National Council on Public History

Thomas M. Littlewood, Student, University of New Brunswick

Proposal Type: Panel

Abstract: This is a digital history project which maps the war memorials in New Brunswick, Canada. As a bilingual province, New Brunswick is an interesting case study for the country. As we move through the centenary of the Great War, scholarly work on commemoration is becoming more and more important.

Seeking: Every November 11, communities rally around their war memorials to pay tribute to those men and women who fell in time of battle. The ceremony is fairly standard, but the memorials are not. No two war memorials are the same, and each has a story and those stories shed light on the socio-economic situation of the society in which they were built. For my digital history project, I am going to map the war memorials—not all of them, because almost every municipality has one—around the province of New Brunswick. New Brunswick is an interesting case because it is the only bilingual province; therefore, some of the discussions and questions raised in New Brunswick’s case can be extended to the country at large.

I am looking for individuals who might be able to contribute to a panel on either commemoration or digital mapping and/or the use of HGIS. I am also looking for individuals with particular experience in helping to develop and enhance the project.

Related Topics: Digital, Memory, Place

If you have a direct offer of assistance, sensitive criticism, or wish to share contact information for other people the proposer should reach out to, please get in contact directly: Thomas M. Littlewood, thomas.littlewood[at]unb.ca

If you have general ideas or feedback to share please feel free to use the comments feature below.

Discussion