David Bercuson

Last updated

David Bercuson
Born
David Jay Bercuson

(1945-08-31) 31 August 1945 (age 79)
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
Academic background
Alma mater
Thesis Labour in Winnipeg (1971)
Doctoral advisor Kenneth McNaught [1]
Institutions University of Calgary

David Jay Bercuson OC FRSC (born 1945) is a Canadian labour, military, and political historian.

Contents

Career

Born on 31 August 1945 in Montreal, Quebec, he attended Sir George Williams University, graduated there in 1965 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in history, and was awarded the Lieutenant-Governor's Silver Medal for the highest standing in history. [2] He continued his studies at the University of Toronto under Ken McNaught and Ramsay Cook [3] and received Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degrees in history in 1967 and 1971, respectively. His doctoral thesis was Labour in Winnipeg: The Great War and the General Strike. [4] In 1970–1971, he was a visiting assistant professor at the University of Calgary. After he had received his PhD, he was appointed assistant professor. He is now a full professor at the University of Calgary and the director of the university's Centre for Military and Strategic Studies. He is also the Director of Programs at the Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, based in Calgary.

Bercuson has published academic and commercial books on a range of subjects, focusing primarily in modern Canadian politics, Canadian defence and foreign policy, and Canadian military history. He has written, coauthored, or edited more than thirty books. He also writes regular columns for Legion Magazine, the Calgary Herald , and the National Post , among other publications. He periodically does political and military commentary for CBC and CTV television. In 1991, he wrote with Barry Cooper Deconfederation: Canada without Quebec in which he argued that Canada would benefit from Quebec separation.

In 2001, Bercuson became Vice President of Research of the newly formed Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute, a Calgary-based think tank. [5]

Honours

Bercuson was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 1988. He received the J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal in 2002 and in 2003 he was made an Officer of the Order of Canada. He was a recipient of the Vimy Award, which recognizes a Canadian who has made a significant and outstanding contribution to the defence and security of the Canadian nation and the preservation of its democratic values. [6] Between 2002 and 2010, he was the Honorary Lieutenant Colonel of 41 Combat Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Forces. In 2012, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal. In 2016, Bercuson was awarded an honourary Doctor of Laws from the Royal Military College of Canada [7]

Books

See also

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References

  1. McNaught, Kenneth (1999). Conscience and History: A Memoir . Toronto: University of Toronto Press. p. 159. ISBN   978-0-8020-4425-9 . Retrieved 20 March 2022.
  2. "David Jay Bercuson CV" (PDF). cmss.ucalgary.ca. 20 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  3. Flanagan, Thomas (25 January 2015). "Legends of the Calgary School: Their Guns, Their Dogs, and the Women Who Love Them". VoegelinView. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  4. "Honorary degree citation - David Jay Bercuson". concordia.ca. June 1998. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  5. "2002 Annual Report" (PDF). Calgary, Alberta: Canadian Defence and Foreign Affairs Institute. 17 October 2002. Retrieved 7 May 2024.
  6. "GOVERNOR GENERAL ANNOUNCES MILITARY DECORATIONS". e-Veritas. RMC Club for Members. Archived from the original on 7 December 2008.
  7. https://www.rmc-cmr.ca/en/royal-military-college-canada-honorary-degree-recipients
Awards
Preceded by J. B. Tyrrell Historical Medal
2002
Succeeded by
Preceded by Vimy Award
2004
Succeeded by