Winners of Canada Prizes announced

OTTAWA, April 9, 2018 – The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences is very pleased to announce the winners of the 2018 Canada Prizes. This year’s winners are E.A. Heaman for her book Tax, Order, and Good Government: A New Political History of Canada, 1867-1917 (McGill-Queen’s University Press) and Alex Gagnon for his book La communauté du dehors. Imaginaire social et crimes célèbres au Québec (XIXe-XXe siècle) (Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal).

The Canada Prizes are awarded annually to books in the humanities and social sciences that make an exceptional contribution to scholarship, are engagingly written, and enrich the social, cultural and intellectual life of Canada. Winners are selected from books that have received funding from the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program, which is administered by the Federation and funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).

“This year’s winners are representative of the remarkable scholarship produced in our country, and we are grateful for the funding support from SSHRC that makes this program possible,” said Guy Laforest, President of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. “One illustrates how an examination of taxation can deepen our understanding of this country’s political, economic, social and cultural history. The other takes a closer look at how a society documents its history and defines itself, specifically examining stories of famous crimes in Québec. Each of these books contributes to a deeper understanding of our society, our history, and how we can shape our future,” he added.      

This year’s winners are:

Canada Prize in the Humanities and Social Sciences

E.A. Heaman, Tax, Order, and Good Government: A New Political History of Canada, 1867-1917 (McGill-Queen’s University Press)

From the jury’s citation:

In Tax, Order and Good Government: A New Political History of Canada, 1867-1917, Elsbeth Heaman provides a path-breaking history of Canadian taxation from Confederation up until the introduction of the progressive income tax. All Canadians interested in the history and growth of the nation will want to read this meticulously researched and captivating analysis.

Prix du Canada en sciences humaines et sociales

Alex Gagnon, La communauté du dehors. Imaginaire social et crimes célèbres au Québec (XIXe-XXe siècle) (Les Presses de l’Université de Montréal)

From the jury’s citation:

Magnificently written, rigorous, and relevant to our media age, La communauté du dehors. Imaginaire social et crimes célèbres au Québec (XIXe-XXe siècle) reads like a novel, with a story that draws the reader into the history of our societies, of the ways in which our society writes its own history, and above all, a history of the stories we tell ourselves. Starting from tabloid coverage of Quebec’s most famous criminal cases of the past two centuries, Alex Gagnon lays out a simple and elegant demonstration of how journalistic accounts engage with imagined representations that define the community just as much as they reflect it.

A media kit including biographies and photos of the 2018 winners, along with the full jury citations, is available on the Federation’s website.  

The prizes, each valued at $5,000, will be presented at a ceremony during the 2018 Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences at the University of Regina on Tuesday, May 29. The ceremony will take place in Riddell Centre - RC 128.1 and will include moderated interviews with both winners.

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About the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

The Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences promotes research and teaching for the advancement of an inclusive, democratic and prosperous society. With a membership now comprising over 160 universities, colleges and scholarly associations, the Federation represents a diverse community of 91,000 researchers and graduate students across Canada. The Federation organizes Canada’s largest academic gathering, the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, bringing together more than 8,000 participants each year. For more information about the Federation, visit www.ideas-idees.ca.

Media inquiries

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Manager, Communications

Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

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nkatz@ideas-idees.ca

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