Principal Investigator
Laura Madokoro, Associate Professor, Department of History, Carleton University
Laura Madokoro’s research explores the history of migrants, refugees, humanitarians and state authorities in shaping the possibilities and experiences of refuge. She is the author of Elusive Refuge: Chinese Migrants in the Cold War (Harvard, 2016) and co-editor of Dominion of Race: Rethinking Canada’s International History (UBC, 2017). She is co-director of Histoire Sociale / Social History, a member of the editorial collective at activehistory.ca and a member of College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists of the Royal Society of Canada.
Research Team
Helen Kennedy, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Helen Kennedy is a PhD candidate in the Department of History studying international intervention and humanitarian action in Bosnia. Her research is focused on how international institutions describe people affected by conflict and what that discourse can tell us about policy decisions. She is most interested in contributing to a thoughtful conversation about the protection of civilians in times of complex crises. Helen is a member of the Canadian Network on Humanitarian History and the Global Institute for Research Education and Scholarship.
Research Assistants
Natalie Amato, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Natalie is a graduate student completing a Masters in History with a specialization in Digital Humanities. Her master’s research examines the creation of the Canadian Citizenship Act of 1947 and investigates considerations given to ethnic and gender minorities, and Indigenous peoples in how the Act might apply to them. She is also currently completing a research project funded by the Mitacs Accelerate Fellowship that explores the National Arts Centre Archives focusing on the first decade of the English theatre program and the influences of Canada’s Official Multiculturalism Policy. In her free time, you will likely find her with a coffee in hand, watching food programs, baking the occasional dessert, playing volleyball and crocheting toques.
Emma Bower, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Emma Bower is a Public History graduate student, studying food and recipes as cultural preservation in Toronto-based Filipino communities. She holds a BAH in history from Trent University and a BEd from Queen’s University. Emma is passionate about accessible and alternative education, and her research interests include cultural preservation practices, decolonial histories and ways of knowing. She is an emerging museum professional, having worked at the Canadian Museum of History, Arnprior & District Museum, and the Osgoode Township Museum. In her limited free time, Emma can be found crocheting a blanket for her cat, exploring Ottawa with her husband, or taking road-trips home to visit her niece.
Bethany Duberville, Undergraduate Student, Carleton University
Bethany Duberville is majoring in Applied Linguistics and Discourse Studies with a double minor in Korean and Forensic Psychology. She enjoys studying history as a hobby, and took one of Professor Madokoro’s classes as an elective during her 1st year of undergrad at Carleton. In her free time, Bethany enjoys embroidering, journaling, video games, and playing with her cat, Thackery Binx.
Denie Espina, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Denie is a graduate student completing a Masters in Migration and Diaspora Studies at Carleton University. She completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Winnipeg, majoring in History with a minor in Women’s and Gender Studies. She is passionate about decolonization within historical studies. Her research interests involve queer migration and the experiences of LGBTQIA+ immigrants/refugees, the intersection of colonialism and diaspora, and the effects of migration on the Indigenous peoples of Canada. In her free time, Denie enjoys reading, watching movies, going on hikes, and cuddling with her two cats.
Rebecca Friend, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Rebecca Friend is a PhD candidate in Public History at Carleton University. Her SSHRC-funded research project studies representations of children and childhood in Canadian commemorations while involving contemporary children in the research process. Rebecca teaches courses for Carleton’s History department and Childhood and Youth Studies program and is also a trained museum professional having worked as a researcher for the Canadian Museum of History and Ingenium: Canada’s Museums of Science and Innovation. In her free time, you can find her trying to find the best wine and cheese purveyors in Ottawa.
Arden Hody, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Arden Hody is a Masters student in Public History and Curatorial Studies. Working at the intersection of museology and death studies, her Masters’ research critically examines the display of mortuary objects at the Royal Ontario Museum. Arden is passionate about the democratization of museums and challenging the ways in which museums perpetuate colonial narratives. In her free time Arden enjoys taking long walks and relaxing with her research associate, Prudence the cat.
Rebecca Lloyd, Undergraduate Student, Carleton University
Rebecca Lloyd is an undergraduate student at Carleton University currently working on her Bachelor of Global and International Studies with a major in Global Politics. She has a wide arrange of interests including the study of refugees and migrants, economics, foreign affairs, history and development. She would like to pursue a career in the diplomatic arena. In her free time, you will find her watching the latest films, working out and traveling when COVID allows.
Sam Rattigan, Undergraduate Student, Carleton University
Sam Rattigan is an undergraduate student in History & Psychology at Carleton University. After completing her undergrad, Sam hopes to continue her education in the history field. She would like to pursue a career in museum and heritage studies, putting her love of preserving history to good use. In her free time, Sam likes to read, craft, and conduct research on Ancestry. She is also fond of trying to convince her loved ones to play board games with her.
Lauren Rollit, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Lauren Rollit is a graduate student in Public History. Her research explores approaches to reconciliation and decolonization within local history spaces in Canada. She is passionate about the relationship between history and community, and about the role of local history organizations in challenging colonial historical narratives. In her free time, Lauren enjoys reading poetry, knitting, and drinking great iced tea.
Yavuz Selim Topbas, Undergraduate Student, Carleton University
Yavuz Selim Topbas is a Bachelor of Public Affairs and Policy Management student specializing in International Policy Studies, with a concentration in International Relations & Conflict. Originally from Hamilton, ON, his interests in public policy brought him to Canada’s capital, where he has also done various internships in various fields in the federal government. Also interested in business, Yavuz Selim has involved himself in multiple small businesses ranging from vintage fashion to plush doll manufacturing. Aside from his interest in history, he also considers learning languages, motorcycling, and art as hobbies.
Valerie Wood, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Valerie Wood is completing a Masters in Public History alongside a Curatorial Studies Diploma. Her children’s picture book, Vee In Between, scheduled for publication in 2023, forms the centrepiece of her graduate research on how children’s literature can be used to tell the history of transracial Chinese-Canadian adoption. She is passionate about challenging traditional historical narratives in a way that centres the lives and experiences of marginalized peoples. In her free time you will find her cat cuddling, dog walking, and horseback riding.
Project Manager
Amy Fung, Graduate Student, Carleton University
Amy is a PhD Candidate at The School of Indigenous and Canadian Studies at Carleton University. She has been working with historian and dissertation supervisor, Dr. Laura Madokoro, on racialized loss and the politics of mourning in the Canadian context. Amy recently published an article, “Is Settler Colonialism Just Another Study of Whiteness” (Canadian Ethnic Studies, 2021) and has published extensively on contemporary art including a non-fiction book, Before I was a Critic I Was A Human Being (Book*hug Press, 2019).