Every community, every workplace, and every individual life in Canada owes some of their current shape to long histories of struggle — histories that are kept largely invisible by the single, simplistic national story that most of us are taught to see as “History.” Gender and Sexuality: Canadian History Through the Stories of Activists and Resisting the State: Canadian History Through the Stories of Activists (both forthcoming from Fernwood Publishing in late 2012) start from the words of long-time participants in social movements engaged in a range of struggles, as a way to introduce readers to important pieces of the past that get excluded from the dominant narrative of this country.
Gender and Sexuality and Resisting the State bring to life the earlier struggles of labour, native people, women, pacifists, and immigrant groups. Each chapter is based on prominent activists and organizers and integrate both interviews and the voices of these pioneers with discussion of context and wider issues. The combination makes for lively reading both personal and political. The perspectives are diverse with a common commitment to justice and social change. There are very few books that present these histories, even fewer that do it with passion and highlight lives and struggles. This book is essential for organizers, activists and students who see themselves as part of the on-going fight for economic and social justice in Canada.— Eric Shragge, School of Community and Public Affairs, Concordia University, author of Activism and Social Change and Fight Back: Workplace Justice for Immigrants
The focus on the words of participants themselves provides an entry into history that is accessible and engaging, while generous use of historical context and challenging ideas allow readers to see these singles lives as parts of larger patterns. Inquiring minds trying to understand the world and active people trying to change it will be able to use these books to catch glimpses of the struggles that shaped the Canada of today and to inform their choices as we all make the Canada of tomorrow.
These books are also ideal for use in classrooms focused on social movements, on the struggles of oppressed and marginalized groups, and on critical understandings of the Canadian nation and state — check back here for supplementary audio material associated with each chapter that can be used in classroom settings.
This website is still in development, but in the coming months it will take on something resembling a stable appearance and I will begin to regularly post updates — audio and written excerpts of material not used in the books, news about promotional events, links to resources, more details about interview participants, and other updates. Check back regularly for new content, and for more concrete details about when the books are going to be released.
Stay tuned!
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Read a Random Selection of Talking Radical Interview Material. |
