Confederation / en Canada 150: New survey finds big gaps in how we study the country's birth /news/canada-150-new-survey-finds-big-gaps-how-we-study-country-s-birth <span class="field field--name-title field--type-string field--label-hidden">Canada 150: New survey finds big gaps in how we study the country's birth</span> <div class="field field--name-field-featured-picture field--type-image field--label-hidden field__item"> <img loading="eager" srcset="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-29-confederacy.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=a1VZs1dq 370w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_740/public/2017-03-29-confederacy.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=pTYUpGqD 740w, /sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_1110/public/2017-03-29-confederacy.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=lqbtI6-9 1110w" sizes="(min-width:1200px) 1110px, (max-width: 1199px) 80vw, (max-width: 767px) 90vw, (max-width: 575px) 95vw" width="740" height="494" src="/sites/default/files/styles/news_banner_370/public/2017-03-29-confederacy.jpg?h=afdc3185&amp;itok=a1VZs1dq" alt> </div> <span class="field field--name-uid field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden"><span>ullahnor</span></span> <span class="field field--name-created field--type-created field--label-hidden"><time datetime="2017-03-29T11:16:24-04:00" title="Wednesday, March 29, 2017 - 11:16" class="datetime">Wed, 03/29/2017 - 11:16</time> </span> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-cutline-long field--type-text-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Cutline</div> <div class="field__item">The Charlottetown Conference was held in 1864 for representatives from the colonies of British North America to discuss Canadian Confederation (image courtesy of Library and Archives Canada)</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-reporters field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/authors-reporters/kim-luke" hreflang="en">Kim Luke</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-author-legacy field--type-string field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Author legacy</div> <div class="field__item">Kim Luke</div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-topic field--type-entity-reference field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Topic</div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/topics/city-culture" hreflang="en">City &amp; Culture</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-story-tags field--type-entity-reference field--label-hidden field__items"> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canada" hreflang="en">Canada</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/history" hreflang="en">History</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/confederation" hreflang="en">Confederation</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/canada-150" hreflang="en">Canada 150</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/political-science" hreflang="en">Political Science</a></div> <div class="field__item"><a href="/news/tags/faculty-arts-science" hreflang="en">Faculty of Arts &amp; Science</a></div> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-subheadline field--type-string-long field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">Subheadline</div> <div class="field__item">University of Toronto and York University researchers surveyed historians and political scientists about how the 1867 Confederation is studied in Canada</div> </div> <div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-body field--type-text-with-summary field--label-hidden field__item"><p>A recent survey of Canadian historians and political scientists, conducted by the University of Toronto and York University, has found that there are important gaps in how Canada’s 1867 Confederation is studied in this country.</p> <p>The British North America Act was passed 150 years ago today, triggering the process of Canada’s Confederation.</p> <p>Canada’s 150th anniversary is heralded by some as marking a great moment in the country’s history: a view that reflects the opinion of political leaders at the time. John A. Macdonald, who went on to become Canada’s first prime minister, for example, hailed the union of British North American colonies, predicting “a great nationality, commanding the respect of the world.”</p> <h3><a href="http://utoronto.us14.list-manage.com/track/click?u=d3cfd48e9c5087b515567af4a&amp;id=49c479d17b&amp;e=403bf92ddd">Read more at <em>The Globe and Mail</em></a></h3> <p><img alt class="media-image attr__typeof__foaf:Image img__fid__4027 img__view_mode__media_original attr__format__media_original" src="/sites/default/files/proclamation_1.jpg" style="width: 306px; height: 480px; margin: 10px; float: left;" typeof="foaf:Image">At the same time, Canadians’ views of that landmark legislation seem to be evolving, in part because of increased awareness of the impact of the colonists on Indigenous communities.</p> <p>“The survey revealed an interesting tension,”&nbsp;said Professor <strong>Rob Vipond</strong> of the department of political science who conducted the survey with οpolitical scientist <strong>David Cameron</strong>, dean of the Faculty of Arts &amp; Science, and colleagues at York.</p> <p>“On the one hand, most respondents said they were most deeply influenced by scholars who had written in the 1960s and 1970s when the rise of Quebec nationalism led to a passionate debate about the origins of Confederation. On the other, a striking number said in effect that it was time to reframe the history of Confederation away from the national unity narrative, especially to take into account Indigenous perspectives that were largely missing from the earlier accounts.”</p> <p>Among their key findings:</p> <ul> <li>Research about Confederation placed more importance on studies that focused on political elites and institutions over any other perspectives.</li> <li>Research failed to adequately address Indigenous peoples: the respondents said this needs to be included in the academic literature on 1867 going forward.</li> <li>Anglophone&nbsp;scholars paid limited attention to Confederation scholarship written in French whereas Francophone scholars were engaged with 1867 research whether it was written in French or English. (This finding was compatible with the determinations made by a Bilingualism and Biculturalism Commission 50 years ago that found the secondary education system has traditionally taught “two versions of Canadian history – an English version and a French version.”)</li> <li>Both Anglophone and Francophone respondents agreed that <strong>Peter Russell</strong> of οand the late Ramsay Cook of York University were two of the leading scholars on Confederation.</li> </ul> <p>Five hundred&nbsp;university faculty members responded to the survey – the first detailed analysis of how universities undertake research and study of 1867. Its insights are significant not only for scholars of Confederation but for the good governance of the country.</p> <p>“What scholars research and teach in universities, what we publish and share through the media, plays an important role in influencing public understanding. Many salient issues in today’s political arena are based on an understanding of what happened at the country’s establishment in 1867,” said Cameron.</p> <p>In addition to U of T’s Vipond and Cameron, York University professors Lesley Jacobs, Jacqueline Krikorian and Marcel Martel conducted the survey.</p> <p>Interested in learning more about the British North America Act, 1867 on its historic anniversary? &nbsp;<a href="http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/test-your-knowledge-of-the-british-north-america-act-1.2806466">Try this&nbsp;quiz</a>.</p> </div> <div class="field field--name-field-news-home-page-banner field--type-boolean field--label-above"> <div class="field__label">News home page banner</div> <div class="field__item">Off</div> </div> Wed, 29 Mar 2017 15:16:24 +0000 ullahnor 106274 at