UNB Research

The department of history and politics on the University of New Brunswick’s (UNB) Saint John campus has recently been a hotbed of activity. In a one year span, four of its eight faculty members have published new books on topics ranging from women’s suffrage to online teaching.

“This department is a tremendously active one,” said acting dean of arts Dr. David Creelman. “Seeing four new books published in the same time frame among eight scholars is certainly a moment worth celebrating and is emblematic of the calibre and quantity of work within our faculty as a whole.”

Dr. Heidi MacDonald’s We Shall Persist: Women and the Vote in Atlantic Canada was recently released by UBC Press. MacDonald, a professor of history and politics and dean of the faculty of arts, was interested in uncovering the true history of suffrage on Canada’s east coast. In the book, MacDonald finds that contrary to the myths that have persisted for the last seven decades, Atlantic Canada was actually at the forefront of suffrage campaigns, even though the Prairies are usually credited as the country’s leaders.

MacDonald’s research and writing took six years of effort.

“It was a long process because much of the evidence and information I needed was hard to find or no longer exists,” she said. “This is the unfortunate reality of working with women’s history, so much of which has not been considered important enough to preserve or has been intentionally erased.”

Dr. Greg Marquis’ new book, Canada’s State Police: 150 Years of the RCMP, also reaches back into Canada’s history. In his book, published this year by Lorimer, the professor of history presents what he frames as the first modern history of Canada’s iconic police force, which marked 150 years in 2023. Inspired by Indigenous history, and using the approach of social history, the book documents and critically analyzes Canada’s most famous police force. It highlights the force’s past role as an agent of preserving the status quo and how its history has contributed to its present challenges, such as its relationship with Indigenous people.

“The book is written in the age of Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQIA2S+ liberation,” says Marquis, “and published at a time when the future of the RCMP is uncertain. My hope is that coming to terms with the past could help guide the RCMP toward a more positive future.”

This is Marquis’ seventh published book, and his third on police history. His newest book project will explore the story of New Brunswick’s first officially recognized wrongful conviction.

Dr. Hepzibah Muñoz-Martinez is a professor of history and politics who specializes in the politics and economics of violence in Mexico. Her latest book, published in print in 2023 and in Spanish, and co-edited Dr. Cecilia Costero Garbarino, a professor in the political and international studies program at El Colegio de San Luis, Mexico, is Minería y Mujeres en Resistencia: poder, movilizaciones sociales y alternativas de estudio (Mining and Women in Resistance: Power, Social Mobilization and Critical perspectives). Many of the contributors are Mexican scholars with extensive experience on the topic; additionally, Canadian researcher Dr. Daniel Tubb, an associate professor of anthropology at UNB, also contributed to this volume with a chapter discussing mining in Colombia.

In the book, the authors explore the intersection of gender dynamics in Mexico and the predominance of profit-making goals in mining, at the expense of the environment and community well-being.

“This research is important as women in Mexico, particularly in rural areas, are the ones that have to care for the sick when disease is caused by environmental pollution due to mining,” said Muñoz-Martinez.

“They are the ones who have to walk extra miles to bring clean and fresh water to their homes once water is contaminated by large mining projects. And women are criminalized when trying to defend their lands and the environment against very powerful mining corporations.”

Muñoz-Martinez felt it was particularly important to publish the research in her first language, and on a topic that she felt a close personal connection to.

“My parents live 30 minutes away from gold mine operated by a Canadian company in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. The use of open pit mining has led to the destruction of a mountain as well as heritage buildings, and the use of cyanide for extracting gold has polluted the watershed and the air close to where my family lives.”

Dr. Leslie Jeffrey, a professor of political science, brings her attention to our current moment and immediate history. Her latest book, Presence in the Online World: A Contemplative Perspective and Practice Guide for Educators, brings together the insights of contemplative pedagogy and the experiences of online teaching.

“While the digital world can be a source of distraction and disconnection,” she says, “contemplative methods are about fostering a deep connection to both our inner and outer worlds through contemplative practices. Contemplative teaching brings the whole person into the classroom – including into the digital classroom.”

Jeffrey is one of four co-editors of the book, as well as a contributing author for one of its chapters. Drawing from the unanticipated and sudden transition to online teaching brought on by COVID, the book’s contributors both reflect on their own experiences and provide insights on how educators can apply contemplative teaching techniques themselves.

The publication also represents two firsts: According to Jeffrey, it is the first book to bring together contemplative pedagogy and online teaching, and it is also her first publication in the area of online teaching.

More information

Dr. Heidi MacDonald | Dr. Greg Marquis | Dr. Hepzibah Muñoz-Martinez | Dr. Leslie Jeffrey

Department of History & Politics| Faculty of Arts

Research at UNB | Graduate Studies at UNB | Postdoctoral fellowships