July 2022

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

Faculty News

UBC History Welcomes Historian and Anthropological Archaeologist Sara Ann Knutson

Dr. Knutson is a historian and anthropological archaeologist working on the premodern world. Her work explores the complex social, cultural, and economic relationships between the Islamic World and Northern Eurasia including in the context of the “Silk Road” network. Her teaching and research also examine the enduring influence of the premodern past on the present day, through tangible and intangible practices and values.

Dr. Kelly McCormick Co-creates Open-source Website on the History of Photography and Feminist Art History of Modern Japan

Behind the Camera is a pedagogical tool for the growing global investment in diverse and expanded histories of photography and gender studies. Part database, part teaching module, the website’s primary resource is a series of short lecture videos created by experts in the field, each re-examining an aspect of the history of photography from a feminist lens.

Learn More

Image via Global News

Dr. Henry Yu Comments on the Preservation and Development of Vancouver’s Historic Chinatown

Global News

Developers must respect the inclusive neighbourhood, contribute to the cultural heritage economy, and not try to displace and replace, says Dr. Yu. “Development only as the kind of creative destruction of assembling a bunch of lots, and then wiping them out and putting in something big because that’s where the money is, I think that’s a real mistake.” 

Drs. Timothy Cheek and Heidi Tworek Awarded SSHRC Partnership Grants

UBC SPPGA

History professors Dr. Timothy Cheek and Dr. Heidi Tworek (both cross-appointed with UBC School of Public Policy and Global Affairs) were each awarded a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Partnership Development Grant. Their projects are entitled "Xinjiang Documentation Partnership" and "Decolonizing World News: A Collaborative Study of the Non-Aligned News Agencies Pool," respectively.

Dr. Joy Dixon Awarded SSHRC Insight Grant for Research on Evangelicalism and Sexuality

“Evangelicalism and Sexuality in Britain since 1945” explores the relationships between evangelical Christianity and the “sexual revolution,” and shows how conservative evangelical Christianity in its contemporary form has been profoundly shaped by its engagement with new understandings of sexuality from the 1960s and 1970s.

Student News

Courses

Bibi-Khanym Mosque, Samarkand, Uzbekistan; Image credit: Yumi Kim on Unsplash. 

2022/2023 History Courses to Take You Across Time and Space

History is a discipline for the curious. Whether you are fascinated by events that changed the world, or want to learn about the ordinary people who made these events happen, the inspiring and award-winning faculty in the UBC Department of History offer incredible courses that will help you form and deepen an understanding of how the world as we know it came to be. Check out some amazing 2022/2023 History courses in this article.

Events and Announcements

Rare Books and Special Collections and University Archives to close from August 1 – November 30, 2022

Rare Books & Special Collections (RBSC) and University Archives (UA) on Level 1 of the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre will be temporarily closed from August 1 to November 30, 2022 for upgrades.

Learn more here.

Image via Glorisun Global Buddhist Network.

Conference: Religions and Local Society in the Historical, Comparative, and Theoretical Perspectives

August 12-14

In sharp contrast to other world religions, the global reception to Buddhism has proven mostly voluntary. This international conference held in honour of History Emeritus professor Timothy Brook explores the interplay between different religious traditions with local society to better understand their evolution in the transcultural context. This conference is hosted by the Glorisun Global Network for Buddhist Studies at UBC, with support from FROGBEAR at UBC & the International Center for Studies of Chinese Civilization and Department of Religious Studies at Fudan University.

Conference Page