The Oxford Companion to Canadian History

The Oxford Companion to Canadian History
Title	The Oxford Companion to Canadian History
Editors	See Editorial History and Editions
Country	Canada / United Kingdom
Language	English
Subject	Canadian history
Genre	Reference work
Publisher	Oxford University Press
Pub date	See Publication and Editions Data
Media type	Print; electronic
Pages	Varies by edition

The Oxford Companion to Canadian History is a comprehensive reference work compiling biographies, events, places, institutions, and cultural works central to Canadian pasts. It synthesizes scholarship on figures such as John A. Macdonald, Wilfrid Laurier, Lester B. Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, and Tommy Douglas while surveying events like the Confederation of Canada, the North-West Rebellion, and the October Crisis alongside places including Quebec City, Toronto, Vancouver, and Winnipeg. The Companion connects political developments involving British North America Act, Statute of Westminster 1931, and Canada Act 1982 with cultural production by authors such as Lucy Maud Montgomery, Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, and Alice Munro.

Overview

The Companion functions as an encyclopedic guide covering people such as Eugenia Geissler, Emily Carr, Tom Thomson, Group of Seven, and Paul Kane; events like the Battle of the Plains of Abraham, Siege of Louisbourg, Red River Rebellion, and Winnipeg General Strike; and institutions including Hudson's Bay Company, Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Canadian Pacific Railway, and Bank of Montreal. Entries address legal landmarks like the Famous Five's Persons Case and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, political developments related to Progressive Conservative Party of Canada, Liberal Party of Canada, New Democratic Party (Canada), and Bloc Québécois, and international engagements such as Vimy Ridge, the Dieppe Raid, Korean War, and Afghanistan (2001–2021).

Editorial History and Editions

Initial editorial leadership often links to scholars associated with Oxford University Press projects and Canadian universities such as University of Toronto, McGill University, University of British Columbia, and Queen's University. Subsequent editions updated entries reflecting scholarship on figures like Chief Poundmaker, Tecumseh, Louis Riel, and Sir George-Étienne Cartier and incorporated research on treaties including the Royal Proclamation of 1763 and the Treaty of Paris (1763). Later editorial boards responded to constitutional changes tied to Meech Lake Accord debates, the Charlottetown Accord, and evolving coverage of Indigenous issues invoking Indian Act (1876), Oka Crisis, and work by scholars at Assembly of First Nations.

Content and Structure

Organized alphabetically, the Companion includes biographical sketches (e.g., Nellie McClung, Adrienne Clarkson, Stephen Harper, Jean Chrétien), thematic essays on regions such as Atlantic Canada, Prairies, Northern Canada, and British Columbia, and topical entries on cultural milestones like National Film Board of Canada, Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, NFB, and festivals such as Calgary Stampede and Toronto International Film Festival. It cross-references legal and institutional articles including Supreme Court of Canada, Privy Council of the United Kingdom (in historical context), and economic episodes involving Klondike Gold Rush, Great Depression, and wartime mobilization for World War I and World War II.

Contributors and Notable Entries

Contributors include historians and specialists affiliated with institutions such as Canadian Historical Association, Royal Society of Canada, Dalhousie University, University of Alberta, McMaster University, and Université de Montréal. Notable entries profile Indigenous leaders and movements like Chief Dan George, E. Pauline Johnson, Powley decision-related matters, Métis figures such as Gabriel Dumont, and Atlantic maritime histories featuring Samuel de Champlain and Jacques Cartier. Entries treat literary and artistic figures including Robertson Davies, Mordecai Richler, Tom Thomson, vocalists like Celine Dion, and composers such as Hervé Bazin—situating cultural production alongside political actors like Robert Borden and social reformers such as Agnes Macphail.

Reception and Impact

Academic reviews in journals and responses from organizations like Canadian Historical Review, Journal of Canadian Studies, Canadian Public Policy, and university presses evaluated the Companion's balance of political biography, Indigenous history, and cultural studies. Libraries at institutions such as Library and Archives Canada, Toronto Public Library, and major university systems adopted it as a reference, while educators in curricula for courses on Canadian studies and survey classes featuring historiography cited its utility. Critiques urged expanded coverage of topics related to settler colonialism, gender histories involving figures like Viola Desmond, and transnational connections including entries on United States–Canada relations.

Publication and Editions Data

Publication history documents multiple printings and revised editions from Oxford University Press branches in Toronto and Oxford (United Kingdom), with formats ranging from single-volume print editions to electronic databases accessed by libraries and scholars. ISBNs, edition years, page counts, and editorial credits vary by edition; specific bibliographic details appear on publisher records and library catalogs such as OCLC and national bibliographies.

Category:Canadian history reference works