"Canada is the only country in the world that knows how to live without an identity."

What does it mean to study history and what exactly do you do anyways?

Very rare is there a day that goes by where I am not confronted with these questions or similar manifestations of them by friends, co-workers, family members and so forth. Usually I work to convince them of the legitimacy of my field of study and just where it may lead me. Although as of late I have come to the conclusion that maybe instead of attempting to convince them of what I do, I should show them what I do. To show them what I do I have embarked on a project beginning right now as I type these words that will take me on a journey through history. I have decided that this project will become a manifestation of my own personal research, and will serve to highlight the possibility of a published work. By this point I would imagine that some of you are already becoming dreary eyed, and restless over what this project could possibly entail. Well, in noting that I have had for the last few years an increasing interest in Canadian history and more importantly how Canadian history is related to the national identity of Canada, and really whether or not Canada has an identity it becomes obvious that my first project will centre around these notions. Inspired by the works of H.V. Nelles and John Ralston Saul, The Art of Nation building by Nelles, and A Fair Country by Saul, I intend to attempt to understand the commemoration of Canada and its history by visiting a cross section of open-air museums, closed museums, and heritage sites across the nation in the hopes of uncovering what history has come to tell us about Canada, and more broadly how history has been remembered, including of course who becomes involved with the historical narrative. This is as far into the question as I will go for now, in the anticipation of discovering more connections as I go.

I intend to begin the first part of my project within Quebec and Ontario as both are the most geographically accessible to both myself and my bank account at the moment. By contrasting regions in Canada I hope to come out with a complete picture, or maybe more importantly a collage. The Following consists of the sites at which I will conduct the work on the first part of my investigation:

1. Quebec City and the Plains of Abraham

2. Kawartha Settlers Village

3. Westfield Heritage Site

4. Fort Henry

5. Fort George and the Brock Monument

6. Her Majesty's Chapel of the Mohawks

7. Upper Canada Village

8. Fort York

9. Crawford Lake Native Village

10. Dundas Heritage Museum

Will I find that Canada suffers from too much geography? Does Canada really not have an identity? Is the proposed complexity of Canada a working force?


Lets find out.