Since 1952, cbc television has played a unique role as the primary mass media purveyor of Cana- dian history. Yet until now, there have been no comprehensive accounts of Canadian history on television. Monica MacDonald takes us behind the scenes of the major documentaries and docudramas broadcast on the cbc, including Explorations (1956–63), Images of Canada (1972–76), The National Dream (1974), The Valour and the Horror (1992), and Canada: A People’s History (2000–02). Drawing on a wide range of sources, MacDonald explores how producers struggled to represent the Canadian past under a range of exter- nal and internal pressures. Despite dramatic shifts in the writing of history over the course of fifty years, she determines that television themes and interpretations largely remained the same. The greater change was in their production and presen- tation, particularly in the role of professional his- torians, as journalists emerged not only as the new producers of Canadian history on cbc television, but also as the new content authorities. A critique of public history through the lens of political economy, Recasting History reveals the conflicts, compromises, and controversies that have shaped the cbc version of the Canadian past. Monica MacDonald is a specialist in public history and holds a PhD in communication and culture from York University. 2 9 M Q U P S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 S P E C I F I C AT I O N S April 2019 -5,7a755pl7lnps7h 4s-i-l£ bAU1 4s-i-l£ Dc1 kssi-- 6o602 -5,7a755pl7lnpS75 4SSaiaac bAU1 4SSaiaac Dc1 k,,iaa $.9ru n B - sln66 Sp 6u9r93 0g99T omot.oN.0 C A N A D I A N H I S T O R Y • C O M M U N I C AT I O N S T U D I E S Recasting History How CBC Television Has Shaped Canada’s Past monica macdonald How the CBC recast Canadian history for television and influenced what we know and how we think about the Canadian past.