Funded Master’s Position in the History of Food Systems in Canada

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Funded Master’s Position in the History of Food Systems in Canada

Start Dates: September 2025/September 2026

Dr. Jamie Murton is looking for a graduate student to join his research team on the How Canadians Ate Project at Nipissing University, North Bay, Ontario. This is a funded position.

The project asks: how did Canadians get their food following the rise of industrial capitalism in the 19th century? In other words, in a Canada that was increasingly industrial from about the 1870s, where was Canadians’ food produced, how did it get to Canadian eaters, and how did these change over the course of the 20th century?

The successful applicant would work closely with Dr. Murton on a case study that will examine Canadian food systems at mid-century in the records of the Wartime Prices and Trade Board (WPTB). The WPTB took charge of the pricing and distribution of food during the Second World War; its interventions therefore reveal how foods were produced, packed, stored, shipped, and consumed at this critical period. The expectation is that the student will conduct research in the Wartime Prices and Trade Board records as part of their MRP/Thesis research and in support of the project research. The student will also take on project management duties, including overseeing the running of the project management software, budget updating, and organizing conference and research travel. They will also provide mentorship for undergraduate RA(s) working on the project.

The student will receive a stipend of $15,000 plus travel and accommodation funds for research travel at Library and Archives Canada and to present at a conference with the research team. Note that a student starting in September 2026 would also be eligible for additional funding from Nipissing University; a student starting in September 2025 would not be eligible for additional funding.

The degree can be completed in either of Nipissing University’s MA in History program or the Master of Environmental
Science/Studies program. In either case the work will be supervised by Dr. Murton.

For more information contact Dr. Murton at jmurton@nipissingu.ca. Though I would like someone who could start in September, 2025, I would also like to hear from people interested in applying for a September, 2026 start.

Featured Image: “Woman in Front of Retail Beef Chart,” Wartime Prices and Trade Board Collection, Accession number: 1966-093 NPC, Box number: 4844, Item ID No: 4238778, Library and Archives Canada.

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Jamie Murton

Jamie Murton is a Professor in the Department of History at Nipissing University. His research focuses on the environmental history of food and agriculture, and particularly of subsistence production and its relationship to capitalist markets for food. Canadians and Their Natural Environment: A History is out now from Oxford University Press.

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