First speaker in UNB series to delve into N.B. history

The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)
Fri Feb 4 2011
Page: A6
Section: Main
Byline: ALEXANDRA DAVIS For The Daily Gleaner

The first speaker in the University of New Brunswick's new lecture series says New Brunswickers may be selling themselves short in regards to their beliefs about the province's historical identity.

The new speaker series, called Ideas that Matter, will kick off Feb. 16 with associate Prof. Susan Blair.

She said that during her discussion, called Rewriting New Brunswick's Past, she plans to challenge some of the ideas New Brunswickers believe about their past.

She said many people in the province feel the Maritimes are on the periphery of things and always have been.

Blair said that based on research she's conducted while working with First Nations communities over the past 10 or 15 years, that's not accurate.

"If you look at the stories we tell about the broader region, the Maritimes always seem to come out getting the bad end of the stick ... We're sort of at the margins; we're sort of the have-not region. Not only do we think that way now, but when we think about the past we also project that onto the past," she said.

"What I'm seeing through research and looking at archaeological material is a very different story. It's a story of people who were sophisticated and engaged and connected into continental-scale networks that kept people connected over broad areas. This area wasn't a periphery but was really plugged into things in a key way."

Blair said the attitude New Brunswickers have about their history also shapes the way they see themselves in the present.

She said she hopes that by presenting evidence that these beliefs may not be correct, people from New Brunswick may eventually start thinking differently about themselves and the province.

"I certainly hope to challenge a lot of the ideas people hold in their heads as being basic truths," she said.

"I think that an important part of the process of challenging these sort of entrenched stories is getting people engaged with the research."

Blair is one of five lecturers who will be participating in the speaker series.

Michael Haan, an associate professor of sociology at UNB, will give a lecture April 27 called Can New Brunswick's Population Bomb be Defused?

He said it will be a chance to examine the significant changes that have occurred within the province's population over the last 60 years and ways the population can be increased, such as by recruiting and retaining immigrants.

Stephanie Slauenwhite, assistant dean of the faculty of arts, said she's excited about the research that's happening at UNB and looks forward to sharing it with the public through the Ideas that Matter speaker series.

"I hope people will realize that right here at UNB in the faculty of arts, we have people doing really critical research that has important applications for our lives," she said.

"We think a lot of the issues that are important to New Brunswickers have economic and social and cultural complexities. In order to really understand those, it requires research from the humanities and social sciences. We wanted to have the opportunity to get out there and engage the public in these discussions."

Blair's lecture will be held Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. in Government House. A full schedule is available at www.unb.ca/ideas.

© 2011 The Daily Gleaner (Fredericton)