Archives can be used as a tool to share information about topics that are “omitted from the public memory” of a nation (The Eugenics Living Archives of Canada Team). One such topic for Canada is its inhumane and horrific policies and practices regarding eugenics. According to Robert A. Wilson, eugenics can be defined as “use of science for human improvement over generations… through favouring the reproduction of certain sorts or kinds of people”, while not allowing certain people (most often members of minority) to reproduce (The Eugenics Living Archives of Canada Team).  Eugenics was a key component of Nazi Germany’s attempt to abolish races they deemed inferior, such as the Jews, but it also spread to North America (Robert A. Wilson). Throughout 1928-1972 eugenics was legal and popular in Western Canada, and was mainly used to sterilize First Nation citizens and those who were deemed disabled. The Canadian government recognized that this was a dark part of Canadian history which the majority of Canadians were oblivious to. To help rid Canadians of this ignorance they supported the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada in the creation of The Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada.  The Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada is a website created through the SSHRC with a “collaboration of scholars, survivors, students, and community partners”, with the aim to provide a platform for those impacted by eugenics to share their stories. By sharing the stories and breaking the silence of those who were effected by eugenics The Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada hopes to engage and educate Canadians about this part of Canadian history that had not been disclosed to the public (The Eugenics Living Archives of Canada Team).

The Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada Website helps to make information about this dark part of Canadian history accessible to all Canadians. One way that the website does so is by recognizing that eugenics is a topic many Canadians know little about; therefore, the website has a page dedicated to defining and understanding eugenics. This page of definitions along with a detailed timeline of eugenics in Canada, allows the general public to have a base understanding before they explore deeper into the personal stories of the archive. Additionally, the archive includes twelve interviews with survivors of eugenics and activists for disability rights. Each story includes a short preface and a video interview which lasts about ten minutes. One of the people who chose to share their story is Leilani Muir. Leilani was one of the driving forces behind bringing attention to Canada’s troubled history with eugenics, as she spoke out by “launching a landmark lawsuit against the Alberta government for wrongful sterilization” (Leung). Through confronting the government about the cruel treatment she received as a child at one of Alberta’s Provincial Training Schools, when she was sterilized after being deemed “retarded” by the Eugenics Board, the process of recognition of eugenic survivors (Leung).

The project of creating an online archival base to expose the stories of eugenics in Western Canada could not have been possible without the push from Leilani’s case and others speaking out about the trauma they faced. By creating The Living Archives on Eugenics in Western Canada website information through their online database which contains biographies, published documents and laws, and newspaper clippings that relate to the eugenics movement in Canada. This online archive is an effective way of transmitting this knowledge because it eliminates the barrier of having limited access to archives, and it is easy to use. Unlike traditional archives one does not have to dig through stacks of documents and struggle to interpret the information, but instead one can click through a simply laid out website. In conclusion eugenics in Western Canada was an important historical event in Canada that deserves to be discussed. The Living Archives on Eugenics in Canada website is an effective platform to begin their recognization.

 

Works Cited

The Eugenics Living Archives of Canada Team. The Living Archives on Eugenics in Canada. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2015, http://eugenicsarchive.ca/. Accessed February 23, 2017.

Wilson, Robert. Eugenics. The Living Archives on Eugenics in Canada. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2015, http://eugenicsarchive.ca/discover/encyclopedia/5233ce485c2ec500000000a9. Accessed February 23, 2017.

Leung, C. Muir, Leilani. The Living Archives on Eugenics in Canada. Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2015, http://eugenicsarchive.ca/discover/our-stories/leilani. Accessed February 23, 2017.