Feminist History in Canada

In the late 1970s, feminist historians urged us to “rethink” Canada by placing women’s experiences at the centre of historical analysis. Forty years later, feminism continues to inform history writing and has inspired historians to look beyond the nation and adopt a more global perspective.

This exciting new volume of original essays opens with a discussion of the themes and methodological approaches that have preoccupied historians over the past twenty years. The chapters that follow showcase the work of new and established scholars who draw on critical race theory, postcolonial theory, and transnational history to re-examine familiar topics such as biography and oral history, paid and unpaid work, marriage and family, and women’s political action.

Whether they focus on the marriage of Governor James Douglas and his Metis wife, Amelia, or on the experiences of Québécois domestic workers in the 1970s, the contributors demonstrate the continued relevance of history informed by feminist perspectives and open a much-needed dialogue between francophone and anglophone historians in Canada.