How can we get to know people from the past? Primary sources, like government records, letters and diaries, give historians valuable insight into human experiences of the past and making connections with modern crises.
Episode four of Foreword features a conversation with Danny Samson, an Associate Professor of History, about his work on Acadian and Nova Scotian colonial history and shares how historians use primary sources to build a more thorough understanding of past events.
Danny discusses his most recent work with his fourth year students on the Acadian expulsion from modern-day Prince Edward Island, which has been receiving international scholarly attention. He shares how his students completed their online project an interactive website Ile St-Jean: The Expulsion of 1758, which details the forcible deportation of thousands of Acadians from modern-day Prince Edward Island using primary forces, despite having their semester disrupted by the pandemic.
We also learn about Danny's ongoing project studying the diary of James Barry, a nineteenth-century miller in rural Nova Scotia. Analysis of Barry’s diary shows his connection with intellectual ideas and debates and politics in pre-Confederation Nova Scotia, as well as giving insight into the role of the miller in a small rural community.
Find a full transcript at https://brocku.ca/humanities/foreword
Links
Ile St-Jean: The Expulsion of 1758 (2020)
History course gains international scholarly attention for groundbreaking work (Brock News, 20 May 2020)
Daniel Samson faculty profile
@ruralcolonialns Daniel Samson on Twitter; see also #JamesBarryDiary
Department of History
Credits
We love to hear from our listeners! Join us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram @brockhumanities.
Please subscribe and rate us on your favourite podcasting app so you don’t miss an episode.
Learn more about the Faculty of Humanities, including our events, programs of study, and departments, online.
Foreword is hosted and produced by Alison Innes for the Faculty of Humanities at Brock University.
Sound design and editing by Serena Atallah. Theme music is by Khalid Imam.
Special thanks to Brock University’s MakerSpace and Brock University Marketing and Communications for studio and web support.
This podcast is financially supported by the Faculty of Humanities at Brock University.
Podcast Learning Network: Asking & Answering Interesting Questions
Allyship in Community Research Part 2
Allyship in Community Research Part 1
S5E07 Exploring Brain Injury Through Theatre with Mike Griffin
S5E06 The Royal Coronation with Gavin Watson
S5E05 Life After Grad School: An Alumnae Discussion Panel
S5E04 Preserving History at the Brown Homestead with John R. Heckman and Jess Linzel
S5E03 Finding a Career in Music with Nick Cooper
S5E02 Sport History with Dr. Taylor McKee
S5E01 A Creative Exploration of Mortality with Dr. Linda Carreiro
S4E10 Bonus: A Walk Through Mackenzie Chown with Lesley Bell
S4E09 Getting Lost in Mackenzie Chown Complex with Lesley Bell
S4E08 Research Creation with Julie Gemuend
S4E07 Luxury with Dr. Jessica Clark and Dr. Nigel Lezama
S4E06 Following Eliza Fenwick from London to Barbados to Niagara-on-the-Lake with Dr. Lissa Paul
S4E05 Archives & Special Collections with David Sharron
S4E04 Short Stories and Canadian Masculinity with Dr. Neta Gordon
S4E03 Childhood in Ancient Rome with Dr. Fanny Dolansky
S4E02 War Crimes, Genocides, and Conspiracies with Dr. Gregor Kranjc
S4E01 Monsters are People, Too with Dr. Sarah Stang
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
The Modern West
Voices of Misery Podcast
House of Whimsical Terror
Just Dumb Enough Podcast
Stuff You Should Know
Timcast IRL