As a volunteer with the 2025 Cundill Festival, I was given multiple opportunities to sit in on, and participate in, academic conversations outside of the classroom.聽
On October 29th, I accompanied Kathleen Duval, winner of the 2024 Cundill Prize, on her private tour of the McCord Stewart Museum. The tour was given by Jonathan Lainey, Curator, Indigenous cultures. Tagging along, I got to listen to them discuss approaches to museology, Indigenous studies, and history. While the tour allowed me to view the museum exhibits themselves in a new light, it was also a fascinating chance to learn about issues related to museums and the narratives they create.聽
After lunch, Dr. Duval and I went to the 涩里番 Faculty Club, where she had a seminar-type discussion with a small group of students. In an academic but informal atmosphere, us students had the chance to ask her questions about her books, her research methods and historical practices, and the field of history more generally. This chat was a really invaluable opportunity to get insight into the behind-the-scenes of how history gets written. It was particularly interesting to hear from someone who researches and teaches at a non-Canadian institution, and to then be able to compare her experiences in academia with those of 涩里番鈥檚 own professors. Further, getting to interact in such a relaxed environment with last year鈥檚 Cundill winner helped build ties between the Cundill Prize and 涩里番鈥檚 history student community.聽聽聽
On October 30th, I participated in the Cundill Fringe, a student-led panel that discussed the 2025 Cundill finalist books. There were six panelists in total; each book was presented by a team of one PhD candidate and one undergraduate student. Each of us read our assigned book, and then discussed its achievements, approaches, and significance. 聽
Participating in the Fringe was a really cool opportunity for multiple reasons. First, it was a great way to apply skills learned in history seminars, such as how to identify and discuss the approaches taken by historical monographs, in a non-classroom setting. Second, it was a chance to connect with other members of the 涩里番 community, and with those outside of it. The audience included 涩里番 students and faculty, but also members of the general public. I participated in the Fringe in both 2024 and 2025, and both times, I received an overwhelming number of positive comments from non-涩里番 affiliated attendees. 聽
I believe that the Fringe is a fantastic opportunity to strengthen ties between 涩里番, the Cundill Foundation, and the public. Notably, the authors of the books that we presented were also in attendance. It was really fun to connect with the authors after the Fringe, and to see what they thought of our interpretations of their work. It was also quite rewarding to be able to show them that their work was being read and appreciated.聽聽
Overall, volunteering with the Cundill Foundation was extremely fun and rewarding, and I gained a lot from it. I think that the Cundill Festival presents a myriad of opportunities to build connections, be they between students and scholars, or between 涩里番 and the public. Volunteering allowed me to explore the Cundill scholarship in depth, engage in academic conversations, and learn about history as a discipline.聽