Seminar in Public History: From Walkmans to West Edmonton Mall: Material Culture in 1980s Canada

HIST 4916:

Fall 2026

Overview: This seminar explores the material culture and culture of consumerism in 1980s Canada, from malls and marketing to forms of technology and media that became fundamental components for the formation of social identities. We will think about what it means to study media, technology, and culture in what was arguably the last analog decade. We will bring a distinctly Canadian view on what the 1980s meant, from Expo ’86 to CanCon regulations to moral panics over music, sexuality, and games. We will discuss bad fashion, good music, and consider how nostalgia has shaped our views of the decade that shaped Generation X.

Your research projects will explore and present the multiple meanings attached to 1980s material culture through interviews and research on how consumer objects were marketed. As a seminar in Public History, our overall objective is to consider how we can tell stories about past material objects and past technologies, even if these are ‘recent’ pasts. How can we avoid reactive forms of nostalgia and use objects to reflect on wider social practices?  How can we comprehend the wider significance of consumer items between the marketing assumptions and the stories of their use? What stories of media consumption can we (should we) tell of a pre-digital age, and what are the limitations in what can be told?

Class Format: This is an in-person, student-led seminar in a three-hour block. Some weeks may be set aside for off-site visits, tbd.

Text: No textbook is required but you may be required to watch 80s media content of questionable taste.

Questions? Please email me at: james.opp@carleton.ca