Carleton Grad Student Takes a Humanitarian Approach

Pierre-Yves Saunier, a renowned author, professor and lecturer in the area of humanitarianism, will be speaking at Carleton in March.

The three-day event, which is hosted by the History Department, is sparking a lot of interest with several researchers, including PhD student Will Tait.

For his master’s thesis at Dalhousie, Tait focused on missionary groups during the inter-war period.

“The dedication and commitment of many of the missionaries that I studied mirror modern NGOs who risk their own safety in providing aid,” says Tait.

He found out that many Canadian missionaries in Korea stayed to provide care to civilians after war was declared between the Allies and Japan.
“These missionaries were eventually forced to leave the country and joined other westerners on the SS. Gripsholm, in exchange for Japanese nationals that took place in 1942,” says Tait. “While these Canadians were treated well by their captors, and made it home safely, other missionaries in different parts of the Japanese empire were not so fortunate and were interned in camps under severe conditions.”

While completing his master’s thesis, Tait began to wonder what happened to these groups after WWII and how they fit into the larger post-war aid projects and NGO organizations. “The missions were still active and I started to investigate their connections to governments and secular humanitarian aid.”

The topic seemed a natural for a PhD dissertation in history which Tait chose to pursue at Carleton.

Says Tait: “I was really impressed by the supportive atmosphere in the history department that encouraged students to become involved and the positive interaction between students, faculty and support staff. Coupled with access to important local archives and an adviser who is enthusiastic about my project made Carleton a perfect fit for me.”

Although his PhD work is still in the preliminary stages, his latest research is showing that, in many instances, mission groups acted as a sort of early warning system that triggered action by agencies such as Oxfam.

Tait also hopes to do some archival research on OXFAM Canada as part of a large multi-year project proposed by his thesis adviser Dominque Marshall, as well as conducting research on Inuit and their experiences in the residential and southern school systems. The findings will be included in a comprehensive report presented to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada.

He also teaches a course called Feed the World! – From Bololand to Band Aid as part of Carleton’s Enrichment Mini-Courses Program geared at high school students.

For Dr. Saunier’s visit, Tait plans on participating in the discussions that will explore film and the history of humanitarianism. More information about that visit can be found HERE.