Background

As part of work for the course GSJ 598/DH 530, Gender and Social Justice Studies and Digital Humanities at the University of Alberta, three students, Alyssa De’Ath, Rose Morton and Lia Rogers, were privileged to partner with the City of Edmonton Archives and use material from their Karen Rowswell collection (MS 1210) to create an online exhibit. The collection contained several items which reflected feminist activities on the University of Alberta campus at the time. These highlighted the intersection between feminist thought and action and the spread of a more general anti-authoritarian sentiment present from the late 1960s and into the 1980s. 

Methodology

We chose six items from the Karen Rowswell Collection at the City of Edmonton Archives to represent these identified themes. We then explored other archives (traditional and non-traditional) to find contextual material. Next, we re-inspected the Karen Rowswell Collection and this secondary material in order to identify where feminist and other marginalized voices were underrepresented. Our goal was to create an exhibit that added context to the selected items and helped position them within the broader story. If at all possible, we sought to fill in the gaps. This exhibit represents just a small slice of the activities in Edmonton at the time.

Some Design Choices:

We made conscious decisions about censoring certain words, such as fuck, to avoid being overly visible to unrelated searches or being included in unrelated automated algorithms. 

The choice to omit a browse function on the main page was intentional. We wished to encourage visitors to experience the exhibit in the order in which it has been curated. In consideration of people who may wish to access extra metadata and item information we have included labeled links at the bottom of pages to facilitate their discovery. 

About the Karen Rowswell collection

"This collection consists of material collected by Karen Rowswell through her involvement in social movement organizations. The collection includes newspaper clippings, magazine articles, journal publications, photographs, posters, booklets, resource guides, and pamphlets relating to feminism, the anti-war movement, and political ideologies. The material is largely from the 1960s and 1970s, with some records dating between 1980-1994." (City of Edmonton Archives, 2023)

Biographical history

"Karen Rowswell has been heavily involved in Edmonton’s social movements since the late 1960’s. During her time as a part-time student at the University of Alberta from 1971 to 1975, Karen was a member of various advocacy organizations including Students for a Democratic University (SDU), as well as groups that focused on the anti-Vietnam war and feminist movements. While attending university, Karen volunteered at the Women’s Program Centre from 1972 to 1975. The Women’s Program Centre was a student-operated organization based out of the Student’s Union Building. They provided birth control and abortion referral, correspondence with other women's groups in Edmonton and Western Canada, and a lending library of feminist writings. In addition to these services, the Women’s Program Centre organized an annual series of lectures on feminism which were well attended by students. After graduating the University of Alberta with a BA in Anthropology in 1975, Karen continued her involvement with feminist organizations while volunteering at Edmonton Women’s Place in 1975. Karen later returned to the University of Alberta in 1993 and obtained a Masters degree in Library and Information Studies.” (City of Edmonton Archives, 2023).

References

 (2023). Karen Rowswell Collection. MS-1210. City of Edmonton Archives. https://cityarchives.edmonton.ca/karen-rowswell-fond