Since the Harper government was elected in 2006, the frequency of historical commemorations has increased significantly. The most well-known campaign the government has initiated is perhaps the War of 1812 promotion, which has led to discussions and conversations over which events in Canadian history should be celebrated and how the Harper government’s use of historical commemoration has manipulated the political views of Canadians.
In the Canadian Journal of History’s latest volume, author Yves Frenette published “Conscripting Canada’s Past”, a critical commentary on the political uses of memory in contemporary Canada. Frenette examines the conscription of the Canadian past by the Harper government and shows how the conservatives’ reconstruction of the nation’s past serves their broader project of reconstructing the nation tout court. Moreover, he presents the various strategies they have deployed to remake Canada’s history in their own image: the increased emphasis on military history and on the ties that bind Canadians to the monarchy; the endeavour to cast the War of 1812 and the First World War as foundational events in the making of modern Canada; the creation of the Canadian Museum of History.
Yves Frenette recently sat down with activehistory.ca’s Sean Graham to discuss the history of commemoration in Canada, the politics of commemoration, and the place of history in Canadian life. Listen to the full interview here or read the article here .
“Conscripting Canada’s Past” will be open access through June 10, 2014.
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