News

Congratulations to History faculty member Matthew Wiseman for being shortlisted for this year’s Canadian Historical Association's Best (English-Language) Scholarly Book in Canadian History prize along with the following other authors.

• Crystal Gail Fraser, By Strength, We Are Still Here: Indigenous Peoples and Indian Residential Schooling in Inuvik, Northwest Territories. University of Manitoba Press, 2024.
• Gregory M.W. Kennedy, Lost in the Crowd: Acadian Soldiers of Canada’s First World War. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024.
• Mark G. McGowan, Finding Molly Johnson: Irish Famine Orphans in Canada. McGill-Queen’s University Press, 2024.
• Shannon Stunden Bower, Transforming the Prairies: Agricultural Rehabilitation and Modern Canada. University of British Columbia Press, 2024.
• Matthew S.Wiseman, Frontier Science: Northern Canada, Military Research, and the Cold War, 1945-1970. University of Toronto Press, 2024.

Congratulations to all the authors! The winning book will be announced at the CHA’s prize ceremony on June 3^rd, 2025.

The Awards of Excellence, inaugurated in 1983, are intended to recognise outstanding contributions by individuals, institutions and organizations to heritage preservation in Waterloo Region, in such areas as archaeology, archives, culture, education, genealogy, history, literature, media, natural history and others.

The Government of Canada has just announced that Dr. Talena Atfield has been named a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Tentewatenikonhra'khánion (We Will Put Our Minds Together). Dr. Atfield is of Kanien'kehá:ka of the Grand River and mixed settler backgrounds and is an assistant professor in the Department of History.

The Department of History welcomes two new leadership roles today: Professor Dan Gorman is the new Chair, and Professor Andrew Hunt is the new Associate Chair – Undergraduate. Professor Susan Roy continues in her role as the Associate Chair – Graduate.

We're highlighting the research of our graduate students on our new Grad Stories page! For our second story, read about Rebecca MacAlpine's research on gender-based violence in seventeenth century Somerset, as well as her contributions to teaching in History.

Congratulations to Rebecca MacAlpine, PhD Candidate in History, for earning an Arts Award for Excellence in Teaching! Rebecca is a dedicated, disciplined, and thoughtful student, and she brings those same characteristics to her roles as TA, instructor, and most recently departmental TA Mentor and Coordinator.

Assistant Professor Katherine Bruce-Lockhart has been awarded a grant from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation in recognition of her research that is "poised to make significant contributions to understanding the causes, manifestations, and control of violence across the globe." Katherine Bruce-Lockhart is among twenty scholars recognised as HFG Distinguished Scholars from around the world.

We're highlighting the research of our graduate students on our new Grad Stories page! For our first story, read about Saif Zaman's research in Bangladesh to redefine British slavery in British Bengal.

Historical research can help us think through specific policy issues, such as school closures or workforce changes. But history also brings us something less tangible but equally valuable: insights into the experiences of everyday people.