Ben Isitt
| Ben Isitt BA, MA, PhD, LLB |
|
|---|---|
| City Councillor and Regional Director Victoria, British Columbia, Canada | |
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office December 8, 2011 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | January 19, 1978 Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Political party | New Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | University of London University of New Brunswick University of Victoria |
Dr. Ben Isitt (born ca. 1978) is a Canadian historian and legal scholar with expertise in the relationship between social movements and the state. He holds public office as a city councillor and regional director in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.
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[edit] Early life
Isitt's interest in world affairs and politics was sparked by a high school history class in which he was one of only two students to argue from the left. A backpacking trip through the United States further influenced him; the grade 12 student saw "glaring poverty." He entered the University of Victoria in 1996 and later became news editor of The Martlet. In a break after his first year, he took a 28-country trip through Europe and the Middle East, including a time working on an Israeli kibbutz. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in history and professional writing in 2001.[1]
[edit] Graduate work and community involvement
While a Master's degree student at UVic, Isitt entered the contest for Mayor of Victoria as an independent candidate in 2002. This followed the decision of the Victoria Civic Electors, municipal arm of the New Democratic Party, against challenging the business-aligned incumbent Alan Lowe. Isitt's platform advocated for "a Cooperative & Green Victoria." David Turner, a New Democrat and Victoria's mayor from 1990 to 1993, endorsed Isitt for mayor for "his energy, vision and commitment to a more just distribution of resources." [1] With 40 volunteers and $9 000, Isitt won more than five thousand votes, 32% of all ballots cast.
In 2003, Isitt finished his Master of Arts in history with a thesis on the origins of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation (CCF) in British Columbia. The same year, he was elected to the executive of the New Democratic Youth of Canada as policy director, endorsing Joe Comartin for leader of the NDP and serving on the party's federal council.
For a time Isitt lived in New Brunswick, pursuing a PhD in Canadian history; he was active in the NDP there, helping to revive the youth wing and writing for The Brunswickan. In 2005, Isitt once again ran for mayor, winning the nomination of the NDP-affiliated Victoria Civil Electors and capturing 43.6% of the votes cast, compared to Lowe's 51.9%.
In 2008, Isitt successfully defended his History dissertation on the topic "Tug-of-War: The Working Class and Political Change in British Columbia, 1948-1972".
[edit] Scholarly achievements
After working as a research officer for the B.C. Ministry of Advanced Education, Isitt worked as a postdoctoral fellow and assistant professor of history at the University of Victoria and University of British Columbia, teaching courses in Canadian and World history including introductory courses on Canada since Confederation and the Canadian West and advanced courses on labour, international relations and the peace movement.
Isitt is the author of two books, From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (University of British Columbia Press, 2010) and Militant Minority: British Columbia Workers and the Rise of a New Left, 1948-72 (University of Toronto Press, 2011), based on his doctoral dissertation. His research has been published in journals including the Canadian Historical Review, Canadian Journal of Political Science, Labour/Le Travail, International Labor and Working Class History, and BC Studies.
Isitt travelled across Russia along the Trans-Siberian Railroad in 2008 completing research for From Victoria to Vladivostok (University of British Columbia Press, 2010). This forgotten chapter in the social and military history of Canada and Russia saw 4200 Canadians serve in the Allied Intervention during the Russian Civil War.[2] In 2009, Isitt returned to Russia, via China and Mongolia, presenting research at universities throughout Siberia and the Russian Far East. A Russian-language edition of From Victoria to Vladivostok is being published by the Korpus company in Vladivostok.
In 2010, Isitt completed a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of London External Programme. He currently holds a fellowship with the Faculty of Law at the University of Victoria for doctoral research on the legal history of labour relations.
[edit] Public Office
Isitt was elected to public office as a city councillor and regional director for the City of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada in November 2011. He received 8,419 votes for City Council, finishing fourth for eight available seats, and received 5,885 votes for Regional Director, the second-highest total for three spots allocated to the city.[3] Isitt ran as an independent candidate, offering to "build a fair, safe and green Victoria."[4] He currently serves on the city's Environment and Infrastructure Standing Committee, acts as liaison for the Blanshard-Hillside-Quadra and Rocklands neighbourhoods, and represents Victoria on the Provincial Capital Commission and Capital Regional District board.[5]
[edit] References
- ^ Times Colonist (Victoria), 1 December 2002
- ^ UBC Press, Media Release, 13 October 2010
- ^ Statement of Votes, Victoria 2011 Municipal Election
- ^ Ben Isitt Platform, November 2011
- ^ City of Victoria website, January 2012
[edit] External links
- Ben Isitt's website
- Ben Isitt's Siberian Expedition website
- Ben Isitt, From Victoria to Vladivostok: Canada's Siberian Expedition, 1917-19 (Vancouver: UBC Press, 2010)
- Ben Isitt, Militant Minority: British Columbia Workers and the Rise of a New Left, 1948-72 (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2011)
- Ben Isitt, "Confronting the Cold War: The 1950 Vancouver Convention of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation," Canadian Historical Review, 91: 3 (September 2010)
- Ben Isitt, "Elusive Unity: The Canadian Labor Party in British Columbia, 1924-1928," BC Studies 163 (Fall 2009)
- Ben Isitt, "Fellow Traveller: A British Columbia Fisherman Writes Home from the Eastern Bloc, 1952," Labour/Le Travail, 63 (Spring 2009)
- Nelson Wiseman and Ben Isitt, "Social Democracy in Twentieth Century Canada: An Interpretive Framework," Canadian Journal of Political Science, 40:3 (September 2007)
- Ben Isitt, "Searching for Workers’ Solidarity: The One Big Union and Victoria General Strike of 1919," Labour/Le Travail, 60 (Fall 2007)
- Ben Isitt and Melissa Moroz, "The Hospital Employees' Union Strike and the Privatization of Medicare in British Columbia, Canada," International Labor and Working-Class History, 71 (Spring 2007)
- Ben Isitt, "The Siberian Expedition,Legion Magazine, (November 2008)
- Ben Isitt, Langford's Bear Mountain Interchange: Urbanization on the Western Frontier and the Blurring of Public and Private Interests (Victoria, 2007)
- Higher Learning and the Labour Market in a Changing World: Environmental Scan for British Columbia, BC Ministry of Advanced Education (May 2009)
- Ben Isitt, Housing for All: The Social Economy and Homelessness in British Columbia’s Capital Region, Canadian Social Economy Hub (October 2008)
