Introduction

Introduction The place of business in Canadian society has not received systematic investigation by our historians. Political, intellectual, social, military, economic, and labour history have all found a deserved place in the universities and on the bookshelves ofour nation. The large role business has played in building our society has not, it needs emphasizing, been totally overlooked ; occasional company histories, biographies of businessmen, and studies in economic history constitute the extent of business history in Canada. Paradoxically, Canadian historiography has conceded the business community the role of the dominant class and culture in our society but has seldom generated explicit and specific studies of business and its role per se. There is, nonetheless, growing interest in the study of Canada's business community, as the success of popular business historians attests. In May 1984, historians of Canadian business gathered in Peterborough to discuss and exchange the results of their research and writing. The Trent Conference represented the first attempt to provide a communal forum for Canadian business history. This theme issue of the Journal of Canadian Studies in its turn attempts to convey a sense of the breadth and quality of business history presented at that conference. The conference was not intended to serve as simply another academic gathering. An attempt was made to bridge the interests of businessmen, academics, freelance historians, archjvists, and the general public. Not only did the conference provide an opportunity for the exchange of views and research, but it also established a foundation from which future endeavours may grow. The goal of the conference was thus not to produce another closely defined group of academic specialists, but instead to encourage widespread interest and participation in the study of Canadian business. Participation in the conference tended to give credence to the belief that a broad, if still somewhat inchoate, constituency exists for business history in Canada. The conference attracted people from every region of the country and from varied professional backgrounds. Prominent among the 119 registered attendants were representatives of the academic community, principally historians, geographers, and economists, but also those involved in business administration programs. From outside the academic community there were librarians, archivists, government historians, journalists, and, perhaps most importantly, businessmen. Further evidence of the interest evoked by the conference was the generous level of financial support afforded it by its various sponsors. Contributions made by nine corporations, the Ontario Heritage Foundation, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, and various individuals allowed the inclusion of speakers and commentators from as far away as Victoria, British Columbia and St. John's, Newfoundland. Financial security and national participation were complemented by the efficient and Journal of Canadian Studies Vol. 20, No. 3 (A111011111e 1985 Fall) 3 hospitable manner in which Trent University acted as host. From a logistical perspective, the Canadian Business History Conference succeeded admirably . While logistics constitute the indispensable foundation on which any worthwhile conference is built, its legacy rests on its intellectual content. In assessing the work presented by business historians at the Trent conference , it is perhaps salutary to recall that just over a decade had passed since the last attempt was made to provide an assessment of the collective strength of Canadian business history. The publication in 1972 of David Macmillan's edited volume of business history essays, followed a year later by a special Canadian issue of the Business History Review at Harvard, marked the first concerted attempt to take the pulse of Canadian business historiography. In the intervening years, business historians have frequently complained that Canada offers no especially dedicated outlet for business history. Aside from an annual session at the meeting of the Canadian Historical Association, business historians have been obliged to look abroad to English or American business history journals for publication of their work or to place their work in Canadian journals with interests related to, but not central to, the evolution of business in Canada. This has not been an entirely inauspicious situation. Over the last decade, Canadian business history has proved a fruitful ground for the crossfertilization of various academic disciplines and specialities. Economic historians, social, labour, and intellectual historians, and legal historians have all brought their skills and perspectives to...