Rethinking Canada: The Promise of Women's History is a collection of essays that introduces readers to the rich, diverse, and intellectually lively field of Canadian women's history. First published in 1986 and now entering its successful sixth edition, Rethinking Canada includes articles spanning from the 1600s to present day that reflect a revised understanding of Canadian women's history along racial, religious, national, and ethnic lines. Of the 24 essays, 18 are new, emphasizing increased coverage of indigenous, immigrant, and racialized experiences; work and labour; sexuality and the body; religion and spirituality; politics; and shifts in regional analysis. The scope of topics remains broad: from women and war in early indigenous society to women and the fur trade in New France, from war-time nurses in World War I to lesbian bar culture in the 1950s and 1960s and modern-day transnational motherhood, this wide-ranging reader acts as a core text for courses in Canadian women's history. Each essay is introduced by the editors, who place it in its wider historical and scholarly context.
For the first time, Rethinking Canada now includes primary source documents such as photos, newspaper clippings, and historical excerpts to accompany each article. These pieces allow readers to engage in historical interpretation and provide visual snapshots into the past. Recent scholarship and fresh editorial commentaries combine to create an invaluable introduction not only to Canadian women's history, but also to the study of Canadian history itself.