Murder, Execution, Assassination and Suicide: A New Look at Canadian History

It’s often been said that life imitates art, but in the case of History professor Dr. Dimitry Anastakis and his new book, it’s the other way around.

Professor Anastakis’ book, Death in the Peaceable Kingdom: Canadian History Since 1867 Through Murder, Execution, Assassination, and Suicide, has been entirely influenced and inspired by a course of the same name he teaches at Trent.

“One of the great things about doing this book was that it illustrates just how collaborative teaching is at Trent, and how it is a two-way street between instructors and students,” Professor Anastakis says.

To be published this spring, Death in the Peaceable Kingdom, is as much a reflection of Prof. Anastakis’ distinct approach to his own research of Canadian history, which offers examinations of history through a wide range of interests, from the impact of cars and the invention of rubber to the meaning of federalism and the 1960s, as it is a reflection of the course itself. It examines political, social, economic and cultural changes in post-Confederation Canada through the lens of the deaths of famous (and some not-so-famous) Canadians like Louis Riel and Tom Thomson.

Another special (some might even venture to say “fun”) feature of the book is that it is peppered with short, “teachable-moment-like” vignettes Prof. Anastakis calls “Murderous Moments” and “Tragic Tales” -- both of which are designed to help keep readers engaged and entertained while they learn.

From the classroom to the page
Reflecting on the development of the book, Prof. Anastakis says the book mirrors the teaching and learning culture at Trent where undergrads have not only served as Prof. Anastakis’ focus group, but also have reviewed and shared their comments on sample chapters and even voted on its cover. Trent students were so involved in the process they even earned a “shout out” in the book’s acknowledgements.

“The book has been helped immeasurably by the feedback I have received from students in the course -- and this has really helped the process of both researching and writing the book, not to mention teaching about these events in the course,” says Prof. Anastakis.

Death in the Peaceable Kingdom is Prof. Anastaskis’ seventh book. His first book, Auto Pact: Creating a Borderless North American Auto Industry, 1960-71, published in 2005 won the 2008 J.J. Talman Award as the best book on Ontario’s history published in the previous three years. In 2014, Prof. Anastakis, who is considered the leading scholar on the history of the Canadian automobile industry, was awarded the Hagley Prize, an international award given annually to the best book in business history by the Business History Conference and the Hagley Museum and Library of Wilmington, Delaware, for his 2013 book, Autonomous State: The Struggle for a Canadian Car Industry from OPEC to Free Trade. In addition to his writing and teaching accolades, Prof. Anastakis has also served as an historical consultant for the CBC and appears regularly in the news media as a commentator on political and economic events.