September 2022

Now & Then highlights UBC History news and events for students, faculty, staff & alumni

Faculty News

Know Your Profs with Dr. Sara Ann Knutson

Dr. Sara Ann Knutson is a historian, archaeologist, and our newest faculty member. In this instalment of Know Your Profs, she shares why studying History is a way to embrace human diversity and a way to remind us the past is not a static place. Read on to learn more about where History can take you, and for a kind note on imposter syndrome.

Video still via CIGI Online.

Dr. Heidi Tworek | Exploring Four Policy Domains that Address the Power of Digital Giants

CIGI Online

In this video featuring Dr. Heidi Tworek, scholars from a range of disciplines provide timely and important observations on the harms attributed to online platforms to inform the conversation on how to address the digital giants' algarithomic power.

Student News

Image by Colton Jones, via Unsplash.

Holsteins Everywhere: An Interactive StoryMap

In 2012, Holstein-Friesians accounted for roughly 30% of all dairy cows (that's 79 million cows!). Though these distinctive animals can now be found all over the world, they were not so ubiquitous three centuries ago. Curated by Dr. Heidi Tworek, History postdoctoral fellow Dr. Will Wright, and undergraduate student Natasha Lee (History, French), this digital history project recounts the development of agricultural practices and technologies by examining the diffusion of Holsteins throughout the world.

Events and Announcements

2022 History Welcome Back Student Event

September 14, 5:00 - 6:00 pm

Whether you have questions about completing your History program and applying to graduate, course offerings, degree requirements, academic opportunities, student-directed seminars, or other academic challenges, mark your calendars for the 2022 welcome back event for students, hosted Dr. Michael Lanthier, History Majors Advisor.

This in-person event will give returning students an opportunity to meet other History students over a slice of pizza, after more than two years of virtual learning.

Learn More

Nuclear Bodies: The Global Hibakusha

September 16, 12:30 - 1:45 pm

Cold War nuclear testing, production, and disasters like Chernobyl and Fukushima have exposed millions to dangerous radioactive particles. These millions are the global hibakusha. Join Dr. Robert (Bo) Jacobs (Hiroshima Peace Institute) as he discusses the plight of communities that were exposed to this fallout. This talk examines the colonialism(s) with which nuclear weapon states “select the irradiated,” the political use of medical models to render their harm invisible, and the long legacies of our embrace of nuclear technologies. Co-hosted by UBC History and SPPGA.

The Price of Knowledge: English Universities and Slavery

September 20, 12:30 - 1:50 pm

Like their counterparts in the United States, many English universities are engaged in debates over their relationship to slavery in the British empire, specifically in Jamaica, Barbados, and other Caribbean islands. In this talk, Dr. Natalie Zacek (University of Manchester) will discuss the similarities and differences in how these controversies are playing out on both sides of the Atlantic. She will also highlight how these conversations connect with broader disputes about historical representation, colonial legacies, and reparative justice. The History Colloquium Series brings together scholars who are exploring issues that challenge the frontiers of our discipline.

Image via the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts.

Come Toward the Fire: An Indigenous-led Festival

September 17 –18

In collaboration with Musqueam, the Chan Centre for the Performing Arts is hosting an Indigenous-centred festival, ahead of Orange Shirt Day and the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. This gathering will showcase the voices of Indigenous artists, performers, musicians, speakers, and dance groups from Musqueam and from Indigenous nations across Turtle Island. There will be a mix of free and ticketed events.