheadhistory)

The Department of History is please to be part of the Canadian Nautical Research Society's Annual Conference and General Meeting to be held in Thunder Bay in Auguste 2019. The theme this year is Lower Lakes, Upper Lakes: Connecting Maritime Heritage.

More information to come.