Portuguese Diaspora and Lusophone Studies | North American Migration and Ethnic History | Construction Workers and Labour Unions | Public History
My first book This Pilgrim Nation: the Making of the Portuguese Diaspora in Postwar North America is coming out this Winter with the University of Toronto Press. The official publication date is December 9, 2019; just in time for Christmas. But you can pre-order your copy now at a 25% discount on the University of Toronto Press’ website: https://utorontopress.com/us/this-pilgrim-nation-2
Details about the book launch coming soon.
Last month I sat down for a conversation with Will Sloan about my City Builders project, which was featured in the York University’s Faculty of Graduate Studies podcast series Grad Life. You can listen to the podcast below.
The City Builders project was one of this year’s recipients of the Lieutenant Governor’s Ontario Heritage Award for Excellence in Conservation. The awards ceremony was held at the Provincial Legislative Building, Queen’s Park, on Friday, February 22, presided by the Honourable Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. Thank you Ontario Heritage Trust for this wonderful distinction. It is a honour to share this with all the other great projects and individuals awarded that day.
On September 28, 2018, at York University, I launched the various outputs of my City Builders’ project, including a travelling multimedia exhibition with 80 QR code-activated digital labels; a website packed with digital content, including interactive maps, timelines, videos, audio recordings, photos, and biographies; an oral history series with 19 short videos about retired construction workers and labour organizers; and a two-part documentary totalling nearly 2 hours. All digital contents are freely available on the City Builders’ website: http://toronto-city-builders.org
Just finished updating the HIST4530 The Development of Toronto public website. Besides showcasing our students’ work, this website is meant to be a useful arriving or jumping point for anyone interested in Toronto’s history. Check it out: The Development of Toronto.
For the 64th anniversary of the arrival of the first group of Portuguese “bulk order” migrant workers on Pier 21, in Halifax, I have created a digital map with the current location of and statistics about the largest Portuguese immigrant, ethnic, and speaking communities in Canada. You can find it here.
Together with my York University colleagues Maria João Dodman and Inês Cardoso of the Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Studies program, and Abubacar Fofana León of the Centre for Research on Latin American and the Caribbean, I have been organizing the upcoming Youth Summer Program, in July 10-14, 2017, with the support of LA&PS’ Global and Community Engagement Office, the Gallery of the Portuguese Pioneers, the Working Women Community Centre, and the Camões Institute. This free program is open to youth of all ethnic and linguistic backgrounds in the ages of 14-18 (or enrolled in grades 9 to 12) with an interest in The Lusophone World: Global and Local Communities. It aims to introduce high school students to a university setting, get them acquainted with what may be for some an unfamiliar environment, and provide them with the resources they need to make informed decisions about their academic careers. The program features lectures, visual art and dance workshops, exhibits, sports, a walking tour, and other in- and out-of- classroom activities that mix learning, recreation, and creativity.
Here is the promo video produced by our Camões TV partner:
Besides helping to develop the curriculum and organize this program, I will also be delivering a walking tour and a workshop at the Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections.
Students can apply at this link (deadline June 1, 2017). See the poster below for more information.
My interview with the stand-up comedian Mike Rita aired on RTPi’s “A Hora dos Portugueses” (weekend episode 10, minute 34). You can watch it here.
| A minha entrevista com o comediante Mike Rita foi transmitida no programa “A Hora dos Portugueses” da RTPi (episódio de fim de semana 10, minuto 34). Pode vê-la aqui.
See the PCHP’s website for the other episodes I’ve produced for this television show on Portuguese diaspora | Visite o site do PHLC para ver os outros episódios que produzi para este programa de televisão.
Gilberto Fernandes 