In honour of the recent celebration of International Women’s Day on March 8th there is a display of books on the first floor of the OISE Library which focus on aspects of Canadian Women’s history. Covering topics such as feminism, heroines, archives and of course women’s education, these titles provide information for those who are researching or teaching the history of Canadian women.
Status quo? [videorecording] : the unfinished business of feminism in Canada written and directed by Karen Cho – WERC 305.420971 S797
This recent film produced by the National Film Board of Canada aims to answer the question: How far has feminism brought us, and how relevant is it today? In doing so issues such as violence against women, abortion, and universal childcare are explored within a feminist context using both archival and contemporary examples.
Canadian women & the struggle for equality by Lorna R. Marsden – WERC 305.0971 M364C
Sociologist and activist Lorna R. Marsden focuses her book on historical, social and political change for women in Canada. Looking at the unique struggle for equality in Canada, the change in Canadian women’s lives over the last 150 years is staggering. This book provides readers with little known facts about women’s history and an understanding of the complex changes brought about by forces such as war, immigration, and public health.
It was their war too : Canadian women and World War I by Pat Staton – Curriculum Resources 940.30820971 S797
This resource compiled by Pat Staton aims to provide educators with primary documents (diaries, letters, photographs), and introductory essays on women’s experiences in WWI that can be easily integrated into any Canadian history program. Each chapter additionally provides activities and further resources suitable for grades 7 to 12.
Northern lights : outstanding Canadian women by Joan Green, Lynda Palazzi & Marguerite Senecal – Curriculum Resources 920.720971 G796N
Northern Lights is a collection of stories which profile 43 successful Canadian women. Authors Joan Green, Lynda Palazzi and Marguerite Senecal aim to showcase Canadian women who represent different cultures, professions and backgrounds. The content of the book is grounded in personal interviews conducted by the authors with Canadian women who have made a difference in their communities and country.
The kids book of great Canadian women written by Elizabeth MacLeod ; illustrated by John Mantha – Curriculum Resources 920.720971 M165K
This title is a part of the Kids Books series and allows children to meet 130 women through reading about their extraordinary accomplishments and history that have contributed so much to the development of Canada. From scientists and inventors to artists and activists, children will learn about famous and lesser known Canadian women.
Basements and attics, closets and cyberspace : explorations in Canadian women’s archives Linda M. Morra and Jessica Schagerl, editors – WERC 305.40971 B299
Until recently women’s letters and memoirs were considered to have little historical significance. This collection of edited by Linda M. Morra and Jessica Schagerl aims to display the significance of women’s social history by showcasing a range of debates regarding women’s archives in Canada. The essays seek to answer certain question: What challenges do those doing women’s archival work in Canada face? What kind of ethical dilemmas are involved in women’s archival research?
Unfolding power : documents in 20th century Canadian women’s history by Pat Staton, Rose Fine-Meyer, Stephanie Kim Gibson – WERC 305.40971 S797U
This book is a compilation of primary documents that aim to represent the voices of Canadian women throughout history. Each chapter incorporates major themes which impacted women’s lives throughout the 20th century. Themes include: work, politics, the home, and education. Each chapter also includes activities and resources for further learning.
A sisterhood of suffering and service : women and girls of Canada and Newfoundland during the First World War edited by Sarah Glassford and Amy Shaw – WERC 940.30820971 S623
This book details the sacrifice and service endured by Canadian women in Newfoundland during WWI when national propaganda urged them to step up and do their part. Historians Sarah Glassford and Amy Shaw explore why the retelling of women’s stories and experiences are met with such resistance in order to accurately place these women and girls into the First World War narrative of national transformation.
Canadian women : a history by Gail Cuthbert-Brandt et al. – WERC 305.40971 C2124 2011
Canadian Women: A History claims to be the only comprehensive survey of contributions, struggles, and achievements of Canadian women throughout Canada’s history. Drawing on academic and historical research, governmental documents, and archival material, the essays in this text provide greater insight into the experiences of Canadian women in time periods ranging from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Through feminist eyes : essays on Canadian women’s history by Joan Sangster – WERC 305.40971 S195T
Feminist historian Joan Sangster explores the themes and theories which have influenced the writing of women’s history in Canada through a selection of essays written over three decades and published here into one book. This book also covers everything from significant events in Canadian history, how they impacted women, and women’s participation, organization, and movements within them.
A lot to learn : girls, women and education in the 20th century by Helen Jefferson Lenskyj – WERC 371.822 L57
Combining information from the fields of women’s history, women’s studies and critical social theory, the author situates two stories – her own and her mothers – within the greater context of socio-cultural life from 1900-1960. Recounting the families immigration to Toronto from Australia, Lenskyj details the involvement of mothers in school-community activism in the 1960s/70s and her own personal experience as a lesbian professor in Ontario in the 1980s.