Negotiating the Past: The Making of Canada's National Historic Parks and Sites.

Negotiating the Past: The Making of Canada's National Historic Parks and Sites. C. J. Taylor. Negotiating the Past: The Making of Canada'sNational Historic Parks and Sites. Montreal and Kingston:McGill-Queen's University Press, 1990. Pp. 288. $32.95 (cloth). C.J. Taylor's Negotiating the Past traces the history of oneof Canada's largest federal cultural programs, that of nationalhistoric parks and sites. Despite their role in the commemoration andpreservation of the nation's past, Canadian historic parks andsites have been little studied as a federal cultural program of nationalsignificance. Taylor's work, the core of which was written as adoctoral thesis at Carleton University Carleton University,at Ottawa, Ont., Canada; nonsectarian; coeducational; founded 1942 as Carleton College. It achieved university status in 1957. It has faculties of arts, social sciences, science, engineering, and graduate studies, as well as the Centre for , aims to provide the biography ofa federal cultural agency, explaining its program development as well asdocumenting initiatives to commemorate and preserve the past: itanalyses the functioning of a federal government agency, studies thehistory of heritage conservation in Canada, and considers Canadiancultural policy and the shaping of national identity. Beyond its meritsas a well-researched and readable work, Taylor's book is anoriginal and timely addition to the sparse scholarship on the history ofheritage conservation in Canada. The central theme in Taylor's interpretation of thedevelopment of Canada's historic parks and sites lies in a dynamicprocess of negotiation termed "the politics of historicsites." The key players in Canada's heritage conservationmovement, namely the national parks branch, the Historic Sites andMonuments Board of Canada, the provinces, politicians and grassrootsheritage advocates, have represented varied and frequently conflictinginterests since the formal establishment of a federal heritage programin 1919. According to according toprep.1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.2. In keeping with: according to instructions.3. Taylor, the federal governemnt mediated thesediverging di��verge?v. di��verged, di��verg��ing, di��verg��esv.intr.1. To go or extend in different directions from a common point; branch out.2. To differ, as in opinion or manner.3. perspectives in the development of a national program ofhistoric site selection, interpretation and preservation. Canada'shistoric parks and sites program has thus been the result of an ongoingprocess of negotiation. Taylor describes the evolution of the heritage conservationmovement in Canada from its beginnings in the 1880s, through itsinstitutionalisation This article or section needs sourcesorreferences that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. in the early 20th century, and the growth ofconservation megaprojects beyond 1960. The formation of a nationalheritage movement in the late 19th century was spurred mainly byOntario-based imperialist nationalists. Influenced primarily by theBritish heritage movement, the Royal Society of Canada The Royal Society of Canada (Soci��t�� royale du Canada), now known as the RSC: Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada (SRC: Acad��mies des Arts, des Lettres et des Sciences du Canada launched anational heritage body in 1907, later replaced in 1919 by the HistoricSites and Monuments Board of Canada, an honourary board created toadvise the national parks branch on the administration of a federalheritage program. The history of interaction between these two bodies dispels theidea that the board was central to the federal program. As Taylordepicts, the parks branch frequently played a more significant role thanthe board, whose members tended to assume a nationalizing mission aselitist e��lit��ismor ����lit��ism ?n.1. The belief that certain persons or members of certain classes or groups deserve favored treatment by virtue of their perceived superiority, as in intellect, social status, or financial resources. custodians For more meanings of this word. Please see Custodian.The Custodians is terminology in the Bah��'�� Faith, which refers to nine Hands of the Cause assigned specifically to work at the Bah��'�� World Centre in attendance to the Guardian of the Faith. of culture. The primary concern of the Historic Sitesand Monuments Board remained a commemorative plaque A commemorative plaque, or simply plaque, is a plate of metal, ceramic, stone, wood, or other material, typically attached to a wall, stone, or other vertical surface, and bearing text in memory of an important figure or event. program, while fromthe 1930s onward on��ward?adj.Moving or tending forward.adv. also on��wardsIn a direction or toward a position that is ahead in space or time; forward. the branch increasingly shouldered responsibility forarchitectural preservation, site development and tourism promotion. Negotiating the Past contends that the politics of historic sitescarried regional perspectives into a national forum, and argues that"national historic sites reflect regional identities." At thesame time, these political dynamics, combined with factors such as thefragmentation of government administration and the far-flunggeographical location of Canada's historic parks and sites, limitedthe development of coherent, rational policy objectives for the federalheritage conservation program. Projects such as Fort Chambly Fort Chambly at the foot of the Chambly rapids on the Richelieu River in Quebec, Canada, was built by the French in 1711. It was the last of three forts to built on the same spot, the first constructed in 1665 - then called Fort Saint Louis - by the Jacques de Chambly, to protect , Quebec,and Louisbourg, Nova Scotia, illustrate how regional heritage activistsshaped the interpretation and development of national historic sites.Throughout the book, there is a sensitive awareness to questions ofregional representation. Future editions would benefit from the additionof a map indicating the regional distribution of parks and sites. Taylor brings the history of federal involvement in historicalheritage projects alongside that of the growth of the national parksystem and the movement to conserve natural environments. Theconservation of built heritage in Canada contributed to the expansion ofthe idea of national parks. In this regard, Taylor brings furtherinformation to light about James Bernard Harkin, the innovativecommissioner of national parks, 1911-36. As a result of Harkin'sproposals, the Canadian national park idea was extended to encompasshistorical parks. Taylor's analysis imparts a welcome account ofHarkin's instrumental role in federal activities to conserve bothnatural and historical heritage. Taylor's book brings discerning insight to the structure,operations and politics of a federal cultural agency over the course ofits lifespan. The focus on a national agency is clearly directed, andreflects the influence of the federal state on heritage conservation inCanada. The study draws a close connection between the federal processand the articulation of Canada's cultural identity. In thisrespect, it strikes a chord with Bernard Ostry's work on Canadiancultural policy, The Cultural Connection. The cautious and noncommittalconclusion raises several unanswered questions about the future offederal heritage initiatives during an era of spending restraints andincreased provincial involvement in site conservation. Nonetheless, itis apparent from Taylor's argument that the federal government hasa central role to play in heritage conservation and the activeinterpretation of Canada's national history. Negotiating the Pastis a significant analysis and a well-written book that contributesgreatly to the history of heritage conservation and the Canadiancultural identity. P. A. Reichwein Department of History Carleton University