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"Documents are only partial records of the past. Archives preserve the records those in power choose to keep. Absence in the record is itself evidence." Read the new essay from @historyjacob.bsky.social, Chloë Farr, and Jessica Jack.

The Archive is Not a Toy: The Hidden Problems of a ‘Vintage’ AItalkie’s poor representation of history is a side effect of a larger problem. The model was conceptually built as an experimental tool to see if language models can accurately predict the future, a…activehistory.ca

Nastasha Sartore explores the importance of 'busywork' in writing history amid ongoing discussions about the use of AI in academia and research. Read more below and check out our other series exploring AI in the classrooms here: activehistory.ca/generative-a...

In Defence of BusyworkNastasha Sartore Earlier this year, over forty people logged in to Zoom to attend a CHA webinar titled “Generative AI and the Practice of History.” Introduced as a “show and tell” for AI tools and …activehistory.ca

"This project builds on a lineage of place-based public history and crowdsourcing projects that bring the public into the research process." Amelia Palacios, Molly Blake, Jenny McBurney and Kirsten Delegard, the co-founders of Save Our Signs, discuss the importance of it and public history.

Save Our Signs: Preserving Censored Histories in America’s Largest Outdoor ClassroomBy Amelia Palacios, Molly Blake, Jenny McBurney and Kirsten Delegard; co-founders of Save Our Signs On the corner of Sixth and Market streets in Philadelphia sits a contested site at the heart of t…activehistory.ca

July 4th 2026 marked the 250th anniversary of the United States of America's Declaration of Independence. Felicia Gabriele @feliciagabriele.bsky.social explores how she approached teaching it in a Canadian university classroom and shares some of her students' projects. Read it below!

Teaching in Interesting Times: America @ 250 in the Canadian ClassroomFelicia Gabriele The expression, “May you live in interesting times,” seems on its face, pleasant enough. Resembling a well-wish, its sunny exterior deftly cloaks the dark, cavernous depths within.…activehistory.ca

July 1st 2026 marks the deadline for the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUSMA), which replaced the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 2020. James Cullingham's post explores the history of this moment and other major events the three countries have experienced.

Happy Independence Day 2026 – Mexico & CanadaJames Cullingham Canada and Mexico approach an historic juncture in their relations with the United States. Both countries face a July 1 deadline over the Canada–United States–Mexico Agreement (CUS…activehistory.ca

Michael Dawson explores the history of tourism and anti-tourism in Venice amid current local frustration regarding overtourism. From the 1940s to now, check out the story below!

“We are in danger of becoming a stage without actors:” Contextualizing Contemporary Overtourism in Venice, ItalyMichael Dawson Today’s visitors to Venice are hard-pressed to ignore the locals’ frustration with their presence. In 2025, CNN lamented the impact of overtourism on this popular destination “hollow…activehistory.ca

Peter L. Twohig @ptwohig.bsky.social explores the history of occupational health and safety in health care alongside unions and the labour force. Check it out below!

Health care workers and the ‘third wave’ of occupational healthPeter L. Twohig On 16 April 2026, five thousand long-term care (LTC) workers in 56 facilities throughout Nova Scotia began a strike. A tentative agreement ended the labour action after eight weeks,…activehistory.ca

For the ninth post of the Great Acceleration series, Stéphane Castonguay and Colin Coates explore the industrialization of Laurentian agriculture and the dairy transition. This series is cross-posted with @nichecanada.bsky.social Make sure to check out the entire series!

The Great Acceleration of the Laurentian Dairy TransitionStéphane Castonguay and Colin Coates This is the ninth post in a series about the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance for Canadian environmental history. The posts in this series a…activehistory.ca

To explore Chile’s diplomacy with Canada and Quebec separatism, Thomas Stroyan takes a look at Quebec aircraft.

Fighting Fires: Quebec Separatism in Canada – Chile Relations, 1968Thomas Stroyan In February 1968, the Quebec government agreed to loan Chile two Canadair CL-215s (also known as the CANSO). The CL-215 was an amphibious flying boat built for the purpose of perform…activehistory.ca

“History should make you feel weird.” Through the letters of Edward Whymper, Dani K. Inkpen confronts ideas of life and death and politics and compassion in the archives.

Feeling Weird in the ArchivesDani K. Inkpen “History should make you feel weird.” So proclaims a widely touted slogan of history nerds. While there is much in the world foisting weirdness upon us today, too rarely do we intent…activehistory.ca

Jim Clifford challenges ideas of periodization in global history and Great Acceleration frameworks. This is the 8th post in a series on using the Great Acceleration as a framework and for reconnaissance in Canadian environmental history. This series is cross-posted with @nichecanada.bsky.social

When did the Great Acceleration start? Saskatchewan might hold the answerJim Clifford When did the Great Acceleration start? Saskatchewan might hold the answer. Between the 1890s and the 1930s, the settler population exploded, and these newcomers broke 20 million acres …activehistory.ca

Walter T. Cassidy explores the life of Christine Jorgenson and the parallels between the story and Queer, Trans, and Intersex communities today and in the past.

Canada’s Christine Jorgenson?Walter T. Cassidy The Windsor Star reported an incident on May 28th, 1954—as did papers all over North America—about a Port Colborne, Ontario woman being arrested in Buffalo, New York, for trying t…activehistory.ca

Amy Swiffen, Keith Charry, Hannah Wyile, and Kris Millett explore the history and specifics of Section 141 of the Indian Act, which was in effect from 1927 to 1951. This is the 6th post in the Indian Act 150 series; make sure to check out the entire series!

“An Unwarranted Restraint:” Shining Light on Section 141 of the Indian Act (1927-1951)Amy Swiffen, Keith Charry, Hannah Wyile and Kris Millett This post is part of the Indian Act 150 series There is a harmful provision of the Indian Act that, until recently, has never been…activehistory.ca

Erin Isaac and Cady Berardi revisit the Ross-Thomson House and the topic of Nova Scotia's rural museums facing budget cuts and closures. Isaac and Berardi first explored this in March 2026; that post can be found here: activehistory.ca/blog/2026/03...

Nova Scotia’s Rural Museums Remain at Risk!By Erin Isaac and Cady Berardi In the weeks after a sudden February announcement that twelve provincial museums were slated to close in Nova Scotia, murmurs began to circulate that some of these si…activehistory.ca

Daniyal Elahi and Harris Elahi reflect on the research process that led them to discover Private Hasan Amat, Canada’s first Muslim soldier killed in the First World War. Their initial paper on Amat was posted on Active History in 2025 and can be found here: activehistory.ca/blog/2025/12...

Finding Private Amat: A Research Method for Recovering Overlooked Soldiers of the CEFDaniyal Elahi and Harris Elahi In December 2025, ActiveHistory.ca published our first piece on Private Hasan Amat, a soldier of the 1st Battalion, Canadian Expeditionary Force, killed at the Battle…activehistory.ca

For the third and final post of the Canada Post and Canadian Culture series, Christo Aivalis explores labour and bargaining rights and the increasing use of bureaucratic tools. Read it here: activehistory.ca/blog/2026/05...

Daniel R. Meister looks at the foundations of Canada’s framework of official languages and cultures in light of the recent controversy regarding the Governor General being insufficiently “officially bilingual."

Canada’s Competing Definitions of BilingualismBilingual & Bicultural Press Conference with A. Davidson Dunton and Jean Louis Gagnon. Library and Archives Canada item 5101609. Daniel R. Meister Recent stories in the CBC revisit the controve…activehistory.ca

Shannon Stunden Bower explores the history of knowledge and science for the sixth post of the Great Acceleration series. This series is about using the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance for Canadian environmental history and is cross-posted with @nichecanada.bsky.social

Knowledge and Science in Canada’s Great AccelerationShannon Stunden Bower This is the sixth post in a series about the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance for Canadian environmental history. The posts in this series are cross-posted…activehistory.ca

For the fifth post of the Great Acceleration series, Alicia Carefoote rethinks environmental history, focusing on prisons and confinement. This series is cross-posted with @nichecanada.bsky.social Make sure to check out the entire series!

Concrete Afterlives: Carceral Landscapes in Canada’s Great AccelerationAlicia Carefoote This is the fifth post in a series about the Great Acceleration as a framework and reconnaissance for Canadian environmental history. The posts in this series are cross-p…activehistory.ca

As part of the Canada Act 150 Series, Daniel Sims discusses the technicalities and nuances of the Indian Act. Make sure to check out the entire series!

Confirmation Bias and the Indian Act: How Common Knowledge Can Fuel Anti-Indigenous RacismDaniel Sims This post is part of the Indian Act 150 series In May 2024, I attended a meeting of Parks Canada’s Indigenous Cultural Heritage Advisory Council in Sydney, British Columbia. O…activehistory.ca