About

Local Roots, Global Reach

The Department of History at the University of Winnipeg encompasses a diverse community of scholars, faculty members, undergraduate and graduate students dedicated to the study of the past. Our Department offers courses and fosters research in a wide range of areas, themes and eras; from Winnipeg itself to Canada and the Americas, and from Europe to Africa and Asia.

Our study of the global experiences of humankind is rooted in an appreciation of the history of our own city and province. Closely associated with the Department are the Centre for Rupert’s Land Studies and the recently opened Oral History Centre . We are committed to building and maintaining relationships with Indigenous communities both within and external to the University of Winnipeg.

Collectively our twenty-five full-time Department members, fourteen part-time members and ten senior members come from a broad and diverse range of backgrounds, having received their training at the University of Winnipeg itself and Institutions elsewhere in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Europe and Africa. Indigenous history, histories of colonization, decolonization and diaspora, and histories of global oppression and resistance are among the Department’'s areas of strength. Affiliated with the Department are two endowed chairs in multicultural studies, the Chair in Mennonite Studies, held by Ben Nobbs-Thiessen, and the Chair in German-Canadian Studies, held by Alexander Freund. The holders of these chairs conduct research, offer courses and promote scholarship in their areas of specialization.

Together, our students bring to the university community their lived experiences of Winnipeg, Manitoba, other parts of Canada, and of the world. Along with our undergraduate and graduate programs in History, the Department offers an undergraduate program in the History of Art and a Masters in Curatorial Practices: Cultural Studies. The Joint Master's Program in History is offered in partnership with the University of Manitoba.

The Department actively contributes to the University'’s commitment to accessibility and offers courses and faculty support to its Bachelor of Arts program at the Winnipeg Education Centre, to the eBBA program in the Faculty of Business and Economics.