Histories of the Present

Since it began in the 1960s, the History Workshop movement has sought to make history relevant to contemporary politics. We continue this project through these Histories of the Present.

What

Where

When

Series

Can the history of veiled women inform an ugly election campaign in Canada? Reflections of Students and Faculty

Jordan Stanger-Ross & Lynne Marks

The current Canadian federal election campaign has given rise to heated debates over veiling and anti-Muslim attitudes. We asked a group of Canadian graduate students and their professors at the University of Victoria in British Columbia to…

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‘Everyone here wants to help you’: International Co-operation, Refugee Rights, and the 1956 Hungarian Refugee Crisis

Becky Taylor

The UNHCR reported that in the first six months of this year 1,867 people died attempting the crossing, with the toll rising weekly throughout the summer to hit over 2,600 by the beginning of September.

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Histories of the Present: Japan’s Constitution & Active vs. Passive Peacemaking

David Chapman, Tessa Morris-Suzuki & Carolyn Stevens

In keeping with the History Workshop movement’s tradition of looking at how history can inform contemporary political concerns, the new HWO will feature a monthly ‘Histories of the Present’ column that gives some historical context to…

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