Grace McNutt explores our connection with statues and whether tearing them down truly “erases” history.
“I study the history of the emotional connection we have with statues, what statues symbolize to us, and why we react so intensely when they are torn down.”
@GraceMcNutt
In contemporary public history, oral history as a field and a practice has been an integral part of connecting with marginalized individuals and communities. Historically, access to written history and cultural institutions like museums have been a luxury enjoyed by the privileged. In addition to racial, ethnic, or cultural exclusions experienced in the past, in […]
2022 will be a year forever entangled with the British Monarchy. The Platinum Jubilee and the ongoing scandals of Prince Andrew have been overshadowed by the death of Queen Elizabeth II on September 8. As Canada’s sovereign, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon have made official statements addressing the Queen’s passing and […]
Special thanks to Stephan Archibald, whose 1978 survey of ironworks in Halifax was a great resource for the following reflection. All quotes are taken from this article. Stephan Archibald, “Civic Ornaments: Ironwork in Halifax Parks,” Material Culture Review 5 (1978): pp. 1-11. Commemoration can be hotly contested, especially in the form of public memorials and […]
On October 14th, 1938, the University of Toronto conferred upon Lady Tweedsmuir, the wife of then Governor General Lord Tweedsmuir, the honorary degree of LL.D. She and her husband were proponents of literacy in Canada, and both were prolific writers. In her acceptance speech, which was later printed in the Canadian Historical Review, Tweedsmuir devoted […]
After nearly 45 years, NASA announced that their pioneering Voyager 1 and 2 spacecraft are beginning to power down. Of the spacecrafts’ nine instruments, five of Voyager 2’s and only four of Voyager 1’s are still operational. Scientists predict the spacecraft will be completely shut down by 2030. Not bad for a pair of experimental […]
In the wake of the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), a series of recommendations were made to Canadian cultural heritage institutions to address the ongoing colonial attitudes present in Canadian history. These recommendations were taken particularly seriously by Parks Canada, who in 2019 published a new National Historic Sites System Plan entitled “Framework for […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on April 24, 2022. As countries reckon with racism, colonialism and genocide, a recurring target of reappraisal are statues. Across North America and Europe, statues have been dismantled, toppled and vandalized — and this is a valid critique. Commemoration often blindly celebrates historic figures through statues […]
Statue removals are ideological battlegrounds. Many of Canada’s historic heroes have also contributed to national tragedies and traumas. As the dialogue of history opens itself up to more perspectives, these figures are being reassessed. Many Canadians are open to this revaluation, but not everyone, and this has resulted in some dramatic protests. Statues of Canada’s […]
This article was originally published on The Conversation Canada on February 15, 2022 One of the first things that happened when the so-called “freedom convoy” arrived in Ottawa was that anti-vaccine mandate protesters defaced a statue of Terry Fox near Parliament Hill. The statue was draped in Canadian flags and had a sign that read […]
