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British history thrives
here
The Northeast Conference on British Studies (NECBS) will meet at Concordia
for the first time on October 27 and 28. One of the regional branches
of the North American Conference on British Studies, the NECBS is an umbrella
group for faculty and graduate students in the field in the northeastern
U.S. and eastern Canada.
The keynote speaker will be John Beattie, professor of history at the
University of Toronto and former director of that university’s Centre
for Legal Research. Concordia’s Robert Tittler says that Beattie
is probably the world’s foremost authority on crime and criminality
in early modern Britain.
Thirty-five presenters will give papers on subjects as diverse as “Sexual
Misconduct and the London Clergy in the Late Middle Ages” (to be
presented by Concordia’s Shannon McSheffrey), Queen Victoria, the
Cold War, and Caribbean women in Brixton and Notting Hill in the 1960s
and ‘70s. Presenters are coming from across North America.
Professor Tittler, who is a key organizer of this conference, is also
active in the Montreal British History Seminar, which he co-chairs with
Michael Maxwell, of McGill.
The group met six times last academic year, alternating between the two
universities, and attracting scholars from around Quebec. After three
years of operation, Tittler said, “it has begun to provide a sense
of community for those in all areas of the field, and has been a valuable
example of inter-university collaboration.”
For more information about the NECBS conference, please contact Professor
Tittler at 848-2427, tittler@vax2.concordia.ca
Rosie Douglas dies suddenly
Concordians who noted the recent visit of Roosevelt Douglas, prime minister
of Dominica, were shocked to hear of his death, apparently of a heart attack,
on October 1.
Douglas spoke here on September 17 at the invitation of the Concordia Student
Union as part of the orientation speakers’ series. In 1969, he had
been the charismatic spokesman for a student protest at Sir George Williams
University that became known as the Computer Riot.
In his speech, he reflected on his life as a political activist and urged
students to stand up for their rights, but he also looked for a rapprochement
with the Canadian government, and for practical assistance and training
for Dominica, a small Caribbean island of 70,000 inhabitants.
Douglas was elected prime minister only last year. He was preparing to come
back to Canada to attend the funeral of former prime minister Pierre Elliott
Trudeau when he died at his home.
Aerobic marathon
On October 20, the Recreation Department will hold an aerobic marathon
at the gym on the Loyola Campus to raise awareness and support.
Organizer Jim Shanks explains: “Each participant receives a pledge
form that holds up to 25 sponsor names, and each sponsor may pledge as
little as 25 cents for 15 minutes of aerobic exercise by the participant.”
If you think you’ve got the stamina to raise some cash for Concordia,
contact Jim, 848-3860.
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