Tag: Archives (Page 4 of 4)

Archives and Foreign Aid, A Workshop Summary

February 6, 2017 / Sean Eedy

by Tyler Owens

On December 12th and 13th 2016, the conference A Samaritan State Revisited: Historical Perspectives on Canadian Foreign Aid, 1950-2016 was held at the Global Affairs Canada Lester B. Pearson Building in Ottawa. The aim of the conference was to explore the development of Canadian foreign aid over the preceding 60 years. (In footnote: 2016 was also the 60th anniversary of the publication of A Samaritan State?, among the first scholarly analyses of Canada’s foreign aid policy, written by Dr. Keith Spicer.) Prior to the official opening of the conference, archivists, historians, and members of the aid sector from Quebec and Ontario gathered for a workshop session. The aim of this session was to bring together colleagues from all branches of aid history; those gathered were experts in the archival, library, and document management sciences related to the production, preservation, and use of archives on humanitarian aid. The workshop therefore facilitated the sharing of tips, procedures, and best practices for researching the history of Canadian aid.

The workshop took the form of seven presentations followed by a brief question period.

Call for Projects at Library and Archives Canada

January 22, 2017 / Sean Eedy

Of potential interest for members of the CNHH, Library and Archives Canada has posted a call for projects for its upcoming DigiLab launch.

From the LAC website:

Treasures of CIDA’s 30-Year-Old Photography Collections: A Visual Perspective on Canadian International Aid

December 2, 2016 / Sean Eedy

by Sonya de Laat & Dominique Marshall

This blog has been prepared ahead of the workshop on the archives of CIDA on December 12 in Ottawa, held by the CNHH on the occasion of the Conference “A Samaritan State Revisited: Historical Perspectives on Canadian Foreign Aid, 1950-2016” hosted by Global Affairs Canada

This article is cross-posted with Active History as of December 9, 2016.

Rights and Realities Exhibit; Slide Number: 730-487-04; A woman repairs shoes in a tiny kiosk on the sidewalk in downtown Lima, Peru, 1995; (c) Global Affairs Canada/Stephanie Colvey

The ways in which the former Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) has visually represented its projects and people to the general public has greatly informed public perceptions of aid and international affairs. From the end of the 1960s, CIDA’s photographs have been used in the communications products of the Agency and of partners (NGOs, schools, publishers, etc.), or in travelling exhibitions, publications and teaching materials. They also represent a resource for scholars and practitioners interested in exploring and sharing CIDA’s multifaceted histories. For forty-five years, CIDA administered the nation’s official development assistance (ODA). From large-scale mining and electricity projects to smaller scale education and health programs, CIDA was Canada’s main response to a global surge in international development initiatives that started in the 1960s. Simultaneously, CIDA was a vehicle for extending Canadian economic and political interests as well as its social values abroad. It became a key entity in defining Canada’s caring and helpful identity domestically and internationally.

Creche for the Children of Hospital Workers in Lusaka, Zambia, 1980-1981.

November 7, 2016 / Sean Eedy

by Victoria Hawkins

Cross posted with Match International Women’s Fund.

During her BA in History at Carleton University, Victoria worked as a research assistant for the Canadian Network of Humanitarian History.[1] She seconded the University Archives and Research Collections in the inventory of this new collection, which will be available to the public soon.

Highlight of the Archives of the Match Fund Newly Arrived at Carleton University.

The MATCH International Women’s Fund’s archives include some files of specific projects conducted overseas in regions such as Africa and South America since the beginning of the Canadian NGO 40 years ago. There were many interesting projects in South America, especially out of Peru. For instance, a number of projects for the improvement of the lives of women were implemented in the shantytown Belen, outside of Lima, namely with a Mother’s Club. But most of the materials on these projects were in Spanish making them difficult for me to interpret more deeply.