
Ottawology
Tonya K. Davidson(Author)
Fernwood Publishing Co Ltd
Published on 30. October 2025
Book
Paperback/Softback
224 pages
978-1-77363-760-0 (ISBN)
Description
Ottawa is often understood only as the seat of the federal government, marked by the neo-Gothic parliament buildings on the hill, and the many government office buildings. Lively, erudite and exciting, Ottawology offers a unique and radical approach to studying the city, injecting it with intrigue and verve, and expanding collective, narrow understandings of Canada's capital city. Tonya Davidson takes readers on a wide-ranging journey through a city populated not only by power brokers, but also workers, students, seniors, trees, eels, turtles, skaters and rabble rousers. Davidson applies her prodigious sociological imagination to critically explore an essential, but little understood, city.
Davidson's Ottawa offers a fascinating template for how to scrutinize the interactions between the weight of history and the effervescent motion of everyday life in a city. She draws surprising connections, from the role of the civil service to the acceleration of suburban sprawl, and the one-time incredible success of the city's bus-rapid transit system, to stories of nightlife, policing, play, libraries, rivers, and malls. Davidson traverses the city's streets and hidden histories to show how social structures, sustainability, and social life intersect, creating an elegant chronicle of the city's rich and fraught social life.
Davidson's Ottawa offers a fascinating template for how to scrutinize the interactions between the weight of history and the effervescent motion of everyday life in a city. She draws surprising connections, from the role of the civil service to the acceleration of suburban sprawl, and the one-time incredible success of the city's bus-rapid transit system, to stories of nightlife, policing, play, libraries, rivers, and malls. Davidson traverses the city's streets and hidden histories to show how social structures, sustainability, and social life intersect, creating an elegant chronicle of the city's rich and fraught social life.
Reviews / Votes
"I can see Ottawology being THE BOOK on Ottawa for the next generation." -- Peter Hodgins, associate professor, School of Canadian Studies, Carleton University "An exceptionally vibrant narrative that brings to life Ottawa's places, memories, historical events. Packed with micro-stories valuing the banal, on a fascinating range of topics such as trees, work, and markets, Davidson's attention to detail, wealth of insight, and breadth of knowledge makes the ordinary exceptional, evoking a child's awe of new discovery. With a depth of perspective attuned to how colonialism, race, gender, and class shape Ottawa's places, Ottawalogy is a must read for urbanists, urban geographers, urban historians, urban sociologists, and especially any Ottawalogist - budding or seasoned." -- Roger Picton, associate professor, School of the Environment, Trent University "Ottawology is a roadmap to Ottawa as it's really lived - a city shaped by its people, places, and everyday connections, and by the forces and decisions that shape its future. From river paths to bus stops, nightclubs to neighbourhood parks, Tonya Davidson charts the routes that link Ottawa's history, culture, and daily life, while challenging assumptions and uncovering overlooked truths. It's a guide to discovering what you didn't know about Ottawa - and seeing what you thought you knew in a completely new light." -- Joanne Chianello, former Ottawa Citizen and CBC Ottawa City Hall journalist "Ottawa is an iconic place in the mythical landscape of Canadian nationalism. This new book sheds new light on these icons, myths, and locales. Part urban studies, part tourism studies, part labour studies, this book provides a social and cultural geography of Canada's capital city, uncovering the making of this place and all of its meanings. Capital cities captivate public views in unique ways, and this book charts new directions in how to study these unique sites. Anyone interested in urban studies, cultural geography, and tourism studies should want to read this book." -- Kevin Walby, professor, Department of Criminal Justice, University of Winnipeg "Tonya Davidson guides the reader through the rich history of Ottawa, extending beyond its role as Canada's capital. From its origins as an early union town, with the Parliament Hill stonecutters at the forefront of workers' rights, to the community hub of Dundonald Park in Centretown, and the surprising early achievements of the Ottawa Transportation Commission, each page offers fresh insights that will invite readers to revisit the book time and again." -- Catherine McKenney, MPP for Ottawa CentreMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
Black Point, Nova Scotia
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Dimensions
Height: 23 mm
Width: 15 mm
Thickness: 1 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-77363-760-0 (9781773637600)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Tonya Davidson has spent many years living in, teaching in, and studying Ottawa. She is an associate professor of sociology in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at Carleton University, where she has taught introduction to sociology, a sociology of Ottawa course for first-year students, urban sociology, and a variety of sociology of Ottawa courses in Carleton University's Lifelong Learning program. These experiences shaped her broad-ranging interest in the sociology of Ottawa, including its parks, schools, workplaces, bars, and so on.
Her earlier research focused on the social lives of a series of Ottawa monuments, published in journal articles and the book
Tours Inside the
Snow Globe: Ottawa Monuments and National Belonging
. She is the co-editor of
Seasonal Sociology
, an introduction to sociology textbook that won the American Association of Publishers award for "Best Textbook in the Social Sciences" in 2021. A second edition of Seasonal Sociology is forthcoming in 2025.
Her earlier research focused on the social lives of a series of Ottawa monuments, published in journal articles and the book
Tours Inside the
Snow Globe: Ottawa Monuments and National Belonging
. She is the co-editor of
Seasonal Sociology
, an introduction to sociology textbook that won the American Association of Publishers award for "Best Textbook in the Social Sciences" in 2021. A second edition of Seasonal Sociology is forthcoming in 2025.
Content
Introduction:: Advance-Ottawa-En Avant
Chapter 1:: Settler Colonial Capital
Chapter 2:: Trees
Chapter 3:: Libraries
Chapter 4:: Work
Chapter 5:: The Civil Service
Chapter 6:: Getting Housed
Chapter 7:: Suburbia
Chapter 8:: Transit
Chapter 9:: Security
Chapter 10:: Markets and Malls
Chapter 11:: Goodnight Ottawa
References:
Chapter 1:: Settler Colonial Capital
Chapter 2:: Trees
Chapter 3:: Libraries
Chapter 4:: Work
Chapter 5:: The Civil Service
Chapter 6:: Getting Housed
Chapter 7:: Suburbia
Chapter 8:: Transit
Chapter 9:: Security
Chapter 10:: Markets and Malls
Chapter 11:: Goodnight Ottawa
References: