Welcome


Introduction 

I teach Latin American and Caribbean History at Lakehead University and I also specialize in the history of International Development. Like other academics, I publish books and articles, but unlike most, I am also a filmmaker.  My work tends to focus on issues of immigration, integration, racism, labour and the post-colonial world. I have also published in the general areas of social justice and human rights. I have published several books and articles and directed documentary films. Two of my most significant contributions are The West Indians of Costa Rica: Race, Class and the Integration of an Ethnic Community, and IDRC: 40 Years of Ideas, Innovation and Impact (co-authored with Bruce Muirhead). I have also edited several collections dealing with Finnish immigration and settlement in North America, notably, Karelian Exodus: Finns in North America and Karelia during the Depression Era. You can find out more about these publications elsewhere on this website.

Current Research

One of my current projects concerns shifting economies in resource dependent communities in Canada, Finland and Uruguay. I am the co-editor of Pulp Friction: Communities and the Forest Industry in a Globalized World and I am currently working on a documentary film about the impact of the rise and decline of the forest industry in Canada, Finland and Uruguay.

Documentary Films

I addition to doing the things history professors usually do, I am also an accomplished filmmaker. I have worked on dozens of films over the years and I have made several of my own. My latest is Under the Red Star, a feature-length docu-drama about Finnish Radicalism in Canada prior to World War Two. Have a look at the short trailer below to get an idea about the film and its quality.


International Development Teaching Tool

I am also interested in ways to use film as a teaching tool. To this end, I have put together a Vimeo Channel called A Question of Development. I use the site in my course on the history of international development. I also make use of it when I speak to students or community audiences about my work. This is also a companion to some of my writing and to "Citoyens du Monde," a six-part documentary film series on research for development that I was involved in making. The idea of this channel is to provide easy access to ideas about some of the challenges of development. I then take the audience back to the historical underpinnings of a given issue. You can visit my international development channel by clicking here or click on the video window below to watch a slideshow of clips from A Question of Development right now.




Other Business

You can find out more about me and my projects by exploring the rest of this website. Some of the things you will find are  copies of some of my writing as well as links to some of my film and new media work. To find out the latest news, click on the headlines on the right and please visit the new archive for some old news. Feel free to write me if you have any questions about the things I have posted on this website or to find out how you can obtain copies of my work.