Spring/Summer 2005 - University of Toronto Press Publishing

HISTORYBuilding New Bridges /Bâtir de nouveaux pontsSources, Methods, and Interdisciplinarity / Sources,méthodes et interdisciplinaritéEdited by Jeff Keshen, Sylvie Perrier, and Chad GaffieldA Science on the ScalesThe Rise of Canadian Atlantic Fisheries Biology,1898–1939Jennifer M. HubbardUNIVERSITY OF OTTAWA PRESSQuestions of methodology and the use of sourcesare fundamental to all academic disciplines. Inrecent years, this topic has become far more challengingas scholars are increasingly adopting aninterdisciplinary approach to achieve richer anddeeper analyses, particularly in the study of history.Building New Bridges / Bâtir de nouveaux ponts is acollection of scholarly papers that deals with thefirst principles of source identification and theireffective utilization.The contributors to the volume come from awide range of disciplines and represent both Frenchand English Canada. Together, they explore andencourage the interdisciplinarity trend – aroundwhich considerable academic trepidation remains –and seek to explain, for example, how historians andthose in English or Lettres françaises analyse texts.They utilize their respective research to elucidatemeans of effectively employing evidence and methodsto achieve richer, deeper, and more nuanced results.As a whole, the collection provides an excellentprimer for scholars of both history and methodology.Jeff Keshen is a professor in the Department ofHistory at the University of Ottawa.Sylvie Perrier is an assistant professor in theDepartment of History at the University of Ottawa.Chad Gaffield is a professor in the Department ofHistory at the University of Ottawa.In A Science on the Scales, Jennifer M. Hubbard tellsthe story of how a new and emerging science –marine and fisheries biology – became an importantenterprise in Canada. She uses extensivearchival research – focussed on scientific correspondenceand internal reports – and follows the science’sdevelopment in Canada, as well asScandinavia, the United Kingdom, and the UnitedStates. In so doing, Hubbard describes the important,but fraught, relationship between the economicand social history of Atlantic Canada and itsrelations with the federal government, particularlyin the context of the generally low priority givenfisheries issues.Despite a variety of challenges, contributionsmade by the research organization that eventuallybecame the Fisheries Research Board of Canadaproved to be vital in the development of the science.Indeed, its flagship station, the AtlanticBiological Station in New Brunswick, became for atime one of the world’s leading centres for marinescience, its dynamic scientists and facilities providingthe impetus that helped Canadian fisheries biologyto achieve internationally recognized status. Anoriginal and timely work, A Science on the Scalesshines a light on a heretofore-neglected aspect ofCanada’s science history.Jennifer M. Hubbard is an assistant professor in theDepartment of History at Ryerson University.Approx. 300 pp / 6 x 9 / June 2005Paper ISBN 0-7766-0593-3 £22.50 $35.00 CApprox. 300 pp / 6 x 9 / May 200515 halftones; 1 tableCloth ISBN 0-8020-8859-7 £35.00 $55.00 E41