About Us
The History Department studies the past to prepare historically informed global citizens for the challenges of today and tomorrow. Our faculty and students produce historical knowledge and interpretations that reveal how and why the past matters.
We have several areas of research focus in history: Canadian, Digital, Environmental/ Science/Medicine, Gender/Women, Indigenous, International/Global, Public History, Social/Cultural, and War/Conflict. Several of our faculty have cross-appointments to other departments or programs.
In geographic terms, we teach undergraduate and graduate courses on Canada, the United States, Europe, East Asia, Middle East, and Africa. Our department supports an undergraduate program in International Relations, in conjunction with the Department of Political Science, and we run an undergraduate program in American Studies. Our graduate students earn a PhD in History or MA in History. The MA options include a 12-month program, a 2-year program with a thesis, and a Public History field.
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Western Libraries recently received its largest donation to date. A $2 million gift from the estate of Halina and James Russell (Rus) Robinson will give students and scholars access to rich resources in the emerging fields of military and veterans history.
Jonathan Vance, Distinguished University Professor and J.B. Smallman Chair in the department of history, said the signature collection created through Rus and Halina’s generosity will set Western apart.
“It gives students at all levels unparalleled access to the most important literature in military history, making Western a magnet for young researchers interested in the field.”
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For the beach, backyard or your bedside table, Western News suggests 10 summer reads written by faculty and alumni.
Included in this list is Out Here: Governor Sir Humprey Walwyn's Quarterly Reports from NewFoundland, 1936-1946, authored by Peter Neary (1938-2024), professor emeritus, department of History and Melvin Baker.
Cowritten with Melvin Baker, this book centers on Walwyn, the British-appointed governor of Newfoundland during a period of remarkable change, culminating in Newfoundland’s union with Canada in 1949.
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Assistant Professor Oleksa Drachewych's latest article featured in the Communication takes a look at Putin's recent actions in relation to another well known leader of Russia - Josef Stalin.
Drachewych writes that repression in Putin’s Russia since February 2022 has parallels to Stalinist terror. Drachewych's research, stemming from a 2022 analysis, looks at parallels between Soviet atrocities during the Second World War and Russia’s atrocities in Ukraine today. Some of these parallels are instructive.
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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau urged Pope Francis on Friday to escalate reconciliation efforts with Indigenous peoples in Canada by returning cultural items stowed away in the Vatican’s extensive collection of artifacts.
In social media posts on Instagram, Facebook and X, Mr. Trudeau said he thanked the Pope for reconciliation efforts so far, and said he is advocating for the next step – returning cultural belongings to First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples in Canada.
Assistant Professor Cody Groat is featured in this article, pointing out the significance of Mr. Trudeau's comments.
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Great to hear Michelle Hamilton on London Morning, talking about this important petition to Save Victoria Hospital archives.
For three years, local archivists and historians have been trying to get their hands on hundreds of boxes of documents they say hold vital pieces of London's medical history and are currently sitting in a basement room at Victoria Hospital.
What's stopping them? London Health Sciences Centre officials won't let anyone look at the documents, said Michelle Hamilton, a historian and professor at Western University, who was brought in to work with the Vision SoHo Alliance in 2021 to document the culture and history of the South of Horton neighbourhood and its now-demolished South Street Hospital.
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A missile strike on Odesa on Wednesday put these dangers in full view of the visiting leader of Greece, as well as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, when the missile reportedly hit less than a kilometre from where they were meeting.
If Russia were to somehow kill the Ukrainian leader, Dyczok, a Western history and political science professor said it would undoubtedly be "a huge blow" to the country — though it would not stop Kyiv's fight.
Dyczok notes Zelenskyy addresses his fellow Ukrainians every night via video, as part of his efforts to stay connected to the people living through war on a daily basis.
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On The Power Vertical Podcast this week, host Brian Whitmore speaks with Steven Pifer, who served as U.S. Ambassador to Ukraine from 1998-2000 and is currently embedded at Stanford University’s Center for International Security and Cooperation, and Marta Dyczok, an Associate Professor of History and Political Science at the University of Western Ontario and CERES Fellow at the University of Toronto. Enjoy…
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Nyshchei, a Ukrainian PhD student in History describes being a student throughout the war as feeling “split.” While she can’t envision a clear future with her friends and family back home remaining in danger, she lives in London safely attending classes and socializing with friends.
Nyshchei wants to thank her professors, staff and fellow history students for helping her overcome the confusion about the new academic system and unfamiliar country.
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MacKenzie Brash, a two-time graduate of History, found Western's Global Honour instrumental in fufilling her dream of exploring new cultures abroad, ultimately shaping her career in historical consulting
After earning both an undergraduate in history and a graduate degree in Public history, completing the Global & Intercultural Engagement Honour provided the opportunities she was looking and more.
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“International affairs is probably the most important issue of our time and it is so little understood,” says Frank Schumacher, the international relations program director and a history professor.
The interdisciplinary, student-organized flagship event is a conference that aims to bridge the gap between Western students and ongoing international relations by featuring speakers including former Canadian diplomat Guillermo Rishchynski, Western’s Faculty of Law professor Sara Ghebremusse and Ivey Business School professor Vanessa Hasse.
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