History

The format of BC Studies was quickly established: a typical issue contains three articles, a handful of book reviews by authorities in the field and an ongoing bibliography of books, articles and government publications on BC. Special issues also originated early in the Prang/Young years. The first was no. 6-7 (1970) on archeology, guest edited by Dr. Roy Carlson of Simon Fraser University. BC Studies' capacity to initiate lively debate saw its beginnings during their editorship with two heated exchanges over the meaning of class in BC politics and history, the second around Peter Ward's seminal article, "Class and Race in the Social Structure of British Columbia, 1870-1939" (no. 45, spring 1980).

In 1983, the editorship of BC Studies passed to Allan Smith (History, University of British Columbia). Several important issues were published under his tenure: "Vancouver Past: Essays in Social History," edited by Robert McDonald (History, University of British Columbia) and Jean Barman (Education, University of British Columbia), marked Vancouver's centennial (nos. 69-70, Spring-Summer 1986). "In Celebration of Our Survival," no. 89 (Spring 1991), edited by Gitskan writer and artist Doreen Jensen and Sto:lo writer Cheryl Brooks, was the first issue of BC Studies given entirely to the contributions of First Nations people. Both issues were reissued by UBC Press. Other popular issues include "The Historical Geography of British Columbia," no. 94, edited by Cole Harris (summer, 1992), and "Anthropology and History in the Courts," no. 95 (Autumn 1992), edited by Bruce Miller (Anthropology and Sociology, University of British Columbia).

In July 1995, Jean Barman and Cole Harris (Geography, University of British Columbia) succeeded Alan Smith. They built on Smith's success, expanding its breadth through their academic affiliations with the University of British Columbia's Departments of Geography and Educational Studies in the Faculties of Arts and Education. To attract a broader spectrum of readers and contributors they encouraged multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary approaches, and they introduced many changes while continuing the strong traditions of BC Studies. During Barman and Harris's term several important papers and theme issues were published, among them:

• "Native Peoples and Colonialism," a double issue, featuring seven articles, a reconstruction of a Haida myth, and an interview with Doreen Jensen. Many of the articles in this issue have been widely cited and Jean Barman's article ("Taming Aboriginal Sexuality: Gender, Power, and Race in British Columbia, 1850-1900," won the 1998 Jensen-Miller Prize. Its significance is attested to by the tremendous response it received on publication.
• "The Nisga'a Treaty" offers six articles presenting both pro and con positions on this most important treaty. The response to this issue was overwhelming and we have had to reprint it twice.
• "Ethnographic Eyes" is dedicated t o the memory of Douglas Cole, a noted British Columbian cultural historian. "Ethnographic Eyes," features some of the leading scholarship in this area.

Robert McDonald assumed the editorial mantle in the Spring of 2002. He has built on the efforts of past editors, encouraging multi- and interdisciplinary approaches and continuing the journal's traditions of strong scholarship through a thorough peer review process. Under his editorship, several important theme issues have been published, including:

• "Perspectives on Aboriginal Culture," dedicated to art and culture, from performance, oral narrative, and storytelling to visual arts and written narrative, features four articles, colour photoscapes (photoessays), and an interview with Susan Point, Coast Salish Artist.
• "British Columbia Theatre," guest edited by Jerry Wasserman, grew out of the second conference on BC theatre, Staging the Pacific Provice 2, held at UBC in October 2001. This issue includes the first attempt to theorize BC theatre historiography, reintroduces two of the province's early 20th century theatrical pioneers, Constance Lindsay Skinner and Carroll Aikins, looks at the metatheatrical treatment of BC history by two contemporary playwrights, Sharon Pollock and Joan MacLeod, and discusses a theatrical meeting, across time and space, of two major BC artists, Joy Coghill and Emily Carr.
• "Native Geographies" explores the ways that colonial discourses and the Western world have influenced First Nations and their processes of making space in BC.
• "On the Environment," guest edited by Graeme Wynn, features articles on diverse environmental topics, including: the origins of Greenpeace; the response to the depletion of the Pacific halibut fisher; water pollution and environmental politics in the city of Vancouver; modernity, the environment, and the damming of the Arrow Lakes; the bird conservation movement in BC; attitudes toward development and nature in interwar BC explored through the photographs of J.W. Clark; and an introductory essay by Dr. Wynn reflecting on BC's importance in the field of environmental studies as a site for exploring large questions about the environment within a regional context.

BC Studies is supported by the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, and the University of Victoria. In 1971 it obtained the support of the Canada Council, and subsequently the Social Sciences and Research Council, whose continued support is invaluable. It is also supported by Canadian Heritage through their Publications Assistance Program and by project grants from the Canadian Magazine Fund.

Editor

Graeme Wynn

Graeme Wynn, professor and head of the Department of Geography at the University of British Columbia, joined BC Studies as editor in July 2008. Graeme has taught and written extensively on environmental history; he has a particular interest in the interactions between humans and the environment. He has researched the development of new world societies and the environmental impacts of European expansion around the world, including early Canada and colonial New Zealand. Graeme is currently general editor of the Nature / History / Society series at UBC press, which is devoted to the publication of high-quality scholarship in environmental history and allied fields, and co-editor of the  Journal of Historical Geography published by Elsevier. Recently, Graeme was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in recognition of his far-reaching scholarly contributions in the fields of geography and environmental history.

Editorial Board

• Theodore Binnema, University of Northern British Columbia
• Daniel Clayton, University of St. Andrew's
• Michael Dawson, St. Thomas University 
• Roger Hayter, Simon Fraser University 
• Mary-Ellen Kelm, University of Northern British Columbia
• Michael Marker, University of British Columbia
• Bruce Miller, University of British Columbia
• John O'Brian, University of British Columbia
• Paige Raibmon, University of British Columbia
• Laurie Ricou, University of British Columbia
• Patricia Roy, University of Victoria, emeritus
• Patrick Smith, Simon Fraser University 
• Veronica Strong-Boag, University of British Columbia
• Tracy Summerville, University of Northern British Columbia
• Wendy Wickwire, University of Victoria
• Jean Wilson, University of British Columbia
• Jeremy Wilson, University of Victoria

Editorial Staff

• Leanne Coughlin, Managing Editor
• Jean Wilson, Book Review Editor
• Gail Edwards, Print Bibliographer
• Joanne Richardson, Copy Editor
• Francois Trahan, Proofreader
• Richard Shorty, Cover Artist

Awards

CANADIAN HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION: PRIZE FOR BEST ARTICLE ON THE HISTORY OF SEXUALITY IN CANADA (2004)

English Language Article

HILDA NEATBY PRIZE: Winners Gagnants 1986-2005 (2004)

English-Language article

Karen Duder. 'Public Acts and Private Languages: Bisexuality and the Multiple Discourses of Constance Grey Swartz' in BC Studies, 136 (Winter 2002-3).

In a very strong competition, this article impressed committee members with its innovative theoretical discussion and use of one woman's personal writings to make a major intervention in the history of sexuality. It explores the sexual and emotional relationships of Constance Grey Swartz between the 1920s and mid 1930s. Her sexuality, Duder argues, cannot be captured readily in the dominant approaches and questions posed within most writing in lesbian, gay and bisexual history. Duder draws on the rich writings she left to break down the polarities of hetero/homosexual and to offer readers tantalizing glimpses into the life of this middle-class British Columbian woman who, during her twenties and early thirties, relished relationships with male and female lovers.

THE JENSEN-MILLER PRIZE (1998)

Jean Barman, "Taming Aboriginal Sexuality: Gender, Power, and Race in British Columbia, 1850-1900." BC Studies 115/116 (autumn/winter 1997/98). 237-266.

CLIO PRIZES / CERTIFICATES OF MERIT IN REGIONAL HISTORY (1980)

BC Studies (Margaret Prang and Walter Yound, editors)

Profile

Established in 1969, BC Studies, a quarterly devoted to the understanding of British Columbia, has played a unique role in the intellectual life of the province of British Columbia ever since. Housed at the University of British Columbia from its inception, BC Studies is a well-respected peer reviewed journal, an important publishing venue of original research from a diverse group of scholars, and a training ground for students. Through it's focus on British Columbia, BC Studies provides a regional link between disciplines in the social sciences, and between the scholarly community and passionate generalists. A typical issue contains three or, increasingly, four articles, book reviews by authorities in the field, and an ongoing bibliography of books, articles and government publications on BC.

BC Studies' original, peer reviewed articles on British Columbia's cultural, political, and economic life, past and present, inform academics, government officials, and businesses people alike, encouraging reflection and debate on important and controversial topics. By maintaining an editorial process that ensures careful scrutiny of submissions, provides detailed guidance for revision (if necessary), and oversees the attractive, accurate publication of articles, BC Studies is an essential link between the production and consumption of research on BC. By publishing solid, innovative articles, BC Studies ensures that its readers are informed of the results of current research.

Book reviews of new books about, or with relevance to, British Columbia are fundamental to BC Studies. Book review essays allow books on similar topics to be grouped together to explore their larger significance. Book reviewers are selected for their ability to draw out the larger meanings of books, and range from leading scholars to promising doctoral students from across British Columbia, Canada, and abroad. The bibliography of current books and articles is modeled on that published by The Canadian Historical Review and can be found in all regular issues and some theme issues. Librarians in particular find this feature very useful, as it lists hard-to-find self-published books. Intermittent features include: the Digital Domain (a listing of selected internet sources for the study of BC compiled by David Mattison, an archivist at the BC Archives), Photoscapes (photographs with commentaries that introduce important topics and enhance the journal's visual appearance), and Forums (discussion and debate around important and controversial topics). Special theme issues have been published throughout BC Studies's history, many of which have proved to have lasting popularity and importance.

Since its inception, BC Studies has focused on BC from multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary points of view, providing a point of academic intersection. As Cole Harris put it in his last editorial in BC Studies (Spring 2002), "The pressing contemporary intellectual challenge is to bring both the local and the theoretical into rigorous focus. Because it is often easier to ground oneself in theory than in the complexities of place, and because authors and readers of international and national journals are often detached from place-specific knowledge, such journals are not promising sites for working out a more equivalent balance between general theory and local intricacies. Regional journals can do better - as long as they write from the local out into the world. This is one of the tantalizing opportunities that underlies the best of BC Studies and sustains interest in the journal."

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Publication Information

BC Studies is indexed in the Canadian Periodical Index, the BHA Index and is available on-line at bcstudies.com as well as in other on-line indexes.

Publication of BC Studies is supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, Simon Fraser University, and by the Government of Canada through the Publication Assistance Program (PAP).