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History Post-confederation (1867-)

Frontier Science

Northern Canada, Military Research, and the Cold War, 1945-1970

by (author) Matthew Wiseman

Publisher
University of Toronto Press
Initial publish date
Jun 2024
Category
Post-Confederation (1867-), History, Canada
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781487504199
    Publish Date
    Jun 2024
    List Price
    $85.00
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781487519636
    Publish Date
    Mar 2024
    List Price
    $85.00

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Description

Between 1945 and 1970, Canada’s Department of National Defence sponsored scientific research into the myriad challenges of military operations in cold regions. To understand and overcome the impediments of the country’s cold climate, scientists studied cold-weather acclimatization, hypothermia, frostbite, and psychological morale for soldiers assigned to active duty in northern Canada.

 

Frontier Science investigates the history of military science in northern Canada during this period of the Cold War, highlighting the consequences of government-funded research for humans and nature alike. The book reveals how under the guise of “environmental protection” research, the Canadian military sprayed pesticides to clear bushed areas, used radioactive substances to investigate vector-borne diseases, pursued race-based theories of cold tolerance, and enabled wide-ranging tests of newly developed weapons and equipment.

 

In arguing that military research in northern Canada was a product of the Cold War, Matthew S. Wiseman tackles questions of government power, scientific authority, and medical and environmental research ethics. Based on a long and deep pursuit of declassified records, archival sources, and oral testimony, Frontier Science is a fascinating new history of military approaches to the human-nature relationship.

About the author

Matthew S. Wiseman is a SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow with The Bill Graham Centre for Contemporary International History, and the Department of History, at the University of Toronto.

Matthew Wiseman's profile page

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