Laurentian University's history department will celebrate Women's History Week starting Oct. 6 with a visit by Dr. Wendy Mitchinson, Canada Research Chair in Gender and Medical History. Mitchinson will give two public lectures:
Monday October 6, 7 p.m.: Controlling Who Marries: The Canadian Medical Ideal
Location: Classroom Building on University Road, room 205
Tuesday October 7, 2:30 p.m. Reaching Puberty and Learning the Facts of Life: Canada, 1900-1950
Location: Classroom Building on University Road, room 304
Mitchinson, of the University of Waterloo, is a leading researcher in the history of Canadian medicine. Her work brings to light the ways social stereotypes and cultural constructions of gender have impacted the delivery of healthcare for Canadian women.
She has written two books on the subject - Giving Birth in Canada: 1900-1950 and The Nature of Their Bodies: Women and Their Doctors in Victorian Canada.
Mitchinson is currently doing which explores the perception, treatment and definition of obesity in Canada between 1920 and 1980.
She is the first to pursue a historical study of weight gain in Canada, and plans to examine medical approaches, as well as the origins of the idea of obesity in the health profession.
Her research resonates within today's societal obsession with diet and weight.
Women's History Week, created in 1992, encourages greater awareness among Canadians of the historical contributions of women to society, and recognizes the achievements of women as a vital part of Canada's heritage.
Its goal is to write women back into Canadian history and to develop a better understanding of the diverse roles women play in contemporary society.
The week's activities are sponsored by the department of history and the presidential advisory committee on the status of women.
For more information, contact at 675-1151 ext. 4201.
