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CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY PRESS

CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY AT 50

Concordia University at 50

A Collective History


EDITED BY MONIKA KIN GAGNON AND BRANDON WEBB

WITH STEVEN HIGH, CATHERINE WILD, AND JASON CAMLOT 

November 2024
$39.95 CAD | $39.95 USD
448 pages | 140 photos | 7 x 9
9781988111575 | Paper
9781988111582 | E-book

Order Now: Canada                  

Concordia University at 50: A Collective History celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the merging of Loyola College and Sir George Williams University in Montreal in August 1974. Distinct from traditional institutional histories, this volume approaches Concordia University’s history from the ground up by sharing a plurality of voices from across the university over time. Fifty contributions from faculty, staff, students, and alumni, present stories of a vibrant community and its activities in a multilayered collection of professional and personal reflections, essays, and oral histories conducted with participants and observers of key events.

Providing insights into the early political pressures that inspired Concordia’s formation and the growing pains of the merger among its four faculties, as well as the development of new programs such as dance, theological studies, and études françaises, this book is a testament to an urban university formed by its many constituents and by the multilingual city and the complex province that is its home.

Enriched with copious and colourful archival documents, photographs, and public artworks that grace these urban campuses, Concordia University at 50 highlights the great range of activities, causes, innovations, and debates that emerge from educational institutions but extend well beyond the classroom.

Monika Kin Gagnon is professor of communication studies at Concordia University.

Brandon Webb is a PhD graduate of the Department of History at Concordia University. 

Steven High is professor of history and a founding member of the Centre for Oral History and Digital Storytelling at Concordia University. 

Catherine Wild is a professor of print media and former dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts at Concordia. 

Jason Camlot is professor of English at Concordia University. 

Read online at Manifold.

Introduction
Monika Kin Gagnon xiii
Introduction to Oral Histories Steven High xvii
Foundations
1 The Quiet Revolution and the Creation of Concordia University Ronald Rudin 3
2 Oral Histories: The Merger and Its Legacies André Laprade, Russell Breen, Jack Bordan, Henry Habib, Nancy Marrelli, Linda Dyer 15
3 Planning Concordia’s Loyola and Sir George Williams Campuses: The First 25 Years, 1974–1999 Dominique Dumont, Rocio Carvajo-Lucena, and Susan D. Bronson 25
4 Statement on Tuition Fees in Quebec and Their Impact on Women (2012) Simone de Beauvoir Institute, with an introduction by Viviane Namaste 41
5 Oral Histories: Feminist Perspectives Maïr Verthuy, Linda Dyer, Elizabeth Morey, Manon Tremblay 46
6 The Grey Nuns Mother House: Confronting the Difficult Legacies Peter Gossage 53
Building the Institution
7 A Brief History of the Faculty of Arts and Science Miriam Posner 67
8  Expanding Energies: The Faculty of Fine Arts Catherine MacKenzie 87
“All Merged Up”: The John Molson School of Business Charles Draimin and Christopher A. Ross 109
10 Pathways towards Cultural Diversity, Accessibility, and Knowledge Sharing Dave McKenzie 121
11 The Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science Christopher Trueman and Ted Stathopoulos 131
12 Visual Story: Memorial Installation Dedicated to Four Concordia Professors (1996) Johanne Sloan 146
13 Oral Histories: August 24, 1992 Donna Whittaker 153
14 The School of Graduate Studies: 50+ Years of Cultivating a Graduate and Research Culture Joanne Beaudoin 155
15 Research at Concordia Jean-Philippe Warren, Julien Larregue, and Vincent Larivière 169
16 Building Aboriginal Territories in Cyberspace (AbTeC) Jason Edward Lewis and Skawennati 179
17 The Transformation of Concordia Library William M. Curran 191
18 Oral Histories: Research and the City Lynn Hughes, Henry Habib, Maïr Verthuy, Lorna Roth 205
Community Activations
19 Early Indigenous Programming and Pedagogies, 1970–1990  Colby Gaudet 215
20 The Poetry Series at Sir George Williams University Jason Camlot 225
21 History from Below: George Rudé and Montreal as a Radical Crossroads Brandon Webb and Matthew Penney  235
22 Visual Story: The 1969 Sir George Williams University Student Protest against Racism: A Curator’s View Christiana Abraham 242
23 These Halls of Ours: Black Student Presence and Black Montreal Youth History Annick Maugile Flavien and Désirée Rochat 249
24 “We Could Write History”: Telling Stories of the First General Unlimited Student Strike Nadia Hausfather and Anna Sheftel 261
25 Oral Histories: Student Activism Zev Tiefenbach, Geneva Guérin 273
26 Breaking the Tape: Track and Field, Cross-Country Running John Lofranco and Gavin Taylor  279
27 Visual Story: Sports and Athletics   288
28 Oral Histories: Athletics in Action Paul Chesser 295
Viewpoints
29 Keeping Time with Oscar Peterson: Between Jazz Archives and the Concert Hall  Eric Fillion  299
30 Reflections on Student Life Andrew Woodall 309
31 Oral Histories: International Students Elizabeth Morey 311
32 Concordia’s Legacies of 2SLGBTQ+ Student Community Building Gregorio Pablo Rodríguez-Arbolay 313
33 Cinema Politica: Twenty Years of Screening Truth to Power Svetla Turnin and Ezra Winton 317
34 Visual Story: History of Student Media   320
35 Oral Histories: Student Perspectives Philip Authier, Geneva Guérin 325
36 Concordia University and the Loss of Heritage and Housing Eliot Perrin 329
37 Concordia Continuing Education: A History of Lifelong Learning Kerry Fleming and Ursula Leonowicz 335
38 The Art of Conversation: 20 Years of University of the Streets Café  Alexandra Pierre 339
39 Visual Story: 30 Things We Love about Concordia (2004)   342
Snapshots
40 Queer and Sexuality Studies: How Concordia Emerged at the Forefront of New and Vital Disciplines Matthew Hays 355
41 The Story of Ethnocultural Art Histories Research (EAHR) Alice Ming Wai Jim 359
42 The History of the Otsenhákta Student Centre Portia Lafond 363
43 A Short History of Theological Studies and Its Non-confessional Pedagogy Gabriel A. Desjardins 369
44 The Thousand and One Adventures of French at Concordia University Françoise Naudillon 377
45 A History of the Early Childhood and Elementary Program, 1971–2021 Ellen Jacobs and Nina Howe 381
46 Leaping across Time: Four Decades of Contemporary Dance at Concordia University Silvy Panet-Raymond  385
47 Electroacoustic Studies at the Department of Music Kevin Austin 389
48 Oral Histories: Formations Steven Appelbaum, Ira Robinson, Linda Dyer 393
Futures
49 Reimagining Concordia’s Future: A Kanien’kehá:ka Perspective Kahérakwas Donna Goodleaf 399
50 Afterword Anne Whitelaw 405
Public Art Collection and Credits Sandra Margolian 415
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