June 19, 2012
In a landmark year when Calgary is celebrating 100 years of history in many of its major social and cultural institutions, local history buffs and leading local and international scholars of Western Canadian history are joining the foray at Directions West, the third biennial Western Canadian Studies Conference at the University of Calgary from June 20-23.
The event will showcase themes of Western Canadian history such as the exhibition and preservation of the past through photographs, oral histories and knowledge of First Nations Elders; Western movements for gender and racial equality; and the legacy of recently-deceased Alberta author Robert Kroetsch. The event features concerts by the Black Pioneer Heritage Singers and University of Calgary history alumnus T. Buckley. It also includes historical walking tours, a trip to Banff, and a performance by historian Raphael Cristy at the Glenbow museum, in conjunction with the special Stampede centennial exhibit of Charlie Russell paintings.
“Directions West honours the tradition of Western Canadian Studies scholarship in Calgary, and explores the most fruitful approaches to the future of Western Canada and its borderlands,” says Elizabeth Jameson, history professor at the University of Calgary, and member of the Directions West steering committee.
The conference is open to the public. Registration can be purchased online or on-site for single days. For more information and to register, including a complete schedule of panels and events, visit the Directions West at www.hist.ucalgary.ca/dnswest/
Elizabeth Jameson is available for media interviews. Members of the media may interview presenters or attend conference sessions.
For more information, contact:
Jennifer Myers, Communications Director
Faculty of Arts, University of Calgary
Phone: 403.220.4117; cell: 403.801.3965
Email: myers@ucalgary.ca