Sauga 50-for-50: This is Dundas Street

This week on Sauga 50-for-50, Historian Matthew Wilkinson and Heritage Mississauga Executive Director Jayme Gaspar, with special guest Omar El Sharkawy, invite you down Dundas Street. As you go about your day, you may be unaware of the history that lies directly beneath your feet. This is a story of Dundas Street in Mississauga- one of the earliest surveyed routes of travel in the province of Ontario.

In late 2020 until April of 2021 Omar El Sharkawy underwent a project on the colonial connections of road names in Mississauga, under the oversight of Historian Matthew Wilkinson of Heritage Mississauga. This week, Matthew and Omar discuss Mississauga's Council decision to keep the name Dundas in Mississauga and the historic, present, and future impact of this decision. Matthew and Omar explore the history of the naming of the street, the controversy around renaming Dundas, and the possible implications of renaming such a historic street. They also look at Dundas Street’s place in how we understand the historical landscape in Ontario, Mississauga, and the GTA.

Omar El Sharkawy is a recent graduate of the history program at the University of Toronto. His interests are in the histories and historiographies of the Middle East, Africa, Europe, and world revolutions, with particular attention to themes of decolonization. 

For more information, see below:

Colonial Connections and Naming Mississauga by Omar El Sharkawy for Modern Mississauga: https://www.modernmississauga.com/main?author=60e5981823121b15b1792b3a

Ask a Historian: Exploring Colonial Connections to Street Names in Mississauga:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pf7qA8wCVc&t=1185s

 

To stay up to date with Mississauga's 50th Anniversary celebrations, follow Heritage Mississauga on social media @heritagemississauga and also follow #Sauga50for50 to stay up to date with new upcoming podcast episodes.

Music: Cojonudo by Esteban Maxera Cuarteto