Canadian War Museum hosting world-renowned historians at Canada 1919 Conference

January 8, 2019

MEDIA RELEASE

For immediate release

Ottawa, Ontario, January 7, 2019 — The Canadian War Museum is delighted to be hosting world-renowned experts, including award-winning historian Margaret MacMillan, during the upcoming conference, Canada 1919: A Country Shaped by War. This timely and thought-provoking event — held from January 17 to 19 — will explore various aspects of the First World War and its enduring legacy.
 

“The Canadian War Museum is very pleased to welcome so many celebrated international and Canadian historians,” said James Whitham, Acting Director General of the Museum. “This conference will undoubtedly deepen our understanding of the conflict and its repercussions, as well as a legacy that continues to reverberate across Canada and around the world.”
 

On January 17, Dr. Margaret MacMillan, a specialist in British imperial history and modern international history, will explore the perilous transition from war to peace in the opening keynote address. Her books include Paris 1919, Nixon in China, The War That Ended Peace and History’s People. She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and a Companion of the Order of Canada, and has taken part in the BBC’s Reith Lectures.
 

On January 18 and 19, a wide range of prominent historians will explore various aspects of the First World War, including the return of Indigenous veterans, the conflict’s impact on French Canada, the contributions of nurses, the impact of war on families and children, the challenges of forging peace from the ashes of war, and much more.
 

Special guests and their topics include:

  • Canadian military historian Dr. David Bercuson on the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike.
  • Post-doctoral fellow Dr. Kandace Bogaert on veteran reintegration in 1919.
  • Author Dr. Norman Hillmer, O.C., on expanded Canadian autonomy and independence in 1919.
  • Canadian military historian Dr. Jeff Keshen on the expansion of federal power during the First World War.
  • Historian Dr. Brian MacDowall on returning Indigenous veterans.
  • Author and Chair of War Studies at the US Army War College, Dr. Michael Neiberg, on the wartime legacy that continues to shape the world today.
  • Wars and Society Historian at the Canadian War Museum, Dr. Mélanie Morin-Pelletier, on nursing and the impact of the war on the home front.
  • Professor Catriona Pennell of the University of Exeter in the UK on why the Ottoman Empire was defeated in the war, and the roles played by Britain and France.

The event will be emceed by two of Canada’s best-known military historians:

Dr. J. L. Granatstein, and the Museum’s First World War Historian, Dr. Tim Cook.
 

This bilingual academic conference is presented in conjunction with the exhibition Victory 1918 – The Last 100 Days, on view at the Canadian War Museum.
 

Full conference registration includes a ticket to the Margaret MacMillan lecture (Thursday); two days of conference sessions (Friday and Saturday); refreshment breaks and meals. Separate tickets to Dr. MacMillan’s lecture in the LeBreton Gallery, and day passes to the conference on Friday and Saturday, are also available.
 

Full conference program and registration:
warmuseum.ca/event/country-shaped-by-war-canada-1919
 

Tickets to the MacMillan lecture:
warmuseum.ca/event/lecture-making-peace-is-harder-than-waging-war
 

The Canadian War Museum is Canada’s national museum of military history. Its mission is to promote public understanding of Canada’s military history in its personal, national, and international dimensions. Work of the Canadian War Museum is made possible in part through financial support of the Government of Canada.