Attaining the end of an academic career gives time to wonder “What was THAT all about?” Since most of you are still right in the thick of it, I’ll consider that theme BRIEFLY and let you get back home to the article you’re writing that’s two weeks past deadline. That’s still pretty early, for groundbreaking work in the humanities, right?
The humanities – including our department’s classics, history, religion, diaspora and gender studies, don’t necessarily focus the way our science and tech colleagues do, on being right up to the minute. We’re not talking stale bread here but – at its best – the bread of life.
We work on the assumption that the human subjects we study are relevant – what they did millennia ago, even forsaken cultures in remote places. We perceive them as our kin – and devote our lives to uncovering their mindset. Since humanities are our intellectual home, we tend to take their importance for granted. But think about a university that was ONLY about management, science, forensics, information technology. Think about a world where no one heard about 5th century Athens, Zoroaster, the hegira of 622, Marie Antionette, Ste Marie among the Hurons, Mother Teresa….or how transgender and intersectionality shape lives in Toronto, and Kabul, today.
Teaching the Internship course, I saw the way humanities nourish daily life. Aware now of local history, the students can look down from the QEW bridge over the Credit and recognize the spot where the Mississauga arrived to fish and trade, and built with aboriginal missionary Peter Jones a model village – which didn’t prevent their removal in 1847. Driving across the bridge at Dundas and Mississauga Rd. conjures up the 1837 rebel William Lyon Mackenzie, who hid under it while fleeing west with a 1000-pound reward on his head. Cawthra and Dixie roads honour two horse and buggy doctors who made it through to grateful settlers in the woods. Humanities can add all kinds of dimensions to the daily drive!
We faculty and staff in the Department play a part in delivering our finds to students, scholarly venues, media sometimes. Our subjects affirm that the human story is rich, diverse, QUESTIONABLE, and above all, full of interest and instruction for those of us spinning around on the planet today. As I sign off from that meaningful calling, it’s reassuring to know the task is in your good hearts, wise brains and capable hands.
Thanks so much to all of you for being here today. You’ve been great colleagues and I’m honored that you’re here.
I’ll start with a word about our extraordinary staff. About Duncan – genius with numbers and with words. He has produced hundreds of documents in his time with the Department, including many a successful application on our behalf. This is a Renaissance man – the amazing collages on his office wall are done by him.
About Shabina – for her well organized office, who knows how to find and provide what we need. And she does it so cheerfully – and so fast!
About Sharon – as anyone who’s served on Curriculum Cttee knows, is on top of course material and all the records. She can navigate the Registrar Office maze like a smooth bowling alley. And she’s willing to share her insider knowledge, with insight, kindness – and WIT too!
About Heather – best known thru our newsletter which suddenly sprang to LIFE under her hand, populated with the amorous deer and dive-bombing bluejays she spots out her window. And she organized today’s lovely event…
My thanks to our Chair, Rebecca, who’s shown strength during difficulty, including steering us right at the start through a long TA strike. She did all the background and foreground work required to add to the department such excellent new members – including Cassandra and Carrie standing here! Rebecca’s working with us now to meet the challenge of balancing our research with a more generous, active presence on campus . Thanks to you past and present administrators who are here, Bob and Shafique, who did much to build our Department; and to those kind enough to join us today from other departments, Anna Korteweg and Claude Evans.
Also here are luminaries of Women and Gender Studies – Joan who’s greatly expanded our program in quality and quantity; and June Larkin and Connie Guberman, who built the program from the ground floor at St.George and Scarborough. When we were undergrads in the 70s, women’s history was in its infancy. There was a common notion that, apart from a few queens and suffragettes, there wasn’t much to say: from the Cave to the Present, it was pretty much a story of making meals and babies. Gays and other groups along the gender spectrum were unmentionable. Now there’s a vast scholarship and robust student interest in gender-related courses. I think opening up discussion about a neglected half of humanity was the signal accomplishment of my generation of scholars.
I salute all my other UTM colleagues standing here for the initiatives you’ve spearheaded with intelligence and integrity. Mairi, Enrico, Ajay, Boris, and Ken, I know the committees are in safe hands with you!
I owe special gratitude to Laurel Macdowell. She’s from a fearless Labour Union family, and it was her rock-solid determination that allowed me after years as a sessional to make the transition some of you too have made, from precarious employment to a permanent position doing what we love. May we continue to befriend the sessionals, whose work is invaluable – including our Canadianist Richard White whose work on city planning wins international acclaim.
You (and others who sent greetings but couldn’t be here in this busy conference season) are the people I’m sorry to retire FROM. I’ll end with those I’m happy to retire TO. I get a glow just THINKING about our son Noel, a new law Prof at University of Windsor. It’s always been a joy to share with him the passion for writing and teaching – and countless conversations about how to get it right! Warm thanks too to his partner Angelique Moss. She combines running an Estates Law practice with being the world’s most considerate daughter-in-law. I look forward to more time with these two and their brilliant kids – and with our daughter Abby in the UK as well. (I see travel in the crystal ball…)
The most thanks of all go to my partner Wynton Semple. He usually writes legal contracts, but from my graduate school days he’s had a sideline of pruning the mixed metaphors out of my sometimes overly imaginative writing. He packed the kids’ lunches when I headed off to other parts of country for work – and he believed in equality in housework and childcare, back when it was still somewhat novel as a marital arrangement. THANK YOU, Wynton! + all the rest of you too.