The purpose of this course is to explore the social, economic and political contours of Canada during the twentieth century. We will pay particular attention to national identity and celebrations, regional and provincial distinctiveness, immigration and multiculturalism, Indigenous-Settler Colonial relations, and experiences of systemic racism, state violence, and gender and class-based relations of power.

Attention to dynamics of imperialism, internal colonialism, continentalism, and nation formation are critical to our understanding of where Canada has situated itself in global terms over the past one hundred years. We will also place special emphasis on the impact of war on twentieth-century Canadian society and the ways that it has served to both divide and unite the country.

Another important dimension of this course is to explore age as a category of analysis. How has childhood changed throughout the century, and how can we assess generations within the context of the 20th century? What are the differences between those who came of age in the early 1940s and those who entered the adult world in the early 1960s? How do generations cut across twentieth-century Canadian history, and what were some of the defining characteristics of the Baby Boom generation, suburbanites in the 1950s, and the beneficiaries of the post-WWII Welfare State?

Finally, we will consider the expansion of the national security state, from the containment of indigenous people within reserves/residential schools/60’s Scoop through to the surveillance of labour, socialist, aboriginal, student and feminist and other activists throughout the 20th century.

None

Course readings:
All journal article readings are available through the course website.

Books:
Term One
Denise Chong, The Concubine’s Children: Portrait of a Family Divided (Toronto: Penguin, 1994).

Term Two
Douglas Owram, Born at the Right Time: A History of the Baby Boom Generation (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1997).

Mary Jane Logan McCallum and Adele Perry, Structures of Indifference: An Indigenous Life and Death in a Canadian City. University of Manitoba Press, 2018.
ISBN: 978-0-88755-835-1

Grade Breakdown:
Reading Responses 20%
Essay 1 20%
Essay 2 Outline pass/fail
Essay 2 20%
Final examination 25%
Participation 15%

Weekly lecture - 2 hour
Weekly tutorial meetings - 1 hour

Learning Outcomes:
• Explore and interrogate the social, political, and economic development of Canada;
• Analyse the power relations of race, class, gender, and culture;
• Evaluate the characteristics of Indigenous-Settler Colonial relations;
• Assess the dynamics of imperialism, settler colonialism, continentalism and state formation in Canada;
• Explore key debates among historians of Canada;
• Identify and analyze a variety of primary and secondary source materials;
• Develop historical research skills, including working with collections in libraries, archives, and databases;
• Conduct independent research;
• Engage in critical discussion.

One site visit to the Archives of Ontario