Joy Parr (1949 – 12 May 2024) was a Canadian historian. She was a professor at the

University of Western Ontario The University of Western Ontario (UWO; branded as Western University) is a Public university, public research university in London, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land, surrounded by residential neighbourhoods and the Thame ...

and held a Tier 1 Canada Research Chair in Technology, Culture and Risk. She was known for her work in the fields of labour and

gender history Gender history is a sub-field of history and gender studies, which looks at the past from the perspective of gender. It is in many ways, an outgrowth of women's history. The discipline considers in what ways historical events and periodization im ...

as well as the

history of technology The history of technology is the history of the invention of tools and techniques by humans. Technology includes methods ranging from simple stone tools to the complex genetic engineering and information technology that has emerged since the 19 ...

Life and career

Parr was born in 1949 in

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, and received her Bachelor of Arts degree from

McGill University McGill University (French: Université McGill) is an English-language public research university in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill University, Vol. I. For the Advancement of Learning, ...

in 1971 before moving on to graduate school at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where she received her PhD in 1977 under the supervision of Robin W. Winks. She has taught at several institutions in both Canada and the United States, including Yale, Queen's University, the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

, and

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

. Parr died in

Southampton, Ontario Southampton is a community on the shores of Lake Huron in Bruce County, Ontario, Canada. It is close to Port Elgin and is located at the mouth of the Saugeen River in the Saugeen Ojibway Nation Territory. The size of the town is 6.44 square kil ...

on May 12, 2024.

Awards

Parr won numerous awards and distinctions over the course of her career. She was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada Fellowship of the Royal Society of Canada (FRSC) is an award granted to individuals that the Royal Society of Canada judges to have "made remarkable contributions in the arts, the humanities and the sciences, as well as in Canadian public life" ...

in 1992, and in 2000 became the first woman to win the Society's prestigious J. B. Tyrell Historical Medal for outstanding work in the history of Canada.She was the recipient of the 1991 Sir John A. Macdonald Prize (now the

CHA Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History Prize The CHA Best Scholarly Book in Canadian History Prize is an annual book prize awarded by the Canadian Historical Association. According to the CHA, the award is for the "non-fiction work of Canadian history judged to have made the most significant ...

) for the best book in Canadian history from the

Canadian Historical Association The Canadian Historical Association (CHA; , SHC) is a Canadian organization founded in 1922 for the purposes of promoting historical research and scholarship. It is a bilingual, not-for-profit, charitable organization, the largest of its kind in ...

for her book ''The Gender of Breadwinners'', which also won the Association's 1995

François-Xavier Garneau Medal The ''François-Xavier Garneau Medal'' is a book prize awarded by the Canadian Historical Association. Awarded only every five years since it was first awarded in 1980, the CHA describes the Medal as its "most prestigious" prize, honouring "an outs ...

. Her 2010 book ''

Sensing Changes ''Sensing Changes: Technologies, Environments, and the Everyday, 1953–2003'' is a 2010 book by Canadian historian Joy Parr. The book examines the "embodied histories" of Canadians who were affected by Canadian megaprojects in the postwar p ...

'' was awarded both the Canada Prize from the

Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences The Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (), also known as the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, is a member-based organization and the national voice for researchers in the humanities and social sciences in C ...

and the Edelstein Prize from the

Society for the History of Technology The Society for the History of Technology (SHOT) is the primary professional society for historians of technology. SHOT was founded in 1958 in the United States, and it has since become an international society with members "from some thirty-five ...

(SHOT). In 2018,

SHOT Shot may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Shot'' (album), by The Jesus Lizard *''Shot, Illusion, New God'', an EP by Gruntruck *'' Shot Rev 2.0'', a video album by The Sisters of Mercy * "Shot" (song), by The Rasmus * ''Shot'' (2017 ...

awarded Parr the Leonardo da Vinci Medal for lifetime achievement, noting that "Parr has played an important role in redefining the field of history of technology internationally, in inspiring a younger generation to engage with the field, and in building a vibrant community in Canada and beyond." Parr is also the namesake for the Joy Parr Envirotech Travel Award from

Selected works

* * * * * * *

References

External links

Departmental page, UWO

Joy Parr's homepage

Mega Projects New Media
{{DEFAULTSORT:Parr, Joy 1949 births 2024 deaths 20th-century Canadian historians 21st-century Canadian historians Canadian women historians Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada Historians of technology Labor historians McGill University alumni Academic staff of Queen's University at Kingston Academic staff of the University of British Columbia Academic staff of the University of Western Ontario Writers from Toronto Yale University alumni Yale University faculty 20th-century Canadian women writers