Invented Tradition at Simon Fraser University

The scotsinbritishcolumbia blog published an interesting post on November 14, 2018 by Georgia Twiss, "A Tale of Two Simon Frasers: The Invented and Contested Scottish Tradition of SFU."  Twiss argues that "...most people assume the university’s name and Scottishness honour Simon Fraser, the nineteenth-century imperial explorer and fur trade...but in truth has little to do with Simon Fraser the Explorer at all."

Simon Fraser University was founded in 1965 and serves over 30,000 students through campuses in British Columbia's largest municipalities of Vancouver, Burnaby and Surrey.  Twiss comments that the "...naming of SFU was a fluke by way of an acronymic oversight. The original name, ‘Fraser University’, was chosen to reflect the region from where its student body would largely derive. However, upon the realization that the school would be colloquially referred to as “F.U,” the prefix “Simon” was added, with no direct statement as to whom it was meant to honour."

Twiss proceeds to describe steps followed by the university’s president, Patrick McTaggart-Cowan, as he created university traditions "...symbolizing a prestigious sense of historical continuity and heritage that was lacking..." in a new institution.

The post evolved from a poster presentation for Twiss' history honours seminar held in Spring 2018.

Readers with an interest in Canadian history should check out the Unwritten Histories blog maintained by Andrea Eidinger, Ph.D.  Eidinger's blog is "...dedicated to unraveling the mysteries of Canadian history as a field, discipline, and profession! Unwritten Histories is designed to be an accessible platform for Canadian historians and history enthusiasts, both in terms of resources, news, and access to a diverse community."  I found the post on Simon Fraser through her regularly distributed Canadian History Roundup that offers links to the "...latest in blog posts, news, and podcasts from the world of Canadian history."