News and Events

May 2020, 21 - 23: International Symposium on Health, Healing, and Caring

VIU History’s Gender &History editorial team hosted an amazingly successful virtual international symposium centred on the theme “Health, Healing, and Caring." Papers presented at this event provided the basis for a special issue edition of Gender & History to showcase research that reflects upon the gendered dynamics of palliative care and the formation of diverse communities and the economies of health and healing.

Canadian Letters & Images Project

Alex Trebek, the popular television game show host, posted a video message indicating the importance of the Canadian Letters & Images Project and recalling a Remembrance Day event that affected him profoundly. View Alex Trebek's message. He is one of the distinguished Guest Readers who are featured on Canadian Letters & Images Project. VIU History professor Dr Stephen Davies is the Project Director.

19 October 2018 - Arts and Humanities Colloquium: Dr Cathryn Spence

The Rights of the Dead: Women and Wills in Early Modern Scotland

Dr Spence gave a presentation as part of the VIU Colloquium series.
As she noted: "Making a will in the 16th century was no less important than it it today. The will-making practices of early modern Scottish women were shaped by gender, marital status, and place. How these women chose to disseminate their worldly goods, and the exhortations and rebukes that accompanied their bequests, provides a window into early modern gender relations and family bonds, and gives a lively voice to the departed."

President's Awards for Community Engagement, September 2018

Congratulations to Dr Stephen Davies for receiving an inaugural President's Award for Community Engagement - in particular, the Community-Engaged Scholarly Research and Creative Activity Award.

Dr Cheryl Warsh, FRSC, September 2017

Dr Cheryl Warsh was elected as a Fellow in the Academy of Arts and Humanities of the Royal Society of Canada (RSC). She is the first VIU faculty member to be elected to the prestigious RSC. Announcing the news, VIU president Dr Ralph Nelson noted that this distinction "is a remarkable accomplishment bestowed on scholars and researchers who have made exceptional contributions to their field. Election to the RSC is considered the highest academic honour a scholar can receive....[Professor] Warsh was recognized for her groundbreaking work in Canadian healthcare history, which has given a voice to vulnerable populations including people with mental health issues, addictions, and children in the 19th century. She was also recognized for shaping a flourishing research field in her area of study, as editor of the Canadian Bulletin of Medical History." Congratulations, Cheryl, from your colleagues in the History Department.

Retrospect - BC Studies Conference, May 2017: (Un)Settling British Columbia

Vancouver Island University, in association with BC Studies, the British Columbian Quarterly, and with support from the Royal British Columbia Museum, was proud to host the multidisciplinary BC Studies Conference from May 4 - 6 , 2017, on the theme (Un)Settling British Columbia. The conference was a great success, with over 150 registered participants and guests from the community. The three-day conference featured over 100 presentations on a wide range of topics.

Special thanks to History department colleagues Dr Kelly Black, Dr Timothy Lewis, and Dr Katharine Rollwagen for organizing this memorable event.