New research explores father/son relationship
Mon. Jan. 27, 2025
Dr. Alexander Freund is Chair of the German-Canadian Studies Program and Lead Researcher on the SSHRC-funded project, Father-and-Son, which explores the relationship of German immigrant fathers and their sons. Dr. Freund speaks to the inspiration for this four-year SSHRC-funded project:
"Research is always in some respects autobiographical, and so at this stage in my life and career, it was quite natural to develop this project. It gives me the opportunity to find out about the experiences of other immigrant fathers. At the same time, it allows me to branch out from a focus on oral history to other kinds of historical sources and autobiographical documents."
This photo of a man and child walking with milk pails is used on all of the team’s blog posts relating to the Father-and-Son project. The byline reads: “Mr. Edward Henseler, former agronomist from Cologne, Germany and his son, Ulric, 5 years old, St-Thomas de Caxton, Québec, 1962. (Library and Archives Canada, PA-186362).”
In the fall of 2024, I met with two members of the Father-and-Son project team, Angela Carlson, Program Assistant, and Sophie Sickert, Senior Research Assistant, to speak with them about their educational backgrounds, how they came to work on the project, and their role in it. In doing so, they shared about their personal connections to this study. They also provided an excellent introduction to the study of oral history and the role of contemporary historians.
This feature is in two parts. In Part 1, I relate my conversation with Angela Carlson and in Part 2, my conversation with Sophie Sickert.
Before turning to Part 1, I provide a reflection from Dr. Freund on the role Angela Carlson and Sophie Sickert have played in the Father-and-Son project:
"I have always found collaborative research inspiring and motivating and I have been very lucky to recruit Angela and Sophie. Their contributions are immense and excellent. They bring lots of original perspectives, probing questions, and curiosity to the project, and more importantly, a lot of positive energy. They are also very knowledgeable, skilled, organized, and motivated, and that just elevates the whole project and our research team."
Lisa Michelle McLean
Office Manager and Program Officer
Faculty of Arts