Creating Historical Memory

Canadian women have worked, individually and collectively, at homeand abroad, as creators of historical memory. This engaging collectionof essays seeks to create an awareness of the contributions made bywomen to history and the historical profession from 1870 to 1970 inEnglish Canada. Creating Historical Memory explores the widerange of careers that women have forged for themselves as writers andpreservers of history within, outside, and on the margins of theacademy. The authors suggest some of the institutional and intellectuallocations from which English Canadian women have worked as historiansand attempt to problematize in different ways and to varying degrees,the relationship between women and historical practice.

The authors raise many interesting questions about how genderinfluences historical consciousness and whether looking at the pastthrough women’s eyes alters the view. Women engaged in history ina wide variety of ways -- as authors of fiction, popular history,juvenilia, and drama -- as well as more academic research andpublishing. They worked as individuals, as both professional writersand academics, and within formal and informal communities of women suchas religious groups or local clubs. The essays also talk about thebarriers that existed for women who wanted to be recognized ashistorians and teachers of history and point out how gender differenceshave coloured perceptions of what constitutes history and who shouldwrite that history. This anthology shows how, instead of beingintimidated or defeated by their marginalization, women developed newand interesting ideas about what constituted history.

The final essay in the volume assesses the impact the burgeoning offeminist history in the 1970s had on the academy and examines theconnection between feminist activism and women’s history. Thisoriginal and lively book highlights the pioneering efforts of women indeveloping alternate paths to historical expression. It makes animportant contribution both to Canadian historical studies and towomen’s and gender history in the West and will appeal toscholars interested in Canadian history, women’s studies,literature, and historiography.