Speaking Up

A compelling anthology of diverse and historically marginalized perspectives on war and peace in Nova Scotia, including El Jones, Sylvia Parris, Catherine Martin, and Juanita Peters.

The story of Nova Scotia's history is usually presented through the lens of military history. Lost in that narrative are the less visible stories of war and peace: contemporary stories told from outside the military community; anti-militarist stories; and stories of soldiers who don't fit the white, cisgender male, heterosexual norm.

Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia brings many previously neglected voices to the fore — voices of current members of the Canadian Armed Forces and military veterans, members of the African Nova Scotian and Mi'kmaw communities, refugees and immigrants displaced by war, historians and other academics who study war and militarization, artists who reflect on war's impact, and peace activists who vigorously protest against the militarization of the region.

These fresh perspectives on war and peace in Nova Scotia — from voices that include Darl Wood, El Jones, Sylvia Parris, Peter Dykhuis, Jessica L. Wiebe, Paige Farah, Catherine Martin, and Juanita Peters — light the way to a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of war on our province. Through more than thirty unique stories carefully curated by an expert editorial team from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, Speaking Up: New Voices on War and Peace in Nova Scotia sets out to challenge the dominant military narrative on war and peace in Nova Scotia.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Telling Stories of War and Peace in Nova Scotia - Maya Eichler, Reina Green, and Tracy Moniz

Chapter 1— Military Veterans
Introduction - Maya Eichler
Vagabonds Among You - John Whelan
Finding a New Purpose - Ken Hoffer
Creating the Veteran Farm Project - Jessica Miller
Feminist Military Veteran and LGBT Purge Survivor - Darl Wood,
with Carmen Poulin and Lynne Gouliquer
Being Gay and Ex-Military in Nova Scotia - Frank Letourneau
and Maya Eichler

Chapter 2 — Military Families
Introduction - Leigh Spanner
I Knew What I Was Getting Into, Right? Reflections from a
Military Spouse - Catherine Littler
Never in a Straight Line but Always in the Right Direction: The Story of a Military Family Researcher - Deborah Norris

Chapter 3 — Refugee Communities
Introduction - Catherine Baillie Abidi
Confronting the Past: Remembering Memuna - Amara Bangura
Don?t Lose Hope: You Never Know What Tomorrow May Bring
- Nareen Haj Ali and Catherine Baillie Abidi
My Story - Viyan Ali
No Red Poppies for Colombia - Marianela Fuertes

Chapter 4 — African Nova Scotian Communities
Introduction - Susan M. Brigham
Canadian Military History and the Black Atlantic - Claudine Bonner
My Voice and My Daddy?s Story: His Time in the No. 2
Construction Battalion - Sylvia Parris-Drummond

Chapter 6 — Halifax Explosion
Introduction - Barbara Lounder
Resolve and Rebirth: The Narrative Environment of Fort Needham
Memorial Park - John deWolf
My Explosion - Catherine Martin, Juanita Peters, and Paige Farah,
with Barbara Lounder
"Walking the Debris Field": Narratives for Peace - Robert Bean
and Angela Henderson

Chapter 7 — Peace Activism
Introduction - Maya Eichler
Nova Scotia Voice of Women for Peace: From Cold War Origins to a Hot Planet - kathrin winkler
Giff Gifford: From Second World War Bomber to Veteran
Against Nuclear Arms - Brian Gifford
Yes to Canada! No to War! - Roger Davies
We Built This City - El Jones

Chapter 8 — War and Art
Introduction - Reina Green and Jessica Lynn Wiebe
Hallowed Ground - Wendy Elliott and Andria Hill-Lehr
(untitled) - Angela Henderson
The Space Between: Endurance, Exhaustion, and Remembrance
- Jessica Lynn Wiebe
Pure War and Mixed Messages - Peter Dykhuis
Conclusion: Weaving Communities Together Through Storytelling
- Reina Green, Maya Eichler, and Tracy Moniz