Awards

• Short-listed for Harold Adams Innis Prize, Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Science 2010 (Canada)
• Short-listed for John A. Macdonald Prize from the Canadian Historical Association 2009 (Canada)

Overview

Contributing Citizens tells the social, cultural, and political history of Community Chests, the forerunners of today's United Way, to provide a unique perspective on the evolution of professional fundraising, private charity, and the development of the welfare state. Blending a national perspective with rich case studies of Halifax, Ottawa, and Vancouver, Shirley Tillotson shows that fundraising work in the mid-twentieth century involved organizing and promoting social responsibility in new ways, sometimes coercively. In the 1940s and 1950s, fundraisers adopted the language of welfare state reform and helped to establish both the notion of universal contribution and the foundation of community organization from which major social policies grew. Peopled by a host of forceful characters, this is a lively account of how raising money raised the level of Canadian democracy.

Full Product Details

9780774814744

Table of Contents

Reviews

""Tillotson takes what is often seen by historians as a ""conservative"" force in Canadian history - charitable fundraising - and creates a nuanced and sympathetic account of its origins, failures, and successes. By incorporating the local histories of Halifax, Ottawa, and Vancouver, she allows us to see how large-scale political change played out in local contexts. Contributing Citizens is a clear, thoughtful, and well-researched contribution to the field of Canadian history. - Lara Campbell, Women's Studies, Simon Fraser University""

Tillotson takes what is often seen by historians as a conservative force in Canadian history - charitable fundraising - and creates a nuanced and sympathetic account of its origins, failures, and successes. By incorporating the local histories of Halifax, Ottawa, and Vancouver, she allows us to see how large-scale political change played out in local contexts. Contributing Citizens is a clear, thoughtful, and well-researched contribution to the field of Canadian history. - Lara Campbell, Women's Studies, Simon Fraser University

Author Information

Shirley Tillotson is Chair of the Department of History at Dalhousie University.

Tab Content 6

Countries Available