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History Slam is a conversational podcast that features discussions and debates around various historical topics or issues relevant to the understanding of history. Whether we talk with a historian about their new book or a musician about including historical references in their songs, History Slam focuses on the stories of the past, how those stories influence us today, and their role in shaping our shared culture. Within a relaxed environment we’re going to try and have some fun with histor ...
History Chats is a podcast series from Activehistory.ca. Each Saturday we will post a different talk from our collection of world class historians. These will include conference sessions, public lectures, and roundtable discussions. So get your weekend started on a high note with History Chats.
In this episode of the History Slam Sean Graham talks with the President of the Eastern Branch of the Ontario Association of Social Workers Wendy Birkan before we listen to the first episode in the new documentary series How We Helped: Stories From Eastern Ontario Social Workers. They talk about social workers, why they wanted to do a history proje…
This week, we visit our 2018 episode offering Jeremy Garrett some baby name ideas using the register of National Important Persons in Canada. http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Canadian-Baby-Names-Repost.mp3By Activehistory.ca
In this episode, Sean Graham visits his first episode exploring curling in Canada. We hear from Olympic Gold Medalists like Kaitlyn Lawes and John Morris, world champions like Mary-Anne Arsenault, national champions like Lisa Weagle, and mainstays on the tour like Chelsea Carey and Stefanie Lawton. Topics discussed include the state of curling in C…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with historians Mikaela Gallinger, Lilia Lockwood, Stephen Smith, and Phoebe Mannell about their favourite musicals. Each person identifies their favourite show and talks about what they like in a musical. They also look forward to 2021 and talk about what we hope to see when theatres re-open. …
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Janette Higgins about her father’s memoir Fighting for Democracy: The True Story of Jim Higgins (1907-1982), a Canadian Activist in Spain’s Civil War. They talk about her father’s childhood, his decision to come to Canada, and his participation in the Regina Riot. They also talk about Mack…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Jenny Ellison, author of the new book Being Fat: Women, Weight, and Feminist Activism in Canada. They talk about the origins of fat activism, the strategies used by activists, and the tensions with second wave feminism. They also talk about fitness and healthy eating campaigns, the role of…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Ian Radforth about Ian’s new book Jeannie’s Demise: Abortion on Trial in Victorian Toronto, which examines the murder trial following the 1875 death of Jeannie Gilmour, a young woman who had gone to Arthur and Alice Davis to have an abortion. They chat about crafting a narrative from the s…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with filmmakers Nate Slaco and Bryce Zimmerman about their new documentary Moonless Oasis, which profiles efforts to study and preserve the remarkable glass sponge reef in Howe Sound north of Vancouver. They talk about the glass sponge reef, the challenges of shooting underwater, and importance…
In this very special Halloween episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham is joined by Aaron Boyes as they go decade by decade through the 20th century to talk about the most popular Halloween costumes in each decade. They discuss some of the challenges of coming up with good costumes, some of the timeless costumes that come up throughout the century…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Julie Guard about her book Radical Housewives: Price Wars and Food Politics in Mid-Twentieth Century Canada. They talk about the creation of the Housewives Consumer Association, who its members were, and what types of pressure they put on the government. We also discuss how public percepti…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Carolyn Strange about her book The Death Penalty and Sex Murder in Canadian History. They discuss her background studying criminal justice, the public’s influence in capital cases, and the concept of discretionary justice. They also chat about the number of capital cases in Canada, how rel…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Jane Griffith about the book Words Have a Past: The English Language, Colonialism, and the Newspapers of Indian Boarding Schools. They talk about why schools published newspapers, who the intended audiences were, and the information they did not include. They also discuss the power of lang…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Jan Raska and Steven Schwinghamer about their new book Pier 21: A History. They talk about collecting first person accounts, who wanted to participate, and crafting a narrative from personal experiences. They also discuss the contradictions within immigration history, telling challenging s…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Lindsay Gibson of UBC about his series on historical thinking. They talk about the origins of the series, the differences in history education across the country, and the challenges associated with using a historical thinking approach. They also talk about how teachers approach history cla…
This week, Sean re-visits a conversation he had a couple years ago with Tonya Davidson, a sociologist for Carleton. They talked about why communities commission statues, how the public interact with them, and debate their value in encouraging historical thinking. They also walked through downtown Ottawa to look at some of the city’s monuments and t…
In this special collaboration with Game of Stones, Sean Graham talks with Ornella Nzindukiyimana about the intersection of sports, politics, and race. They discuss the recent protests in professional sports, the role of amateur sports in shaping identities, and how sports can create more inclusive spaces. http://activehistory.ca/wp-content/uploads/…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Brian Thomas-Peter about his new book The Kissing Fence. They talk about his interviews with survivors, the legacy of internment within the local B.C. and Doukhobor communities, and the importance of telling difficult stories. They also talk about conveying forgotten stories through histor…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Alana Maurushat about her new book Ethical Hacking. They talk about her background in cybersecurity, the grey areas of hacking, and how protesters can protect themselves. They also discuss the ethics of hacking, how outcomes influence perceptions of hacking, and the resources companies put…
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History Slam Podcast
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Katharine Bausch of Carleton University about her new book He Thinks He’s Down: White Appropriations of Black Masculinities in the Civil Rights Era. They talk about Norman Mailer and Jack Kerouac’s writing, Playboy‘s fashion pages, and blaxploitation films. They also discuss the historical…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Kyler Zeleny about his new book Crown Ditch & the Prairie Castle: Bedlam in the West. They talk about the changing face of the Prairies, the economic challenges facing small-scale farmers, and the role of agritourism. They also talk about the urban/rural political divide, the majesty of th…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Steve Marti about his new book For Home and Empire: Voluntary Mobilization in Australia, Canada, and New Zealand During the First World War. They talk about the similarities between Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, why federal governments relied on local efforts, and the impact on local…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Hannah Turner about her new book Cataloguing Culture: Legacies of Colonialism in Museum Documentation. They discuss the Smithsonian’s collection process, its relationships with the communities from which it took objects, and how its database was built. They also chat about the importance o…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Alex Souchen about his new book War Junk: Munitions Disposal and Postwar Reconstruction in Canada. They talk about the amount of goods Canada produced during the war, the influence of the First World War on Canada’s disposal efforts, and the environmental issues that ensued. They also disc…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham explores Ottawa on July 1. He talks with Aaron Boyes, Megan Reilly-Boyes, and Sarah E.K. Smith about Canada Day traditions before walking around the city to get a feel for a truly unique Canada Day. He visits Parliament Hill, Major Hill Park, the Rideau Canal, and the Museum of Nature and discuss wha…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Amy Wilson’s niece Laurel Deedrick-Mayne, who wrote the foreword to the new edition of her aunt Amy Wilson’s 1965 memoir When Days Are Long: Nurse in the North. They talk about the family’s memory of Amy, her motivation for going north, and the desire to re-issue the book. They also talk a…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Chad Reimer about his new book The Trials of Albert Stroebel: Love, Murder, and Justice at the End of the Frontier. They talk about John Marshall’s path to Sumas Prairie, Albert Stroebel’s life, and the other key people in the story. They also talk about murder investigations in the late 1…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Mia Donovan about her film Dope is Death. They talk about her initial interest in the story, earning the trust of the participants, and the intersection of medicine and activism. They also discuss about the racial dynamics in the story, the value of alternative medicine to combat addiction…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Professor Janice Forsyth about her new book Reclaiming Tom Longboat: Indigenous Self-Determination in Canadian Sport. They talk about her experience as a winner of the award, the place of role models in sport, and the use of mainstream sports in colonization. They also talk about sport and…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Amanda Bittner of Memorial University about the significance of political leaders in federal politics. They talk about how polling data is used, partisan voting patterns, and the role of leaders in swaying voters. They also discuss policies v. personalities, the significance of branding le…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Diana Nielle and Richard Poplak, writers and directors of the new film Influence, which looks at the influential Bell Pottinger PR firm and the rise of misinformation. They talk about the film’s origins, the extent of Bell Pottinger’s international operations, and how things came to a head…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Kassandra Luciuk about her new book Enemy Alien: A True Story of Life Behind Barbed Wire. They talk about the Ukrainian experience in Canada during the First World War, the legacy of the work camps, and her efforts to identify the author of the memoir on which the book is based. They also …
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Tarah Brookfield and Chris Tindal about the show and its popularity. They talk about the show’s musical diversity, its ability to engage young people with history, and lyrical content. They also talk about the importance of historical accuracy and the role race plays in the show while Tara…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with filmmaker Tamara Mariam Dawit about her new film Finding Sally, which explores her family’s history during the 1970s political upheaval in Ethiopia. They talk about her grandfather’s diplomatic career, her family’s connections to Ethiopia, and the challenge of telling a personal story on f…
In this episode, podcast veterans Aaron Boyes, Jeremy Garrett, and Mike Thompson join Sean Graham to compete to build the greatest hockey ever. Selecting individual players, each guest explains their roster before Sean runs the teams through a simulated season. They discuss the results, debate how to compare players across eras, and describe the ro…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Tara Sepehri Far of Human Rights Watch about the new documentary Born in Evin, which follows actress Maryam Zaree, who was born in notorious Evin prison, as she tries to learn about the conditions here parents endured, the earliest days of her life, and how she and her mother ended up livi…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Udi Nir, one of the directors of a new documentary about former Israeli Prime Minister Gold Meir entitled Golda. They talk about the film’s point of view, the discovery of previously unseen television footage, and collecting first-hand accounts. They also chat about Meir’s legacy and the v…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with writer/director Richard Bell about his new film Brotherhood, which tells the true story of a group of young men in 1926 who were attending a camp along the shores of Balsam Lake in Ontario when they were caught on the lake in the midst of a major storm. They talk about his research into th…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Dan Black about his new book Harry Livingstone’s Forgotten Men: Canadians and the Chinese Labour Corps in the First World War. They talk about how he came to the story, why it hasn’t received a lot of attention, and the challenges of finding sources. They also chat about the men’s experien…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with director Rebecca Snow and producer Steve Gamester about their new documentary Cheating Hitler: Surviving the Holocaust. They talk about the process of finding the three survivors featured, the research process, and the emotion in telling these stories. They also talk about the film’s style…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with the great Madeleine Kloske about their grad school experiences. They talk about the grad school environment, managing stress, and promoting positive mental health within the academy. They also talk about strategies for grad students to manage their time, the need for work-life balance, and…
In this episode of the History Slam, I try to feed the positive and talk about the main reasons I love history and being a historian. I talk about the fun struggle of research, the discovery of new stories, and the humanity of studying the past. I also talk about the opportunities that I have been fortunate enough to have from studying history and …
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Colin Coates, one of the editors of the new book The Nature of Canada. They chat about the book, its approach to Canadian environmental history, and the process of putting it together. They also talk about the role of nature in informing Canadian identity, understanding the environments ro…
In this episode of the History Slam Sean Graham talks with filmmakers Rachel Leah Jones and Philippe Bellaiche about their new documentary Advocate, which profiles Israeli lawyer Lea Tsemel, who has spent her career defending political prisoners, including Palestinians. They talk about Lea Tsemel, her career, and how she is perceived in Israel. The…
In this episode of the History Slam, I talk with Aaron Boyes and Corey Beaton about Bill C-150 and its contested commemoration surrounding the claims that decriminalized homosexuality . We talk about the bill’s contents, how politicians discussed homosexuality at the time, and the immediate impact of its passage. We also debate the 50th anniversary…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Jim Parks, a Second World War veteran featured in the new film D-Day in 14 Stories. They talk about his experience during D-Day, the sights and sounds of the war, and his feelings towards the Germans. They also discuss his memories of training, his time in London, and where he was on Victo…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham chats with Raymond Blake about his new book Where They Once Stood: Newfoundland’s Rocky Road Towards Confederation, which he wrote with Melvin Baker. After they briefly reminisce about Sean’s time at the University of Regina, they chat about Newfoundland and Labrador rejecting Confederation in 1869, …
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with Sheldon Krasowski about his book No Surrender: The Land Remains Indigenous. They talk about the tactics used by the government, the motivations of individual agents, and how outside pressures influenced negotiations. They also talk about how treaties influence contemporary discussions and …
On May 26th, 2014, a panel discussed recent developments in the archives world in Canada and the challenges archives face today. The panel was part of the Canadian Historical Association’s annual meeting in St. Catharines, Ontario. Moderated by Erika Dyck (University of Saskatchewan), the panel featured Nicole Neatby (CHA Liaison – Archives), Peter…
In this episode of the History Slam, Sean Graham talks with author/journalist D’Arcy Jenish about his book The Making of the October Crisis: Canada’s Long Nightmare of Terrorism at the Hands of the FLQ. We talk about his approach to the subject, the historical literature on the October Crisis, and the FLQ’s rise. We also talk about terrorism, the l…
On September 18 at the Canadian Museum of History, there was a roundtable discussion on the issues surrounding national celebrations and commemorations in Canada. The roundtable was part of the Celebrating Canada Workshop, which was chaired by Matthew Hayday and Raymond Blake. Moderated by Matthew Hayday (University of Guelph), the roundtable featu…
