Todd Spencer
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Todd Spencer is an academic historian, at the University of New Brunswick in Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada. As an historian, Spencer has contributed to several projects at the University and has had his work published since 2005. He also owns a large collection of cross bows.
Controversy
Todd Spencer's career as an historian has not been without controversy. For example, Spencer sabotoged -- although it was likely unintentional -- the presentation of a fellow presenter at the University of Maine-University of New Brunswick Graduate Student Conference at Orono, Maine, in October of 2006. He did not remove a projected image of a fire fighter's memorial following his presentation. The subsequent presenter was negatively effected by the image, which remained on display throughout her presentation on an unrelated topic.
Spencer also generated an international incident in the autumn of 2006 when he suggested that the majority of visitors to Saint John's Firefighter Museum were Asian. The incident sparked a diplomatic war of words between Canada and Japan in particular. Tensions were calmed when Spencer agreed to conduct a study of harness racing in the Osaka-Kyoto-Kobe region.
Spencer is part of a dwindling minority within the Canadian academic history community in that he patently refuses to acknowledge the impact which postmodern and linguistic deconstruction theory has had on the interpretation of history and historical texts. In particular, Spencer rejects the notion that the Enlightenment Project has failed, and that there is thus no "progress" in history. Although "progress" was an extremely liberal idea throughout much of the nineteenth century, it has become a conservative point of contention to adhere to this notion over the past few decades. The very fact that Spencer denies the postmodern condition has caused some of his colleagues at the University of New Brunswick to question whether his current research project on the cultural history of harness racing in New England and the Maritimes may turn out to be intellectually dated. The project also employs the so-called "Borderlands" approach, recently described by one of Spencer's colleagues as "poncey" and "pure poppycock."
Published Material
Spencer, Todd. "Politics and Priesthood: Roger Duguay and the NDP Candidacy in the 1999 New Brunswick Election." Timepieces (Fredericton: University of New Brunswick, 2006).
Spencer, Todd. "Forbidden Love in Durham Bridge." NAMBLA Newsletter, February 2007.
Conferences
Spencer, Todd. "Firefighter Memorials in New Brunswick." University of Maine-University of New Brunswick Graduate Student Conference (Orono, ME: University of Maine, October 21, 2006).
Current Items
Todd has worked with the New Brunswick Labour History Project
He conducted some minor research this year on a book entitled War Brides by Melynda Jarratt. The book can be found in most listings. See Canadian War Brides
Todd is currently working on a major study of harness racing in New England and the Maritimes that can be categorized as a cultural history adhering to the "borderlands" model that has recently come into vogue with some local academic historians.
Personal Life
Spencer has been known to awake every morning whilst listening to Michael Jackson's hit song "Billie Jean".
