Current Issue
Across Canada, dozens of small artifact collections—whether hosted by national museums, smaller institutions, or simply stored in a university hallway cupboard—form an important yet largely untapped record of Canadian history. Assembled from laboratories, hospitals, homes, factories, farms, and fieldwork, such collections permit us to explore aspects of Canadian scientific and technological practice, innovation and labour that may be inaccessible through texts alone.
Through highlighting the efforts of those who work with artifacts in Canada, this special issue of Scientia Canadensis seeks to direct attention to, and begin a conversation about, such collections, exploring both the challenges they present, and the opportunities they offer to researchers. In doing so, we hope to make the case that Canada’s material heritage of science and technology deserves greater protection. Representing diverse perspectives, the articles gathered in this issue seek to answer the question: What can collections of historical artifacts teach us about science and technology in Canada, and why should we keep them?
