Throughout the semester we wrote reading logs about the different seminar topics for every week. This way it was

  1. Easier to remember the content of the readings
  2. A good exercise in analysing sources
  3. An interesting insight into detailed parts of great topics

I enjoyed it especially because of part C because instead of summarizing the “bigger picture” one gets to know the point of view of specific people. “History” is fragmented into billions of happenings and participants but it is the little events and the different players’ actions that interest the most.

To underline what we did, I am providing exemplary reading logs from my three favourite topics:

When looking at the thematic fields, it is noticeable that my interests of female history and perceptions and Indigenous studies is also mirrored in my reading logs choices. All three helped me to focus on long silenced minorities opinions. It was highly interesting to see

  • How Indigenous people of Canada from early on wisely questioned and challenged the Europeans common ways of knowing
  • The many opinions on the role of women in New France, especially the Filles du Roi and I would like to research further on references on the girls’/women’s own experience
  • In how many ways Indigenous people contributed to the Gold Rush

Also, it is appeasing to notice that there are existing texts and studies about the considerable activeness of long ignored groupings. Keep digging!