Kassandra Luciuk, a Ph.D. candidate in the Department of History, has been awarded the Gunn Award for her research paper on Ukrainians living in Cold War Canada. The Gunn Award ($1000) is presented jointly by the Canadian Immigration Historical Society (CIHS) and the International Migration Research Centre (IMRC) at Wilfrid Laurier University. The award recognizes the best fourth-year or graduate-level research paper on the historical evolution of Canadian immigration policy or a historical analysis of Canadian immigration related to specific places, events, or communities.
Kassandra’s essay was chosen from a very strong field of candidates. Entitled, “‘There is only one Ukrainian People’: Ukrainian Canadians, symbols of self, and the negotiation of legitimacy in Cold War Canada,” the essay explores how Taras Shevchenko, the best known 19th century Ukrainian poet and nationalist, became a symbol for the two Ukrainian Canadian organizations competing for support during the Cold War years, one socialist and communist and the other anti-communist and nationalist.
There is an annual call for submissions that are then assessed by a jury from the two sponsoring organizations. More information can be found on the CIHS website and the IMRC website.
The Department congratulates Kassandra on receiving this recognition for her work!