The shock of Blitzkrieg : influence, exchange, and development of ideas relating to the use of tanks in the interwar period

1 online resource (66 pages)Includes abstract.Includes bibliographical references (pages 63-66).The history of the German Blitzkrieg into France in 1940 often looks at the German advances as unique and as a surprise to the armies of France and Great Britain. This study considers this image in relation to the spearhead arm of the German advances, the tank. It examines the theory and doctrine behind the use of the tank in the German offensives of 1940, and the origins of these ideas. By comparing developments in Germany with its Second World War opponents such as France and Great Britain we see that the proliferation of ideas regarding the organization and employment of tanks in warfare was widespread. Furthermore, the historical impression of the swift advance of German tanks in 1940 as a surprise to the French or British is revealed as problematic, as these ideas had been widely explored in these nations throughout the interwar years. The exchange of ideas between military thinkers in the interwar period is shown through an examination of the published material and modern historical analysis relating to the development of these ideas in each nation considered

“From the Periphery Towards the Center”1: Locating An Alternative Genealogy for Disability Studies in Audre Lorde’s The Cancer Journals

As a white feminist, I come to Audre Lorde’s work with humility and trepidation, aware of my own privileged position within the field of gender studies and cautious of the risks of appropriation. I discovered her memoirs and poetry while coming out as a teenager, and have continually returned to her work for inspiration and guidance—as a feminist queer-identified woman with a learning disability survivor of an invasive surgery daughter of a disabled parent. Lorde’s writings have not only provided a resource for my own healing and resistance, but have also inspired a lifelong commitment to antiracist activism and education, which informs my current academic work in disability studies

SESSION 2.2: No Indians Allowed : Challenging Racial Aboriginal Segregation in Post-World War II Northern British Columbia

My presentation, based upon my nearly completed master’s thesis, will investigate how indigenous and non-indigenous activists challenged the race-based policies of segregation and exclusion present in regional businesses throughout post-World War II northern British Columbia. Specifically, this presentation will consider how these communities and activists employed the rhetoric of equality and citizenship to resist racial segregation; as well as how this discourse was articulated – and debated – in the public sphere in the region between Prince George to Prince Rupert during the period between 1945 to 1969. This presentation will also explore how activists framed their protests by drawing analogies between local incidents of racial discrimination and resistance to global theatres of racial conflict such as the Civil Rights movement emerging in the American South to garner public support. Finally, this presentation will analyze the extent in which regional newspapers actively shaped the rhetorical landscape in which this discourse surrounding racial discrimination, Aboriginal citizenship, and native activism were debated. My goal with this thesis, and this presentation, is to contribute to the growing, but small, literature on Aboriginal-white relations in northern British Columbia. This presentation also endeavours to challenge some assumptions regarding Aboriginal activism in this region by demonstrating that indigenous and non-indigenous commentators drew inspiration from international theatres of racial conflict to frame discourse surrounding local racial discrimination. Similarly, this project will help demonstrate that this region was, and continues to be, shaped and give shape to the global historical developments

Canadian Shield Volcanic Belts with Emphasis on the Abitibi Volcanic Pile

The Quebec part of the Abitibi volcanic belt is the subject of an intensive research project oriented towards providing detailed petrological and geochemical data integrated with stratigraphy and tectonics. In establishing the changing composition of the volcanic pile in the region north and south of Rouyn (from monotonous tholeiite basalt in the lower sections to intermingled calc-alkaline and tholeiitic series in the higher sections) such diverse subjects as the role of immiscibility in the formation of variolites, and the nature of quench-texture in Archean tholeiites have been investigated. A conference series designed to provide a means of exchange of information between project personnel and researchers investigating related topics elsewhere in Canada was convened. The feedback obtained during the conference series resulted in new directions being initiated within the confines of the project, and a complete traverse of the Abitibi volcanic pile from south of Rouyn to Matagami is planned