Description
Book SynopsisThe study of history in Canada has a history of its own, and its development as an academic discipline is a multifaceted one. The Professionalization of History in English Canada charts the transition of the study of history from a leisurely pastime to that of a full-blown academic career for university-trained scholars - from the mid-nineteenth to the late twentieth century.
Donald Wright argues that professionalization was not, in fact, a benign process, nor was it inevitable. It was deliberate. Within two generations, historians saw the creation of a professional association - the Canadian Historical Association - and rise of an academic journal - the Canadian Historical Review. Professionalization was also gendered. In an effort to raise the status of the profession and protect the academic labour market for men, male historians made a concerted effort to exclude women from the academy.
History's professionalization is best understood as a transitio
Trade Review
'[Wright presents] thoughtful comparative analyses and intriguing paradoxes that bring us closer to understanding what was at stake in the making of the historical profession in Canada ... A compelling history.' -- Jarrett Rudy Labour/Le Travail 'A contribution to the considerable literature on the professionalization of history ... Wright employs significant archival research and interviews with a small but significant group of individuals to describe a process characterized by change rather than progress.' -- Ronald Rudin Canadian Historical Review 'A thoughtful history of the historical profession.' -- Catherine Gidney Urban History Review
Table of Contents
acknowledgments Introduction 1 History as avocation 2 From avocation to vocation: the beginnings 3 'The post-1918 generation': professionalization continued 4 'Mr. Newman, manifestly, is not a historian': the amateurization of history 5 The importance of being sexist: the masculinization of history 6 Protecting scholarly independence: a professional imperative 7 'History cannot be too much professionalized':professionalization reconsidered Conclusion notes bibliography index
