The Authority File Round-Up: April 2025

April's series explored 19th-century minstrelsy and all things Canada and the Blackface Atlantic.

Posted on May 13, 2025 in Blog

Last month’s series zeroed in on the rise of blackface in Canada. Our guest, author of Canada and the Blackface Atlantic: Performing Slavery, Conflict, and Freedom, 1812-1897, provided fascinating insights into how blackface acted as a “socializing agent” during the 19th century and the ways minstrel shows shaped audiences’ understandings of Black people in the US North and South. Our speaker also detailed her work in the archives and the ways librarians and archivists responded to her research. The series closed with a discussion of the project Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives (MOBA), a digital inventory of public Black archival collections. We hope you find the episodes instructive and stimulating.

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April’s Series

In April, TAF was joined by Dr. Cheryl Thompson, a Tier 2 Canada Research Chair (CRC) in Black Expressive Culture and Creativity and an Associate Professor in Performance at Toronto Metropolitan University. Dr. Thompson walked through the development of her recently published title, Canada and the Blackface Atlantic, explaining her research process and decision to begin the book at the War of 1812. Throughout the series, Dr. Thompson examined the competing narratives between minstrel shows and Jubilee performances, in addition to Canada’s place in the “Atlantic World.” Dr. Thompson also discussed the relationship between minstrel shows and infrastructure in the 19th century. Brought to you by Wilfrid Laurier University Press.

Listen to the episodes: 

• Talking Infrastructure, Education, and Canada and the Blackface Atlantic
• Timeline, Conflict, and Jubilee Singers in Canada and the Blackface Atlantic
• Gender, Race, and the Archives of 19th-Century Minstrelsy and Vaudeville
• Mapping Ontario’s Black Archives and Canada as Part of the Atlantic World

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What’s Coming Up in May

This month we bring together librarian, faculty, publisher, distributor, and filmmaker perspectives to assess the benefits of using documentary films in the classroom. Covering documentary collection building strategies and opportunities for collaboration, this series provides useful tips for sustaining documentary filmmaking in today’s political climate. Our guests share practical examples of ways documentary films enhance teaching and learning and how they can connect with students on a deeper level than traditional scholarship. Don’t miss the first episode.

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You can find more episodes on our website, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube Music, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Thanks for listening! See you next month.

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