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Best regards, Andrew Stewart - - - Subscribe to the Washington Babylon newsletter via https://washingtonbabylon.com/newsletter/ Begin forwarded message: > From: H-Net Staff via H-REVIEW <h-rev...@lists.h-net.org> > Date: January 8, 2020 at 1:57:09 PM EST > To: h-rev...@lists.h-net.org > Cc: H-Net Staff <revh...@mail.h-net.org> > Subject: H-Net Review [Jhistory]: de Ruiter on MacDonald, 'Recasting > History: How CBC Television Has Shaped Canada's Past' > Reply-To: h-rev...@lists.h-net.org > > Monica MacDonald. Recasting History: How CBC Television Has Shaped > Canada's Past. Montreal McGill-Queen's University Press, 2019. > Illustrations. 288 pp. $34.95 (paper), ISBN 978-0-7735-5632-4; > $120.00 (cloth), ISBN 978-0-7735-5631-7. > > Reviewed by Brian de Ruiter (Brock University) > Published on Jhistory (January, 2020) > Commissioned by Robert A. Rabe > > _Recasting History: How CBC Television Has Shaped Canada's Past > _opens with a brief discussion of the Canadian Broadcasting > Corporation (CBC) series _Canada: The Story of US_ and shows how that > series "prompted debates rooted in a long tradition of Canadian > history programming on CBC television" (p. 3). The focus of Monica > MacDonald's investigation is on five different series, which span > from the mid-1950s to the early twenty-first century: _Explorations > _(1956-64),_ Images of Canada _(1972-76),_ The National Dream > _(1974),_ The Valour and the Horror _(1992), and _Canada: A People's > History _(2000-2002)_. _This allows MacDonald to engage in an > analysis of specific episodes to identify the change and continuity > that have been apparent in history programming on the CBC. One > continuity that MacDonald identifies is that CBC history programming > highlights "ideas about national identity and national unity" by > discussing "war, national politics, relations between French and > English Canada, and conflict between Canada and the United States." > Furthermore, MacDonald interrogates the decisions CBC producers made > regarding the content and presentation styles of their history > programming and presents how the latter "led audiences to think about > history in certain ways" (p. 4). One of the main ideas MacDonald > conveys is that "broadcasting regulation and policy, the imperatives > of the television industry and television as a medium, and the > professional circumstances of television producers were key to > shaping these programs" (p. 5). Furthermore, she highlights how the > CBC has used its history programming to show that it has been an > important public service to Canadians as it has fulfilled > nation-building and educational functions, although she points out > that some programs have fulfilled that educational objective better > than others. > > _Recasting History _is broken up into five chapters with each chapter > revolving around one of the abovementioned series. MacDonald uses her > introduction to outline the direction that her book will take and to > introduce some key government policies, themes, and concepts that > appear frequently throughout her book, including the Broadcasting > Act; the effects, both real and imaginary, that American programming > has had on Canadian audiences; and nation-building, which has been > connected to the CBC's mandate, either implicitly or explicitly. The > first chapter, which is the longest, focuses on _Explorations_, and > shows how this series "introduced long-standing patterns in theme, > subject matter, interpretation, and presentation" (p. 18). MacDonald > draws the reader's attention to the fact that this was a period of > experimentation with questions centering on content and presentation > strategies for history programming on television, which ultimately > resulted in _Explorations _foregrounding some of the differing and > conflicting interpretations historians have held toward certain > events. She sets up the next four chapters of the book by > highlighting how "commercialism and competition in the industry" > resulted in "greater homogeneity within the programs" that were > developed later (p. 65). > > The second chapter examines the series _Images of Canada_, which was > inspired by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) series > _Civilisation _(1969) and was designed to familiarize audiences with > a larger span of Canadian history than _Explorations _accomplished_._ > MacDonald also devotes some of the chapter to an examination of the > five-episode subseries _The Whitecomers _(1973-74), which was a > response to the 1968 Broadcasting Act's call that programming meets > "the special needs of geographical regions" (p. 67). MacDonald's > discussion of _The Whitecomers _allows her to connect it to her > broader investigation of change and continuity as she notes "the > overall program content does not strongly deviate from past Canadian > histories on CBC.... But, unlike some earlier CBC Canadian history > programs, there is little overt reference to historical sources or > other means to help viewers understand the nature of what is > onscreen" (p. 87). > > The third chapter looks at the development of _The National Dream_, > which MacDonald labels as "a clear celebration of what was considered > to be a momentous event [the construction of the Canadian Pacific > Railway] in the building of Canada" (p. 124). She highlights the role > Pierre Berton had in the development of the series and his concerns > about historical authenticity, particularly during the dramatic > reenactments, and examines decisions made that affected the content > and presentation of the series. Two other important elements > MacDonald highlights in this chapter are the growing "schism" that > developed between historians and CBC producers and the mentality that > emerged among some journalists that "they were best equipped, better > than professional historians, to bring Canadian history to mass > audiences" (pp. 124, 107). > > The second part of the book picks up on that last point as MacDonald > maintains that historians were either brushed aside or had more > limited involvement in the productions of _The Valour and the Horror > _and _Canada: A People's History._ Regarding the former series, the > journalists involved believed "they were more objective than > historians and better equipped to get at the truth," while the > journalists in the latter series "felt they could better present > history to the public" (p. 200). Much of chapter 4, which complements > some of the other academic studies on _The Valour and the Horror_, > revolves around the development of the series_,_ the controversy that > it initiated, and the subsequent investigations that MacDonald notes > put "into question the nature of the relationship between the CBC and > the NFB [National Film Board of Canada],... CBC journalistic > practices, its credibility in interpreting Canadian history, and its > fitness overall as a public service broadcaster" (p. 127). > MacDonald's major criticism of this series becomes apparent when she > states that _The Valour and the Horror_ "fell short either as a work > of journalism or as a work of history" (p. 159). She opens the final > chapter by describing for the reader the environment in which > _Canada: A People's History _was conceived: the Quebec sovereignty > movement; the 1991 Broadcasting Act, which outlined the importance of > programming to foster a "shared national consciousness and identity"; > and the recommendations of the Juneau Committee (pp. 160-61). This > chapter delves into some of the decision-making the producers made > regarding content and presentation strategies of _Canada: A People's > History_, which produced a series that MacDonald maintains "does not > stray too far from the nation-building narratives of old" (p. 190). > > MacDonald's analysis of these five series allows her to offer > critiques and make comparisons among different episodes within a > series and across different series. One of the strengths of > _Recasting History_ is that MacDonald is able to delve into specific > episodes from these series and offer a critique about what they did > well and point out some of the potential problems and omissions of > historical content that possibly affect the way the audience > interprets history. For example, when MacDonald was assessing how > _Explorations _handled the Winnipeg General Strike, she notes the > episode neglected to mention the strike that occurred in Amherst, > Nova Scotia, and indicates how that omission, among other factors, > helps to reinforce "persistent ideas about Atlantic Canada as a > comparatively conservative region" (p. 39). Second, MacDonald > highlights certain debates within the CBC regarding > commercialization, the best way to fulfill its nation-building > mandate, and the degree to which regional production should be used. > Furthermore, she also looks at trends that emerged outside of the CBC > that affected the public broadcaster and/or its history programming. > These trends include the creation of more comprehensive histories and > revisions to historical interpretations that historians were > initiating, the viewpoints of the Canadian Radio-television and > Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), the influence foreign programs > had on Canadian history programming, and the increasing number of > other broadcasters showcasing educational programming. > > The sources that MacDonald consulted are instrumental in getting into > some of the nuances of the debates that emerged at the CBC as well as > the reception these series received from the media. Regarding the > latter point, MacDonald consulted a number of newspapers, although > certainly not exhaustively, to gauge the reactions of critics. > Furthermore, she combed through the Library and Archives Canada and > delved into the scholarship of some historians, such as Frank > Underhill and Donald Creighton, who played a large role in earlier > CBC history programming. MacDonald's use of documents obtained from > Library and Archives Canada and the interview work she engaged in > allowed her to provide invaluable insight into why certain decisions > on content and presentation strategies were made. MacDonald has an > impressive list of historians and CBC personnel whom she either > interviewed or communicated with, which includes Gene Allen, Hubert > Gendron, Knowlton Nash, Peter Watkins, Ramsay Cook, Eric Koch, George > Robertson, Jack Saywell, and Vincent Tovell; the latter five she > describes as people "who worked together based on mutual respect and > a commitment to the educational and nation-building mandate of the > CBC" (pp. 4-5). Furthermore, the Brian McKenna and Pierre Berton > fonds, located at Concordia University and McMaster University, > respectively, provided her with further insight into _The Valour and > the Horror _and _The National Dream._ > > Ultimately, MacDonald has done an excellent job analyzing the events, > factors, and personalities that have influenced the content and > presentation styles of the five CBC history programs discussed above. > Although each chapter focuses on a specific series, MacDonald was > still able to weave together a strong analysis that compares elements > of these series. She wants this book to effect change among two > groups: television producers and the audience of history programming. > Regarding the former group, she hopes her work will lead them "to > interpret and present history not just as single, uncontested > narratives but, rather, as complex accounts arising from multiple > perspectives." Regarding the latter group, she hopes reading > _Recasting History _will push them "to engage in a critical reading > of history on television" (p. ix). In addition to these two target > groups, this text would be a great addition to both historians and > media scholars who are interested in the CBC and the ways history has > been presented. It would have been interesting had MacDonald written > a sixth chapter that presents a more extensive critique on _Canada: > The Story of Us _and situates it within the history of CBC > programming, but that is a topic historians and media scholars can > further explore in the future. > > Citation: Brian de Ruiter. Review of MacDonald, Monica, _Recasting > History: How CBC Television Has Shaped Canada's Past_. Jhistory, > H-Net Reviews. January, 2020. > URL: https://www.h-net.org/reviews/showrev.php?id=54416 > > This work is licensed under a Creative Commons > Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 United States > License. > > _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: https://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
