Speaking Up

A compelling anthology of diverse and historically marginalized perspectives on war and peace in Nova Scotia, including El Jones, Sylvia Parris, Catherine Martin, and Juanita Peters.

The story of Nova Scotia's history is usually presented through the lens of military history. Lost in that narrative are the less visible stories of war and peace: contemporary stories told from outside the military community; anti-militarist stories; and stories of soldiers who don't fit the white, cisgender male, heterosexual norm.

Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia brings many previously neglected voices to the fore -- voices of current members of the Canadian Armed Forces and military veterans, members of the African Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaw communities, refugees and immigrants displaced by war, historians and other academics who study war and militarization, artists who reflect on war's impact, and peace activists who vigorously protest against the militarization of the region.

These fresh perspectives on war and peace in Nova Scotia -- from voices that include Darl Wood, El Jones, Sylvia Parris, Peter Dykhuis, Jessica L. Wiebe, Paige Farah, Catherine Martin, and Juanita Peters -- light the way to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of war on our province. Through more than thirty unique stories carefully curated by an expert editorial team from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia sets out to challenge the dominant military narrative on war and peace in Nova Scotia.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Telling Stories of War and Peace in Nova Scotia - Maya Eichler, Reina Green, and Tracy Moniz

Chapter 1-- Military Veterans

Introduction - Maya Eichler

Vagabonds Among You - John Whelan

Finding a New Purpose - Ken Hoffer

Creating the Veteran Farm Project - Jessica Miller

Feminist Military Veteran and LGBT Purge Survivor - Darl Wood,

with Carmen Poulin and Lynne Gouliquer

Being Gay and Ex-Military in Nova Scotia - Frank Letourneau

and Maya Eichler

Chapter 2 -- Military Families

Introduction - Leigh Spanner

I Knew What I Was Getting Into, Right? Reflections from a

Military Spouse - Catherine Littler

Never in a Straight Line but Always in the Right Direction: The Story of a Military Family Researcher - Deborah Norris

Chapter 3 -- Refugee Communities

Introduction - Catherine Baillie Abidi

Confronting the Past: Remembering Memuna - Amara Bangura

Don't Lose Hope: You Never Know What Tomorrow May Bring

- Nareen Haj Ali and Catherine Baillie Abidi

My Story - Viyan Ali

No Red Poppies for Colombia - Marianela Fuertes

Chapter 4 -- African Nova Scotian Communities

Introduction - Susan M. Brigham

Canadian Military History and the Black Atlantic - Claudine Bonner

My Voice and My Daddy's Story: His Time in the No. 2

Construction Battalion - Sylvia Parris-Drummond

Chapter 5 -- Military Histories Across Communities

Introduction - Tracy Moniz

Soul of a Nation in the Heart of Halifax - Ken Hynes

We Were There: Remembering Nova Scotia's Mi'kmaw

War Veterans - Don Julien and Jenna Stewart

Baie Sainte-Marie Goes to War: Experiences of Nova Scotia

Acadians, 1916?1921 - Gregory Kennedy

Chapter 6 -- Halifax Explosion

Introduction - Barbara Lounder

Resolve and Rebirth: The Narrative Environment of Fort Needham

Memorial Park - John deWolf

My Explosion - Catherine Martin, Juanita Peters, and Paige Farah,

with Barbara Lounder

"Walking the Debris Field" Narratives for Peace - Robert Bean

and Angela Henderson

Chapter 7 -- Peace Activism

Introduction - Maya Eichler

Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace: From Cold War Origins to a Hot Planet - kathrin winkler

Giff Gifford: From Second World War Bomber to Veteran

Against Nuclear Arms - Brian Gifford

Yes to Canada! No to War! - Roger Davies

We Built This City - El Jones

Chapter 8 -- War and Art

Introduction - Reina Green and Jessica Lynn Wiebe

Hallowed Ground - Wendy Elliott and Andria Hill-Lehr

(untitled) - Angela Henderson

The Space Between: Endurance, Exhaustion, and Remembrance

- Jessica Lynn Wiebe

Pure War and Mixed Messages - Peter Dykhuis

Conclusion: Weaving Communities Together Through Storytelling

- Reina Green, Maya Eichler, and Tracy Moniz