Tonya Davidson is an Instructor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University. Her research interests have focused on questions of memory, national belonging, and the built environment. More specifically, Tonya has spent many years studying the social lives of statues in Ottawa. Her sociological research has been published in Journal of Canadian Studies, Space and Culture, The Public Historian, and Topia. With Ondine Park, she co-edited Ecologies of Affect: Placing Nostalgia, Desire, and Hope (2011, Wilfrid Laurier University Press). She most recently published Seasonal Sociology (co-edited with Ondine Park), which won an American Association of Publishers award for “best textbook in the social sciences” in 2021.
Read what participants have said they enjoyed most about Dr. Davidson’s original lecture series about Ottawa, “Ottawology: A Critical Study of the Nation’s Capital”:
- I thought this was a fantastic lecture series – I love the use of sociology (something I knew little about) as a vehicle to learn about Ottawa. Dr. Tonya Davidson’s enthusiasm for the subject was infectious.
- I really liked the use of Sociology to help understand the way things happened in Ottawa. I have an Engineering background and knew nothing about Sociology, so I found that analysis very interesting. I now am pointing things out to my wife interesting histories I learned from this course.
- I found out some very, very interesting information about Ottawa. Great historical value.
- Tonya did a great job! Her lectures were very well-researched and presented; her enthusiasm for and knowledge of her subject were inspiring! The walking tours were a great idea and much appreciated.
- Learned a lot about Ottawa which I did not know…appreciated the lecturer’s knowledge of Ottawa…liked the sociological perspective.
- We really enjoyed the lecturer’s presentation technique. She has a relaxed manner that encourages questions and comments. Her preparation and passion about the topic is obvious in her lessons. The outings were a pleasant way to observe and understand Ottawa monuments.
- Dr. Davidson was always well prepared and very enthusiastic. She encouraged class participation and there was a lot of it. This approach enhanced the learning experience. The lectures (1 and 6) which took place in downtown Ottawa were really interesting.
- Dr. Davidson made the series very interesting and her enthusiasm for the subject made the series memorable and fun.
- The series was excellent. She was informative, funny, interesting and highly motivated. I would certainly consider retaking this series again. I enjoyed the outings in the first and last class.
- I really enjoyed Tonya’s enthusiasm for the topic and also her insights into the sociology of historical events in Ottawa which I had not considered before.
- Tonya was a great lecturer – enthusiastic, friendly, and informative.
- I recently moved to Ottawa and I chose this series to learn about my new place of residence. This series was everything I was hoping for and more; I learned so much. The whole series was well balanced with 2 field trips, one at the beginning and one at the end, with 4 lectures in between. The lecturer was very knowledgeable and was able to add some humour through the lecture. The pace was great. I will definitely look for another series by the same lecturer.