My Research Project – Reflection

Studying apprenticeship in Canada was an enlightening experience. It was similar to my other two essays in different but interesting ways. The religion paper had in common with it that it was a relatively scarce research topic especially in relevance to its Canadian focus. It was similar to my Historiography essay in that very little information exists regarding the focus of research. Still, it remains that prior to state mandated education developed in the industrial era, apprenticeship was the primary form of education for skilled tradesman and laborers.

It is unfortunate that little information exists for more research to be conducted. What observations we can make are so narrowly focused that they cannot be completely accurate. I was surprised and a little disappointed that children were indentured in Canada. In my opinion, even if they were taken advantaged of, those children who were indentured and taught by reputable craftsman still gained skills that were marketable and would provide them economy later in life.

I would be interested in exploring this topic further if the opportunity arises in the future.

Unexploded Ordinance – A Screenplay Reflection

I took a screenplay writing course this semester, and unexpectedly learned a little about myself. A assignment had us create a moment of discovery for our protagonist. I chose to write about when I found out that my mom wasn’t my actual mother and how it impacted me. It was hard to write and brought up some very emotional memories. I recreated it and it also helped me work through some issues that I had. Creative skills are something I believe it is important to foster in our education system as it does provide an outlet for emotions that shouldn’t be public or would be otherwise difficult to grasp. Having a way to deal with them healthily is important.

 

Historiography Paper – Reflection

This course was interesting as an exercise in education. There is much we can learn from examining the processes and techniques that other academics have used to learn and study a variety of subjects. It allows for objective evaluations as well as an observation of progressing values within these disciplines. It is important to consider how such exercises can influence the students exposed to them. It found it really fun to examine the work of histories two centuries separated from myself and find patterns and conflict between them and modern opinions.

History of Religion Paper – Reflection

I included this essay in this portfolio because it represents something in my education I am always striving to accomplish. My history of religion class focused heavily on Christian religions as that, and secularism, is the professors primary focus of study. I chose instead to focus on a little known religious community that has been growing in Canada. My teacher appreciated this as she was uniformed about the existence of these communities. By exploring this subject I helped her as well as myself in the pursuit of knowledge.

Historiography Essay

Examination of Two Centuries of Trends in Alexandrology

By Philip Godin

Alexander the Great is figure who has received much attention in the twenty-three hundred years since his death. His accomplishments have been thoroughly explored and recreated in extraordinary detail by historians and studied in the context of many other academic vocations. The body of work that encompasses the (in)famous leader is extensive and has evolved in many ways since his legacy was founded. Carol describes the quantity of work accessible in investigating the study of Alexander, “…Questia’s list of books on Alexander numbered 4,897; a count of articles would surely quadruple that figure.”.[1] This leaves any histography attempting to gauge the scope and patterns of studies associated with Alexander with considerable omissions and this one will not differ in that regard. I have, therefor, restricted much of my investigation to the last two centuries and examined the themes of various articles and the course of studies concerning Alexander. Three main themes have presented themselves as progressing over this period. The first is regarding the creation of definitive site locations for the various cities, towns, villages, river crossings, and battle sites described by the ancient sources that make up the body of information that current historians have generally accepted as source material; I have focused my investigation of these arguments to several investigations regarding landscape descriptions irregularities between descriptions in source materials and the geographic locations that exist in modernity. The second is the examination of the study of Alexanders deification. The third I will examine, is regarding the motivational factors involved in driving the great leader to campaign and establish the political policies he did during his reign.

Before I continue, I believe that it is important to preface these arguments with the facts that are commonly understood by most of the modern historians who study Alexander and his accomplishments. There is a profuse lack of primary evidence or accounts dating to the period of Alexanders reign. The earliest “primary” account of Alexander’s historical accomplishments is written three centuries after the events took place, and is one of forty books written as a universal history of “world” events to that date attributed to the historian Diodorus(c. 80-20 BCE); the other four essential texts are from Arrian, Plutarch, Quintus Curtis Rufus, and Justin respectively and their values as resources are a point of contention, though most point to Arrian as the foremost source of accuracy.[2] [3] Most true primary resources exist within these works, believed to be incorporated unaltered, or at least critically examined; most of these documents, original or dating to the Alexandrian period, have otherwise been lost, such as the account of a sea voyage by Alexanders boyhood friend Nearchus or the accounts of senior staff in Alexanders army used to create Arrian’s Anabasis in the second century CE.[4] The last point of note regarding the quality of information associated with the study of Alexander is the use of the Alexander Romance, a body of fictional works that use Alexander as a protagonist, as a historical resource; some of these date as early as the 3rd century BCE and reference materials lost to the modern historian, and I favor the opinion of Richard Stoneman that though it contains this material, it should be not be used as historical evidence.[5] Since most of these resources are embedded in other works contemporary to their time period, one of the main difficulties that has plagued the study of Alexander is the inability of historians, ancient to modern, to examine with impartiality and extract factual evidence without the political and propaganda biases of the era’s they are written.[6] This will not factor as prevalently in the first part of my examination, but will become thoroughly evident in the second half of this paper.

Debates and Arguments regarding Geographic Location

            The cartography of Alexander’s campaign is an important facet of the study of Alexander. His tactical capability and success is one of the few uncontended aspects regarding his history. He is regarded among the greatest military leaders of history because of this. The route he took during his extended military campaign was extensive. It passed through Persia, Arabia, and ended in Asia. Because of the breadth of his travels and the chronological distance of the source materials from his actions, there are contentions on the true route and locations of landmarks including cities and rivers. This is mostly due to the discrepancies between, vagaries within, and descriptions incompatible with the geography of the regions describe in these accounts.

Maiden focuses on Alexander’s route through Affghanistan(sic) after reading a peer’s conclusions in Classical Museum which denounced the contemporary theories of Grote, an established authority on Alexander during the period that this piece comes from who is no longer held in esteem, and disagreed with his peer’s alternate facts while agreeing with the overall thesis.[7] This seems to be a theme of the articles written in this period. After explaining his disdain for the sources other than Arrian, he uses the measurements available in Anabasis to refute the arguments of his peer and develop his own thesis on the actual path Alexander took by combining the writings of Arrian, weather patterns based on seasonal norms, and “common sense” conclusions that he believes validify his arguments; in his conclusion relates that his idea are only supposition and need further proof.[8] De Bode’s arguments regarding the location of the Uxian city in his appendix are similar in that the conclusions are not that of a certainty regarding events, but rather a extrapolation based on geographical inconsistencies and denunciation of the descriptions in source materials based on those inconstancies.[9] These inconclusive theoretical arguments are serial in the investigations of this topic throughout history, and are not the fault of the historians who present them. Peter Green, a modern historian who focuses on determining which Alexandria’s were founded by Alexander, which were attributed to him fictitiously through the Alexandrian Romances or local legends, and their potential locations, addresses this fact in his preface by discussing the fact that the modern contentions on this subject are ultimately inconclusive.[10] A definitive cartographical map of Alexander’s path during his march will continue to face contention. We can only postulate on where Macedonian boots marched during Alexander’s campaigns and it will continue to dominate studies of the man and his legacy.

 

Alexander’s Divinity

There is no doubt of the fact that Alexander was deified after his death. Greeks celebrated his death as a tyrant and Egyptians worshipped him in death as they had in life. Cults sprung up around his legacy. The historic evidence of these truths is no longer contended. His deification continued into the Roman era. He had become a God. The aspect of this that is in argument is whether Alexander believed himself a God while he was alive. There seems to be two distinct opinions on this; the first is that he was absorbed by the divine aspects of his heritage while he was young and as he met with oracles and fulfilled prophecies he began to believe in his own divinity, the second is that he weaponized religion as a propaganda engine to inspire his troops, pacify conquered populations, and cement his right to rule out of necessity.

Since little to no direct evidence of personal correspondence or personal writings of the great king remain for scholars to evaluate and at most we have second or third hand accounts of conversations, speeches, and personal interactions filtered by time and secondary authors to consider, it is obvious why this contention exists. As I examine the sources related to this topic I am struck by a correlation between the two perspectives and the opinions/conclusions of the authors. Hammond does not ascribe to view that Alexander believed in his own divinity in “The Genius of Alexander the Great”; his focus is on the military aspect of the history and only mentions the politics that Alexander faced when they are directly linked to the military movements of the king. Instead he describes Alexander relationship to the gods as one of extreme faith and gratitude for accomplishments that they allowed him to obtain, even attributing the lack of his establishing a governing structure in the case that he should die during his extended illness to his deeply ingrained belief in the Greek gods.[11] Peter Green also supports the philosophy of propaganda; he ascribes the use of religious actions, completion of prophecy, political manipulations, and the incorporation of Persian cultural practices as practical tools that Alexander employed to an obsessive requirement for accomplishment instilled in him as a youth by his Macedonian upbringing and comparison of accomplishments to his father’s.[12] Historians on this side of the issue, in the modern texts examined here, do a good job of presenting their interpretations.

The argument that Alexander was convinced of his own divinity has been received by the historian community with much contention. Many works in the 18th century determined this idea to be the historical reality, some apologetically other doctrinally.[13] This view has persisted since its inception and is often supported on the same set of evidence that was criticized in the past including drawing from the Alexandrian Romance.[14] [15] Ian Worthington is a modern advocate of this interpretation; I cannot recommend his work as historical, however, as he takes liberties with the source material, derives definite conclusions without proper evidence, is disrespectful to peers who have contrary opinions, and reads like a opinion piece belonging to a biased political news outlet.[16] I think perusing the personal intentions of Alexander is ultimately fruitless as no sure conclusions can be made, however, examining Macedonia and the state of the political realities that had immediate ramifications on the young king as he took possession of his kingdom.

The Political, Environmental, and Economical Motivations Regarding Alexanders Campaign

This is the aspect of Alexander’s history that can be argued to have advance considerably in the last two centuries. Considerable amounts of new information on the prehistory, administration, events during Philip (Alexander’s father), and Persian/Oriental records have been uncovered through archeology and studied by historians lending new insights to this aspect of the study of Alexander.[17] Interdisciplinary studies are also shedding light on the political, environmental, and economical factors that not only drove Alexander to campaign, but lent themselves to his numerous successes and illuminate factors that could have influenced the many decisions that Alexander made and how they succeeded when considered irregular by contemporary logical thinking.[18] Carol provides a good example of how these interdisciplinary studies combine to affect the tactics used by Alexander:

“I began with geography and Macedonia, the part of the world where Alexander              was born and raised, the physical conditions of which determine the nature of life    within it… it is defined by two great river systems, numerous mountains, and           layers of plains… These same qualities defined the region as a “hard” rather than             a “soft” country. And its inhabitants were likely to become strong rather than weak          in moving flocks, contending with wild animals, farming the land, and digging for minerals… To make use of the natural resources and to create and then maintain an independent state meant command of mountainous terrain and the abundant waters         of long rivers, both of which tended to divide the region into smaller units. An ability     to turn these features into assets was essential to the emergence of an effective state… Alexander would have gained familiarity with the nature of Macedonia and      neighboring regions by first-hand experience… He was prepared as a result for the    major battles fought and won by the Macedonians under Alexander’s command,       many if which took place at rivers.”[19]

This is an effective course of evaluation of how Alexander managed to win several battles that took place with his army assaulting across rivers, traditionally viewed as a position of weakness,  how his Macedonians could retain efficacy in such maneuvers, and provides an interesting insight that could otherwise be overlooked by historians. Disciplinary comparisons are also providing insights in this aspect of studies regarding Alexander. Samuel provides an interesting insight through the comparison of Macedonian politics and economics to those of the Germanic tribes and the states they formed after the fall of Rome and concluding that, “If we see him(Alexander) more like a Viking king than a settled Oriental despot, his impulse to conquer further makes sense, as do some of the events that particularly troubled his ancient biographies.”.[20] This is the most innovative section of studies that I have evaluated in this paper and the one I believe is the most likely to continue to progress.

Conclusion

            Peter Green summarizes the state of the historical climate of the study of Alexander concisely, “After all, in the broadest sense (however we may quibble over the details) the facts of Alexander’s life are not really in dispute.” It is, ultimately, our interpretation of them that matters.”.[21] There are inconsistencies in the facts, and the study of Alexanders campaign route is evidence of this. As archeology provides us with more details of landmarks and cities in the areas of contention this will likely either become more contentious or definitively solved. Unfortunately, the passage of time has been the greatest obstacle in this field of study, both by the change of terrain to the loss of primary materials. There is still room for this facet of study to flourish and it may be beneficial to Archeologists and Historians alike to peruse the breadth of material on this subject to help identify potential locations of interest in this endeavor.

Green’s comment is much more impactful for the deification debate. The seesaw of these opinions can be seen throughout the larger body of work. The fact is that there will be no conclusion of this debate. We cannot diagnose megalomania without the primary evidence that no longer exists and equally cannot identify the exact thoughts of Alexander in any situation. But, even knowing this, this facet of study will continue to be pursued and opinions made. Unless more direct evidence becomes available this will remain a point of contention for in the history of Alexander.

The body information in the study of the impersonal motivations of Alexander is rapidly growing in the modern studies of Alexander. The use of interdisciplinary studies and new information regarding Macedonia and Persian are catalysts in this movement. This is most of the true innovation that is taking place in study of Alexander’s history and seems to be the most prominent and exciting part of Alexander studies today.

Alexander studies have languished in the recent past. The stagnancy of the source information causing limited movement within the historical community and leaving the history subject to the whims of opinionating idealists. The future of this field of study looks promising however, as new evidence in other fields and the potential of recovering new sources of information through archeological and interdisciplinary studies seems likely.

[1] Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 61.

[2]Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, ix.

[3] Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 62.

[4] Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 62.

[5] Stoneman, Richard. 1995. “Naked Philosophers: The Brahmans in the Alexander Historians and the Alexander Romance.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies: 99. (See footnote 1)

[6] Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, ix, 478-487.

[7] Maiden, Henry Elliot. 1880. “Alexander the Great in Affghanistan.” Transactions of The Royal Historical Society 223.

[8] Maiden, Henry Elliot. 1880. “Alexander the Great in Affghanistan.” Transactions of The Royal Historical Society 222-229.

[9] De Bode, Clement Augustus. 1843. “Appendix to the Two Preceding Papers: On the Probable Site of the Uxian City Besieged by Alexander the Great on His Way from Persis to Susa.” The Journal of The Royal Geographical Society of London 108-112.

[10] Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, vi-vii.

[11] Hammond, N. G. L. 1997. “The Genius of Alexander the Great.” Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 199-200.

[12] Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, 35-65, 109, 161, 182, 223, 235, 289, 446.

[13] Hogarth, D. G. 1887. “The Deification of Alexander the Great.” The English Historical Review no. 6: 317-318.

[14] Hogarth, D. G. 1887. “The Deification of Alexander the Great.” The English Historical Review no. 6: 318-319.

[15] Worthington, Ian. 2004. “Alexander the Great: Man and God.” Oxfordshire, England; New York: Routledge, 88-89, 199(Worthington uses some of the same arguments that are refuted in Hogarth’s article)

[16] Worthington, Ian. 2004. “Alexander the Great: Man and God.” Oxfordshire, England; New York: Routledge, 31, 89, 199, 224, 241. (31&224 – quotes an unrecognized anonymous history and draws a definite conclusion that alexander “… decided he was the son of a god.” 89 – using circumstantial evidence draws a definite and unprovable conclusion. 199 – This event is recognized as a romance built around an actual event, Alexander is never actually purported to have been involved in the actual conversation with these philosophers and this is a work of fiction. See Stoneman, Richard. 1995. “Naked Philosophers: The Brahmans in the Alexander Historians and the Alexander Romance.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies: 113.” 224 His bibliographic essay is filled with dangling, vacant criticisms and obviously insulting allusions that are not appropriate to academic literature.)

[17] Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, xiii.

[18] Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 64-72.

[19] Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 70, 75-76.

[20] Samuel, Alan E.  1988. “Philip and Alexander as Kings: Macedonian Monarchy and Merovingian Parallels.” The American Historical Review no. 5: 1286.

[21] Green, Peter, and Peter Green. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press, xv.

Bibliography

 

 

Carol, Thomas G. 2007. “What You Seek Is Here”” Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Historical Society 7, no. 1: 61-83.

De Bode, Clement Augustus. 1843. “Appendix to the Two Preceding Papers: On the Probable Site of the Uxian City Besieged by Alexander the Great on His Way from Persis to Susa.” The Journal of The Royal Geographical Society of London 108-112.

De Mauriac, Henry M. 1949. “Alexander the Great and the Politics of “Homonoia””. Journal of The History of Ideas, (1), 104-114.

Fraser, P. M. 1996. “Cities of Alexander the Great.”  Oxford: Clarendon Press; New York: Oxford University Press.

Green, Peter. 1991. “Alexander of Macedon, 356-323 B.C.: a historical biography.” Berkeley: University of California Press.

Hammond, N. G. L. 1997. “The Genius of Alexander the Great.” Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.

Hill, G. F. 1923. “Alexander the Great and the Persian Lion-Gryphon.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies 156-161.

Hogarth, D. G. 1887. “The Deification of Alexander the Great.” The English Historical Review no. 6: 317-329.

Maiden, Henry Elliot. 1880. “Alexander the Great in Affghanistan.” Transactions of The Royal Historical Society 223-229.

Neujahr, Matthew. 2005. “When Darius Defeated Alexander: Composition and Redact on in the Dynastic Prophecy.” Journal of Near Eastern Studies 64, no. 2: 101-107.

Perkins, Justin and Woolsey Theodore D. 1854. “Notice of a Life of Alexander the Great.” Journal of The American Oriental Society: 357-440.

Samuel, Alan E.  1988. “Philip and Alexander as Kings: Macedonian Monarchy and Merovingian Parallels.” The American Historical Review no. 5: 1270-1286.

Stoneman, Richard. 1995. “Naked Philosophers: The Brahmans in the Alexander Historians and the Alexander Romance.” The Journal of Hellenic Studies: 99-114.

Stoneman, Richard. 2008. “Alexander the Great: a life in legend.” New Haven; London: Yale University Press.

Vincent A., Smith. 1903. “The Position of the Autonomous Tribes of the Panjāb Conquered by Alexander the Great.” Journal of The Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain And Ireland: 685-702.

Worthington, Ian. 2004. “Alexander the Great: Man and God.” Oxfordshire, England; New York: Routledge.

History of Religion Paper

Recognition and Examination of the Rapid Growth of Paganism in Canada.

By Philip Godin

When examining the religious history of Canada, the focus is primarily put on Christian, Catholic, Islamic, and Eastern religious denominations like Buddhism, and Taoism. There is a rising group of individuals who worship within a growing community that has really only risen since the 1960’s. This religious group is not actually new, rather they are revivals of religions that were essentially eliminated by the encroachment and assimilation of the more organized religions previously listed. The Canadian government 2011 National Household survey recorded 25,495 Pagans responding.[1] This is quintuple the amount who registered in 1991.[2] Pagan is a word that suggests the Vikings of premillennial Europe, the Druidic practitioners of Celtic and Pictish traditions of the British isle, and the witches of the medieval period. This is not far from the truth. These religions no longer exist in their original forms, but there are individuals who have decided to revive them, and whom believe in the moral philosophies and rituals described by the lore that remains.[3] With the rapid development of these sects within Canada, I intend to examine some of the historical impacts that have led to their now rapid growth while most other religions in Canada are in decline in the face of secularism.

The Religions: Their Values and Origins

There are many religions who make up the Pagan demographic. To examine all of them in the breadth of this paper is impossible. I will instead examine four groups who exist under the Pagan umbrella term: Wicca, Astaru, Druids, and Technopagans.

“Reclaiming witchcraft is not specifically Wiccan (though some members may use this term) in terms of linage; however, founders of the tradition were influenced by the ritual process and worldview of Garderian Wicca. Reclaiming developed first in the San Francisco area in the 1980’s following the writings and work of Starhawk.”[4]

Wicca is the largest recorded demographic of pagans in Canada; they account for more than forty percent of the total identified Pagans.[5] Depending on the subsect of Wicca one practices, the focus of belief could be on Goddess, magic, community, or a combination thereof. The Wiccan Church of Canada was founded in 1979 by Richard and Tamarra James on the foundations of Gardnairian and Alexandrian traditions.[6] They developed a practice separate from previous devotions that held personal experience paramount called Odeyssian.[7] The incorporation of an individual into this church is an extensive process. It takes dedication and a required comprehension of the rituals, practices, and lore of the devotion. Wicca is probably the most popularized of pagan religions. It is very prevalent throughout pop-culture of the 1990’s and 2000’s, appearing in programs such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and True Blood. Most of the traditional ritual materials are available online and literature is readily available and easily acquired from various vendors. Wicca is associated with “black magic”, particularly with the concepts of hexes or curses. From what I can glean from various sources is that most of the major organized covens do not condone the practice of such rituals and most of such magic is performed by independents or individuals who do not subscribe to the common themes and beliefs of most practitioners. There is room for atheist witches in this organization, those who do not subscribe to the idea of a goddess, but consider the practices metaphoric in nature.[8]

The Astaru, also known by themselves as Heathens, focus on the practices of pre-Christian Germanic and Norse traditions. Much of the body of knowledge that this religion is built around comes from Anglo recreations of Icelandic sagas, Norse mythology, and Germanic Folklore.[9] The community of practitioners have often drifted from other earth based religions such as Wicca or Druidry; the philosophy and tangible practices from the communal trances and gods, who are individuals with deeds, personalities, and flaws rather than intangible forces, are often the catalysts for this transition.[10] Worship is guided through seiðr or spámaðr whom are wise women or prophets respectively.[11] These individuals are responsible for interpreting the outcomes of neo-shamanic rituals that practitioners take part in. There is also a focus on personal development and encouragement to engage in a craft that would be considered native to the original practitioners of the faith. There are three different types of Heathenry: Universalists are inclusive of all potential members, Centrists/Tribalists who require devotion of time and energy invested into learning lore and strict adherence to Heathen values, and Folkish who require strict racial backgrounds to be a part of the community.[12]

Druidry is an earth based religion and could be used to define the term earth based. It is a reclamation of the Celtic Druidic tradition based on the romanticisms in literature of the 18th and 19th century.[13] Though it has its roots in the druidic revival in Britain some 300 years ago, the current incarnation spawned from the Freemason traditions which were responsible for most of the occult exploration prior to the 1960’s in North America.[14] [15] Ross Nickels founded the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids(OBOD) in 1964 after various religious influences passed away and he became disenfranchised with the new leadership in his current tradition.[16] Druidism is an environmentalist religion that focuses on attunement with nature and the gathering , retention, and sharing of knowledge. Of the religions examined in this paper, Druids have the most structure initiation process. Both the OBOD and the Ancient Order of Druids in America(AODA) have university like education programs which require: a membership in the organization, structured curriculum completion, and an observed practicum by an initiated member of the organization.[17] [18] [19] There are various levels of completion that one can attain through these courses and each opens new responsibilities within a community as well as provides them with an avenue for additional respect and adherence. The separate orders are not mutually exclusive and not only communicate with each other but often members are encouraged to engage with several different organizations when they are creating new “seed groups” or “groves” of initiates. There is at least one well established community in Canada who meets regularly once a month and has dedicated itself to the preservation and appreciation of the maintained parklands in Calgary, Alberta. The Chinook Hills Grove are members of the OBOD.[20] Though these structured organizations exist, they account for an unknown percentage of practicing druids as many pursue their own form of Druidic in seclusion and still identify as druids.[21] The spiritual views of druids range throughout the spectrum of belief; some are strictly naturalist or atheist, while others tend towards agnostic, and still others are absorbed by the theology and cosmology of the spiritual connection with plants and animals that druidism instills.[22]

Technopaganism is a new addition to the Pagan traditions. It’s first mainstream observance and recognition came from an article in the mainstream tech magazine Wired in 1995. This article had some very satirical tones, but also some interesting observations and ultimately accepted that the experience recounted had significance for those who were involved. “Research into the composition of neopagan communities has found that a surprisingly high proportion of participants are drawn from technological backgrounds.”[23] This relation between pagans and technology could be the catalyst for this growing subsection of the pagan community.

““Computers are simply mirrors,” Pesce says. “There’s nothing in them that we didn’t put there. If computers are viewed as evil and dehumanizing, then we made them that way. I think computers can be as sacred as we are, because they can embody our communication with each other and with the entities – the divine parts of ourselves – that we invoke in that space.””[24]

Mark Pesce is the examined technopagan practitioner in the Wired article. This quote is quasi indicative of the beliefs that technopagans share. That technology not only is an extrapolation of the human collective consciousness, but is divine in and of itself. This belief that the cyberspace is the connective element between spirituality and reality is the core belief of the technopagan. The use of technology and interaction with it becomes the equivalent to prayer in Christian religions. There is also a cross-over between technopaganism and post/trans-humanist belief. This is the belief that using and incorporation of technology, humans have come to a point in their own existence that they can now guide or even change the course of their evolution.[25] Though trans-humanism and technopaganism are not mutually exclusive, trans-humanism provides an interesting extrapolation for technopagans in that through the trans-humanist philosophy there could be an equivalent to the Christian idea of heaven or the paganist myth of immortality through “magic”; if, in the future, the human consciousness could be passed into a technological vessel and retain self-awareness and the ability to manipulate that environment, then that space would become a programable virtual space for the entity to exist within and communicate from.

Paganism and Society           

The outlooks on paganist beliefs in Western European North America have been mostly negative and even considered it abhorrent. Wicca has the most documented stigmatisms associated with it. This mostly is associated with the “largely invented heretical diabolism persecuted in the Renaissance and Reformation… The popular notions that Pagan practitioners worship the devil, have obscene and orgiastic meetings…”.[26] In Montreal covens in Quebec, Canada there is also criticism of the linguistic barriers associated with the rituals and practices of a mostly francophone demographic as they are preformed almost exclusively in English.[27] Astaru have had their beliefs examined as exclusionary and bigoted specifically against gay men and transsexual individuals due to the term ergi and its traditional applications as well as racial exclusions which are prevalent in the folkish denominations.[28] [29] Druidism is associated with the “tree-hugger” mentality of the hippies of the 60’s and is criticized for the “impossibility” of this religion to be derivative of the Celtic practices that it associates with due to the lack of relics and derivative material from which it could be revived from due to their destruction during the roman occupation of the British Isles and later Christian occupation.[30] Technopaganism suffers from a lack of interest or dismissiveness in its belief system by contemporary academics. Reclusive devotees and a lack of hierarchical organization further obfuscates it and causes many to dismiss it as a faith.

Though these faiths have been traditionally demonized, discredited, or unobserved, they are experiencing growth. There are many factors that can be examined to explain this. The most influential three are: the divergence of the population from traditional religions, such as Christianity, to secularism, the exposure through romanticism of the origin cultures and belief structures that the revivalist religions are based on, and the introduction and acclimatization to different belief systems through new media.

As individuals no longer follow the religions that they were born into some seek out new faith, others abandon it all together, and others find that the doctrines no longer fit their personal narrative. In the study of Heathen growth, it was found that sixty-six percent of Heathens have had prior affiliation with Christianity, Agnostic, or Atheist beliefs before becoming Astaru; in Canada fifty-three percent of Heathens had been practicing for five or more years.[31] A study on the religious conversions of children raised in Pagan households showed “… that the children of Pagans very rarely convert to other religions – most who leave Paganism claim no religious affiliation.”[32] This retention and growth are anomalous with the research on traditional views of religious structures importance, as most Pagan religions worshippers exist outside of the centralized communities.[33] The small communities within these religions, covens/groves/moots, are specialized around the members who participate in them. The contexts and significance are personalized to their needs and perceptions.

Perceptions in the general population are becoming more inclusive to these Pre-Christian belief systems. Popularizations within the media of TV series and Movies like Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the 1990’s, True Blood in the 2000’s, The Craft, Vikings in 2010’s, and even the Marvel franchise are exposing large population bodies in the western world to the belief systems and mythological characters recognized by these religions. Though their accuracy is far from the actual practices or contexts that are present in the practice of these religions, the exposure stimulates interest and acceptance of these views. The increasing importance of environmentalism in politics and societal conscience lends the Druids reverence of nature credence and value. The increasing inclusion of technology and its impact on humanity and the world, combined with its continuing integration into the communication and daily rituals of individuals is conducive to the technopagan reality of its spiritual significance.

MMO’s (Massively Multiplayer Online (Game)) are very new integrations into society. Most are RPG (Role Playing Games) oriented, though with variations on sub genre’s and some existing outside of the RPG element all together. In one such game, WOW (World of Warcraft), the Church of the Holy Light exists and hosts over 800,000 members in its virtual congregation; it is an invented religion, fiction based, hyper real and exists alongside of several other religions within the game.[34] The other religions include but are not exclusive to: druidism, shamanism, and occult religions; these denominations expose players to “fictional” examples of these Pagan traditions.[35] The RP(roleplaying) elements of this game encourages players to create a character within the game world who exists separately of themselves and often they use this opportunity to interact with this fictional world with a religious worldview that they do not adhere to in reality; some of these players express that this has allowed them to become more understanding or even sympathetic to the religious choices that others have made, or even reevaluate their own beliefs.[36] This case study is indicative to the effect of new media on the perceptions of individuals when examining revivalist movements such as the ones discussed in this paper. Even though the religions in this virtual space are fictional, the impacts are evident. Overall the globalization of technology has probably had the most impact on the growth of Pagan religions.

Technology and its Impact on Paganism

Probably the most detrimental inhibition to the growth of Pagan devotions, when they were incepted in the 1960’s, was the scarcity of available information on the practices and restrictions in communication and finding a community or even other practitioners. Unless you were privileged enough to live in one of the major cities that the revivalist movements blossomed, were a part of the Freemason societies when the druidic divergence occurred, or were lucky enough to come across an occult magazine like Hectate’s Loom, your ability to adopt these practices were severely stunted. This changed with the arrival of the information era. The communicative avenues were a literal god(s)send for the technopagans and allowed for other Pagan communities to breach the difficulties associated with the vast distances that separated communities and the costs of producing, distributing, and subscribing to material correspondence. It allowed access to the global materials that revivalists needed to substantiate their ethos and access to the procurement of the materials that were essential to their rituals.

Convergent spiritual practices have been thoroughly examined though interactions of religious communities in an online environment; by being able to access multiple sources of practices and literature, engage with various different communities and mentors, examine different examples of ritual and engagement, and inform themselves of the availability and location of communal gatherings of similar practitioners, individuals are able to conform their religious practices to serve their individual spiritual needs.[37]  “… Online religious communities often function differently from those in conventional institutions…”[38]; because of this Pagan organizations are uniquely suited to the online environment as they exist outside of conventional institutions, it is conceivable to elude that they developed partially within the online environment and it intuitively shaped the communities that we see today.

Jenny Blain, when accounting her first personal experience of Oracular Seiðr, describes her interest and exploration of the concepts that she would be experiencing through research done through the internet and communication via email lists before attending the ritual.[39] This is not an uncommon introduction to Paganism. In Cragle’s study on Heathens sixty-eight percent of respondents indicated that there is no room for evangelism in their religion, twenty percent further indicated that they were selectively evangelist, confining the practice to family, friends, and close associates; though a surprising seventy-two percent said they were completely or mostly openly religious.[40] Relating this to Paganism in general most individuals who decide to initiate themselves within a Pagan tradition will have had some interaction with these online presences.

Social networks have been and are still an important resource for those who want to access these communities; in Pagan communities the internet is a sacred space or even a sacramental one, email lists, like the one used by Jenny Blain, are a communal space used to encourage, support, inform, and discuss religious discourse while also acting as a repository for myth and source material that creates a unique spiritual narrative, cohesion, and identity strived for by the community in each member.[41] Additionally, internal communities, such as the OBOD, use a closed network to retain their privacy and restrict access to the materials their community has developed during its existence. They also have effectively created an online education system with the use of online email mentorship and program registration.

Pagan religions have become global phenomena. OBOD claims over 10,000 members worldwide, Cragle’s data on heathenry was obtained from primarily North America but had respondents throughout Europe, and Wicca is recognized worldwide and is even often depicted in Japanese pop-culture such as manga and anime.[42] [43] The broad reach of these otherwise small, shy, and secluded communities can be attributed almost exclusively to the global communication network of the information era.

Conclusion

Canadians made up five percent of the total demographic of Cragle’s survey.[44] The total population of Canadian Pagans who openly provide their religious affiliation is growing exponentially in each household survey issued by the Canadian government. Through the last sixty years, the organized proponents of these faiths have developed secure structures through which they are now involving an increasing number of individuals. Influenced by popular media, global communication, and the moral, ethical, logical, mythological, interpretation, and freedom of belief these religions provide, the populations is becoming more accepting and appreciative of the values and motives of these revivalist institutions. Paganism is growing and will continue to do so; the lack of centralization or organization of a defined ethos will be to its benefit due to the inclusionary nature of these spiritual paths and their overlap with one another. Technology will continue to factor into their growth and expression. As these larger groups succeed, more Pagan revivals will grow and come into existence. High retention of children and the retention of converts within Pagan traditions has caused growth to remain exponential. While other religions face decline in the face of growing secularism, Paganism shows that it has prospered and has the potential to continue to do so.

[1] Canada, Government Of Canada Statistics. “2011 National Household Survey: Data tables – Religion (108) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey.” Located under the Other Religions heading.

[2] Reid, Síân. 2005. “Renovating the Broom Closet: Factors Contributing to the Growth of Contemporary Paganism in Canada.” Pomegranate 7, no. 2: pg136.

[3] Klassen, Chris. 2013. “The Role of Nature in the Construction of Ethics: A Study among Contemporary Pagans in Ontario, Canada.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 7, no. 1: pg52

[4] Klassen, Chris. 2013. “The Role of Nature in the Construction of Ethics: A Study among Contemporary Pagans in Ontario, Canada.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 7, no. 1: pg52

[5] Canada, Government Of Canada Statistics. “2011 National Household Survey: Data tables – Religion (108) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey.” Located under the Other Religions heading.

[6] Landstreet, Lynna. “A Brief History of the WCC and the Odyssean Tradition.” The Wiccan Church of Canada: History. 1997.

[7] Landstreet, Lynna. “A Brief History of the WCC and the Odyssean Tradition.” The Wiccan Church of Canada: History. 1997.

[8] Klassen, Chris. 2013. “The Role of Nature in the Construction of Ethics: A Study among Contemporary Pagans in Ontario, Canada.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 7, no. 1: pg51

[9] Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic : Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002. Pg89-92

[10] Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic : Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002. Pg12-14

[11] Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic : Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002. Pg10-12, 19-20, 27

[12] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 89-90.

[13] Klassen, Chris. 2013. “The Role of Nature in the Construction of Ethics: A Study among Contemporary Pagans in Ontario, Canada.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 7, no. 1: pg52

[14] The Bard, Dehm. “Druidcast Episode 1.” Druidcast – The Druid Podcast: Episode 1 (audio blog)

[15] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 449

[16] The Bard, Dehm. “Druidcast Episode 1.” Druidcast – The Druid Podcast: Episode 1 (audio blog)

[17] “Frequently Asked Questions.” AODA.org – Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed November 19th, 2017. https://aoda.org/faq.html#13.

[18] “Frequently Asked Questions About the Course.” Order of Bards and Druids. September 25, 2015. Accessed November 19th, 2017. http://www.druidry.org/join/frequently-asked-questions-about-course.

[19] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 457.

[20] Storm, Feather, and Amethyst BanDraoi. “Chinook Hills Druidry.” Chinook Hills Druidry. January 01, 1970. Accessed December 03, 2017. http://www.chinookhillsdruidry.org/.

[21] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 451.

[22] [22] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 454.

[23] Garner, Stephen. 2004. “Praying with machines: religious dreaming in cyberspace.” Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal Of Christian Thought & Practice 12, no. 3: 18

[24] Davis, Erik. “Technopagans.” Wired. July 01, 1995.

[25] Garner, Stephen. 2004. “Praying with machines: religious dreaming in cyberspace.” Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal Of Christian Thought & Practice 12, no. 3: 18

[26] Reid, Síân. 2005. “Renovating the Broom Closet: Factors Contributing to the Growth of Contemporary Paganism in Canada.” Pomegranate 7, no. 2: pg129-130.

[27] Lepage, Martin. 2013. “A Lokian Family: Queer and Pagan Agency in Montreal.” Pomegranate 15, no. 1/2: 83.

[28] Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic : Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002. Pg 111-141

[29] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 81-91.

[30] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 449-451.

[31] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 94-95.

[32] Fennell, Julie, and Laura A. Wildman-Hanlon. 2017. “The children of converts: Beyond the first generation of contemporary Pagans.” Social Compass 64, no. 2: 302.

[33] Fennell, Julie, and Laura A. Wildman-Hanlon. 2017. “The children of converts: Beyond the first generation of contemporary Pagans.” Social Compass 64, no. 2: 303.

[34] Schaap, Julian, and Stef Aupers. 2017. “‘Gods in World of Warcraft exist’: Religious reflexivity and the quest for meaning in online computer games.” New Media & Society 19, no. 11: 1745.

[35] Schaap, Julian, and Stef Aupers. 2017. “‘Gods in World of Warcraft exist’: Religious reflexivity and the quest for meaning in online computer games.” New Media & Society 19, no. 11: 1748.

[36] Schaap, Julian, and Stef Aupers. 2017. “‘Gods in World of Warcraft exist’: Religious reflexivity and the quest for meaning in online computer games.” New Media & Society 19, no. 11: 1750 – 1755.

[37] Campbell, Heidi A. 2013. “Religion and the Internet: A microcosm for studying Internet trends and implications.” New Media & Society 15, no. 5: 682-684

[38] Campbell, Heidi A. 2013. “Religion and the Internet: A microcosm for studying Internet trends and implications.” New Media & Society 15, no. 5: 685

[39] Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic : Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002. Pg. 75

[40] [40] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 106-109.

[41] Campbell, Heidi. 2005. “Considering spiritual dimensions within computer-mediated communication studies.” New Media & Society 7, no. 1: 118-126.

[42] Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal For The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 451

[43] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 79-80.

[44] Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 79-80.

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

“Frequently Asked Questions.” AODA.org – Frequently Asked Questions. Accessed November 19th, 2017. https://aoda.org/faq.html#13.

“Frequently Asked Questions About the Course.” Order of Bards and Druids. September 25, 2015. Accessed November 19th, 2017. http://www.druidry.org/join/frequently-asked-questions-about-course.

Aupers, Stef. 2002. “The Revenge of the Machines: On Modernity, Digital Technology and Animism.” Asian Journal of Social Science 30, no. 2: 199-218.

Blain, Jenny. 2002. Nine Worlds of Seid-Magic: Ecstasy and Neo-Shamanism in North European Paganism. London: Routledge, 2002.

Campbell, Heidi. 2005. “Considering spiritual dimensions within computer-mediated communication studies.” New Media & Society 7, no. 1: 110-134.

Campbell, Heidi. 2007. “Who’s Got the Power? Religious Authority and the Internet.” Journal Of Computer-Mediated Communication 12, no. 3: 1043-1062.

Campbell, Heidi A. 2013. “Religion and the Internet: A microcosm for studying Internet trends and implications.” New Media & Society 15, no. 5: 680-694.

Canada, Government of Canada Statistics. “2011 National Household Survey: Data tables – Religion (108) for the Population in Private Households of Canada, Provinces, Territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Census Agglomerations, 2011 National Household Survey.” Government of Canada, Statistics Canada. February 14, 2017. Accessed November 13, 2017.

http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/nhs-enm/2011/dp-pd/dt-td/Rp-eng.cfm?LANG=E&APATH=3&DETAIL=0&DIM=0&FL=A&FREE=0&GC=0&GID=0&GK=0&GRP=0&PID=105399&PRID=0&PTYPE=105277&S=0&SHOWALL=0&SUB=0&Temporal=2013&THEME=95&VID=0

Charbonneau, Marisol. 2007. “The Melting Cauldron: Ethnicity, Diversity, and Identity in a Contemporary Pagan Subculture.” Pomegranate 9, no. 1: 5-21.

Clarke, Peter B. 2006. Encyclopedia of New Religious Movements. London: Routledge, 2006.

Cragle, Joshua Marcus. 2017. “Contemporary Germanic/Norse Paganism and Recent Survey Data.” Pomegranate 19, no. 1: 77-116.

Davis, Erik. “Technopagans.” Wired. July 01, 1995. Accessed November 13, 2017. https://www.wired.com/1995/07/technopagans/.

Fennell, Julie, and Laura A. Wildman-Hanlon. 2017. “The children of converts: Beyond the first generation of contemporary Pagans.” Social Compass 64, no. 2: 288-306

Garner, Stephen. 2004. “Praying with machines: religious dreaming in cyberspace.” Stimulus: The New Zealand Journal of Christian Thought & Practice 12, no. 3: 16-22

Kirner, Kimberly D. 2015. “Pursuing the Salmon of Wisdom: The Sacred in Folk Botanical Knowledge Revival among Modem Druids.” Journal for The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 9, no. 4: 448-482.

Klassen, Chris. 2013. “The Role of Nature in the Construction of Ethics: A Study among Contemporary Pagans in Ontario, Canada.” Journal for The Study Of Religion, Nature & Culture 7, no. 1: 49-64.

Landstreet, Lynna. “A Brief History of the WCC and the Odyssean Tradition.” The Wiccan Church of Canada: History. 1997. (Accessed November 26, 2017. http://www.wcc.on.ca/history.html.)

Lepage, Martin. 2013. “A Lokian Family: Queer and Pagan Agency in Montreal.” Pomegranate 15, no. 1/2: 79-100.

Reid, Síân. 2005. “Renovating the Broom Closet: Factors Contributing to the Growth of Contemporary Paganism in Canada.” Pomegranate 7, no. 2: 128-140.

Schaap, Julian, and Stef Aupers. 2017. “‘Gods in World of Warcraft exist’: Religious reflexivity and the quest for meaning in online computer games.” New Media & Society 19, no. 11: 1744-1760.

Storm, Feather, and Amethyst BanDraoi. “Chinook Hills Druidry.” Chinook Hills Druidry. January 01, 1970. Accessed November 26, 2017. http://www.chinookhillsdruidry.org/.

The Bard, Dehm. “Druidcast Episode 1.” Druidcast – The Druid Podcast: Episode 1 (audio blog), June 01, 2007. Accessed November 26, 2017.

00:01:55-00:06:30

 

Fourth Analysis

History of Childhood and Education in Canada

The three articles we read this week were based around some interesting concepts that dominated the Canadian view of children and education during the first half of the twentieth century, focusing in the time of World War II. The article by Meyer focuses on the direct effects that the militarization of Canada during World War Two had on legislation regarding children and family and that it also directly affected the curriculums and learning environments of children in the education system. Roy’s article is focused on the educational conditions of Japanese individuals who were placed into internment camps and the strong communities that provided for their members. Lastly, Gleason theorizes that the end of world war two marked the change in Canadian society wherein psychiatry and psychology are considered valid scientific practices which ultimately leads to the weight of blame for the deviance of children to be squarely laid on the shoulders of the parents, focusing mostly on mothers, and results in the change of the responsibilities of the members of the family unit comparable to the last monumental change to the family unit resulting from the introduction of the industrial era.

The period in all these pieces are in the same timeline and relate to one another in regard to the different changes in the requirements of educational bodies to provide specific curriculums to students, the overbearing legislations handed down by the government to prevent child deviancy, and tones of anti-Semitism that resulted from the conflict of the time. The articles are all well written and researched. They provide interesting social narratives in all three concepts which overlap with one another.

The question I would be most interesting in exploring regarding these articles would be a comparison of the information provided in Meyer’s article regarding the increase in juvenile crimes and research into each individual and whether the increase could be directly related to parents or other individuals who provided for the family being drafted into the war effort and whether those crimes were mostly related to the curfews and perhaps thefts to provide for families struggling with providing for themselves after the loss of the main bread winner.

Third Analysis

Analysis of Women Teachers in Canada, 1881-1901 and I Am Here to Help If You Need Me’: British Columbia’s Rural Teachers’ Welfare Officer, 1928-1934

By Philip Godin

These two articles are similar in nature, though cover very different aspects in a common historical premise, women in teaching roles. Sager uses an extremely detailed investigative method to uncover the vast reasons that potentially could impact the nature of teaching as a female dominated profession during the last half of the nineteenth century. He primarily focuses on the impact that the exceptional salary in comparison to other positions traditionally offered to women during this period impacted households in a beneficial way. Wilson’s work, in comparison, offers a look at the teaching conditions, primarily in the form of interpersonal relations, through the journals of an officer appointed to aid in these matters and extrapolates that the rural difficulties faced by women in these positions were often strenuous or even dangerous. Sager’s use of census data, government records, and other bureaucratic information is substantively different than Wilson’s use of personal correspondence, and journal entries. I found sager to be a much dryer read in comparison to Wilson, mostly for empathetic reasons.

Sager’s work provides us with important information regarding the economic impact that teaching as a mandatory profession had on the industrial burgeoning happing in what were rural occupations. The fact that it provided a substantive income in comparison to other mainly female occupations was interesting in the idea of heavier cost comparisons for large farmsteads and the aid it provided families that could spare female children to the profession. Also, the potential for independent females to be able to provide for themselves individually. When contrasted with Wilson’s work though we see that this income came at a cost. Most positions were not city positions and the ability for the women to socialize was severely restricted. In some cases, the hardships were even too much for the individual to endure. There was also little in the way of support networks for those who opted for this profession and the bar against marriage ultimately left them isolated, though there were exceptions to this.

Sager’s cold calculations are a necessary part of the historian’s job. Data, though is just that data. Though he did include some interpersonalization with the reader though the inclusion of the McQueen dialogues in his paper, it was ultimately a very hard read. It would be useful for an individual to comb for necessary facts to support an argument, but not palatable to the average reader. Wilson’s use of empathy in his article through the personal history of an individual directly involved with the strife of the subjects being examined is much more readable to the average person and is written in such a way that provides a running narrative for the reader to follow. Though I know the necessity of works like Sager’s, I feel they are important resources for fellow historians, I believe that works like Wilson’s are far more apt to allow for common individuals to take interest in the history presented. This leads me to the importance of the writer to know the audience he intends to engage with his piece.

Second Analysis

Analysis of Motherhood and Public Schooling in Victorian Toronto

By Philip Godin

The authors main thesis is that by examining the journals of the Truant Officer W.C Wilkinson appointed by the Toronto Board of Education in 1872 we can make reasonable observations about the reasons that children were absent for their mandatory education requirements prescribed by the government, the monetary structure of the individuals and families of the people he interacted with, family hierarchies of the individuals and families he interacted with, and how the strict schedule of the school system affected individuals and families. The document was written to provide a general perspective of the new appointment of Truant Officer that came with mandatory education laws and explore the observations provided by a primary source. This article provides insight to the family hierarchy, the difficulties of monopolizing the time of children both for the family and from the prospective of the authorities attempting to educate them, and the affects that the structured time restrictions had on family lives. The examples provided and general observations are convincing.

The author mostly relies on excerpts from W.C. Wilkinson’s journal but also references various federal documents from the period. Observations from the journal and records of conversations and instances from the Truant Officers activity allow him to draw various conclusions. This article provides a great secondary source for the historiography’s regarding the change to the scheduled day and how exact time became more important with the advent of industrialized work days, family hierarchies in Victorian Canada, and the difficulties of establishing mandatory educational requirements by government legislation. The content regarding family helps cement some of the ideas of the Hidden Workers article we read last week.

I wondered what forms of intimidation that were mentioned were used by W.C. Wilkinson in the article were. I also wonder what were the exact numbers of households visited in a year and the differences of truancy statistics based on the month of the year, whether there were significant flux’s during the winter months as the article had significant focus on the gathering of fuel for poorer households. There were many references of punishment for parents who allowed their children to evade their school responsibilities. Most of the arguments seemed relatively well thought out and I had no confusion. I would like to examine the classes perspective on paid apprenticeship instead of mandatory schooling as an option for children.

I believe that mandatory reading, writing, math education is necessary. A lot of what is considered necessary education today is superfluous. Instead of music, social studies, literature, and arts being offered in public schools’ classes regarding national law, tax responsibilities and the current political budget, computer skills, budgeting, work studies, and home economics should be mandatory. The other subjects could be electives or offered in specialty art schools.

Analysis of The Boys in the Nova Scotian Coal Mines: 1873-1923

By Philip Godin

The thesis statement of this article is that the advent of mandatory schooling coincided with the restrictions placed on the age of workers in unionized industries like coal mining reducing the options for apprenticeship of young children. It was written with the express purpose of examining the impact on child labor in the mining industry, their responsibilities, and impact on that industry. The article sheds a lot of light on the opportunities offered in small single industry towns and how the industries were designed to include the children of a community and provide additional incomes to the families that relied upon it. The argument is well developed and seems unbiased.

The author uses records from mining industries, the observations of various journalists at the time, and government records. By using these records, they provide a strong idea of the working roles of the children in these mines, the conditions they faced, the demands that they put on the mines they worked for, and how the limiting of their inclusion in the work forced the mines to change policy. This document supplements existing topical discussions on child labor, the prevalence and effect on children, and how the application of mandatory education changed the qualities and environments of major industries. This gives us a more rural understanding of the effect the institution of government mandated educations effect on communities.

This article made me think a lot about how apprenticeship was phased out of education and whether that was ultimately a good thing. It also suggested how industries now are much harder pressed to find a cyclical labor source to provide essential materials to the economy and whether that is a good or bad thing I have difficulty deciding. I wasn’t surprised by the age of the children who worked in the mine, but was surprised of the lack of mention of the average lifespan of a young worker who worked the mine from an early age. My understanding of coal mines is limited but I believe that croup and the black lung were often aliments that caused miners to eventually fall ill and die. I think that this further establishes my want to question the class about early life apprenticeships and their potential benefit for low income families and children.

I think mandatory schooling should be implemented, however, opportunities to learn a trade early in life as an alternative, supplemented by regimental school for fundamentals, is ultimately a feasible integration that was outlawed instead of reformed.

First Analysis

Analysis of Egerton Ryerson and the School as an Agent of Political Socialization

By Philip Godin

At the beginning of this writing we are provided the statement:

“that children can acquire basic knowledge, values, and attitudes that

influence their future behavior as citizens and political actors; and second,

that all political regimes accept pre-adult political education and learning as

a necessary prerequisite to their survival.”

This is a red herring and the actual purpose of this paper is to demonize the institutionalization of political theory and education to the masses as a brain washing tactic to pacify the underclass. The argument is well developed and uses the personal correspondence, writings, and statements of Egerton Ryerson, who held the office of superintendent of education, to prove an insidious propaganda behind the instillation of public office that “enforced government and council regulations prescribing required training, the curriculum (in great detail), working conditions, holidays, professional development, and, in the early days, personal conduct as well as teaching methods.”

Early on the author focuses on Egerton’s trip to Europe and personal correspondence there of discussing the various social education systems in relation to one another. He attacks the personal views of Egerton as a staunch supporter of the constitutional monarchy by ridiculing his distaste for the republic social systems of France and America as Egerton instead prefers the systems drawn from Prussia, Bravaria, and Holland. The author does a very good job, however, of explaining the political instability that was dominating Canadian politics at the time and relating them to Egerton’s forthcoming actions.

The author is insistent that Egerton’s ultimate goal throughout the paper is to create an agent of the monarchy in the form of a general education system that would prevent change and pacify the populous. I don’t believe that he did this well because I came out of the experience nodding my head and entirely respecting the efforts taken by Egerton to create a system of education that would not only integrate the different social classes (effectively creating the social connections between the upper class intellectuals, that he indicates make up the eventual political leaders of the country, and labour class), but also educate the masses on the way the government worked to prevent the ability of the radical party politics of the time to control them by making promises of radical change and promote the idea that stable gradual change to legislation was beneficial to every individual in the country.

It is my belief that this article is a targeted rally against the idea of political manipulation of the masses with prejudice to the understanding that such efforts are required to maintain peace in an organized society. In his conclusion, the author is extremely negative of Egerton’s utopian views, I just think he was an optimist.

Analysis of Reform, Literacy, and the Lease: The Prince Edward Island Free Education Act of 1852

By Philip Godin

The main thesis of this author is to find the answer two questions regarding the Free Education Act of 1852, firstly why the poor agrarian populous would be so interested in enacting it and secondly, why it was the first to do so. The author points out some contrived ideas that had been reported as potential subjects of note before this, mostly regarding the reduction of the ability of radical political sects to influence the populous but quickly dismisses them with satisfactory competence. This is followed by an extremely well-developed reminder of the colonial nature of our past as a country. The idea of serfdom is often fondly remembered as a relic of the landed nobility of Europe but we often forget that the rights of land owners and the sale and ownership of colonial lands were common practice during the development of our country. This reminder adds a vibrant potency to the arguments of our author.

Most of the evidence provided to us is legal in nature, case histories, statements, lease records. There are also journals from the assembly, personal accounts, and even a jaunty ballad to be had. These combined with the secondary and tertiary stories lend to a very convincing and enlightening argument. As an agent landlord myself, I found some very interesting parallels to equivalent situations in the management of property today. I find the advent of the population mentioned to advocate for education with the express notion of being able to understand and confirm their rights to be apt. I always provide new tenants with a copy of their rights and go over the contract of their tenancy in detail, but often find that they do not take the process or information seriously and this usually leads them to being uniformed when they breach said contract and I have to perform disciplinary action as is my fiduciary responsibility to my clients. As in the previous article I viewed we find that the institution of education to be a tool for social reform and to enable the masses to create and protect a provincial doctrine that helps provide for them.

I really enjoyed the impartial nature of this authors writing style. Rather than trying to impress a biased opinion, he proposed a question and by using facts and logical recourse allowed the reader to join him in the natural conclusion of the provided evidence. He could have attempted to shroud James Horsfield Peters as a tyrannical dynamo intent on destroying the claims of the populous just by omitting some evidence or focusing on the rather strict nature of his proprietary attitude towards his job. Instead we are provided the evidence that though strict and unforgiving of intentional belligerence he was a capable and fair administrator and even lenient to those who had previously been left to their own devices on the land that he was responsible for. He was also lauded for his due diligence in settling disputes and providing proper documentation in all his negotiated deals with tenants.

I was quite surprised that PEI was the first colony to adopt the idea of freely provided education for the masses subsidized by the government. After reading the well devised arguments in this article I see why it would have been so important and I agree with the conclusion of the author that the jeopardy faced by tenant immigrants and occupants of the island colony, combined with the learned distrust of the organized legal elite, and the remnants of the chaotic settlement of the colony lead to the population being so perfunctory in enacting this piece of legislation.

Analysis of Hidden Workers: Child Labour and the Family Economy in Late Nineteenth-Century Urban Ontario.

By Philip Godin

The main thesis of this author is that in the change from rural to urban lifestyle most families were not spared the use of children in domestic labor; instead they were more often exploited/required as additional income workers to provide for poor to lower-middle class families. The article is written to provide an insight to the necessity of children during the industrial revolution to provided menial labor for family benefit and were often unable to attend educational institutions because of those responsibilities. This article stresses the typical majority of urban families and their struggle to maintain a comfortable existence in a changing economy. The argument provided by the author is well developed, though I found it specifically designed to inspire compassion for the individuals of this period when the sources provided make emphasis that this is the common occurrence for families of this time. The focus on the lack of “upwards mobility” created for the discussed class of citizens during a time when such ideals were uncommon and survival still the primary focus of most urban populations worldwide seems idealistic at best to me.

The evidence provided mostly comes in the form of public records, archives, news articles, journals, and personal correspondence. In relation to the other articles provided this week, this one delves into the difficulty of trying to integrate the philosophy of required practical education and the difficulties in trying to enforce said social reform. The change from rural to urban environments did not instantly change the historical practicality that children were practical and even sought-after aids in the economic needs of a household. This article presents the evidence of this fact very well.

As I am often want to do when presented with a singular facet of an individual, I believe that I would want to personally delve into the information regarding J. J. Kelso. His interference on the mercantile pursuits of the newsboys and development of the Children’s Aid Society impart on me the impression of a very interesting individual and an interesting brand of politics. I was also slightly confused by the brief focus on social differences regarding the expectations between male and female children. It seemed to be superficially glossed over and I am interested in the intentions of the author regarding this. With regards to the idea of apprenticeship and the prevention of the development of criminal elements in society I think that a good conversational topic in class would be what would be a good alternate schooling system for those who are not susceptible to the system of education developed during this period and as an individual who started working for wages at the age of twelve the collective philosophy on when children should be allowed to work. Another good topic would be the foster system as this article made many good points on the abuses that can happen in said system and whether the government has an obligation to provide better options for those individuals, perhaps in some sort of public institution.