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PODCAST

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast

Under the Mat is a dark history podcast uncovering the overlooked corners of our collective past, centring feminist and anti-violence perspectives to challenge how we remember. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

history social sciences

All Episodes

45:33

Episode 36: The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/04/16

Britannica. (2024). Chernobyl Disaster. https://www.britannica.com/event/Chernobyl-disasterBriggs, H. (2019). Will We Ever Know Chernobyl's True Death Toll? BBC Future. https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190725-will-we-ever-know-chernobyls-true-death-tollGalán-Madruga, D. et al. (2019). Chernobyl Has Become a Refuge for Wildlife 33 Years After the Nuclear Accident. The Conversation.

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42:08

Episode 35: Stigma, Policy, and the Drug Poisoning...

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/03/30

Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Dr. Elaine Hyshka about the drug poisoning crisis in North America, reducing stigma surrounding substance use, and how governments can address the crisis through evidence-based policy. Dr. Elaine Hyshka is an Associate Professor and Canada Research Chair in Health Systems Innovation at the University of Alberta’s School of Public Health, and Scientific Director of the Inner City Health and Wellness Program. Her program of health systems and services research is

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25:18

Episode 34: The Opioid Crisis in Canada

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/03/16

Bains, C. (2024). More than 1 in 4 deaths among young people in Canada were opioid-related in 2021, study finds. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/opioid-young-people-1.7174098Boynton, S. (2025). New Purdue opioid crisis settlement builds ‘momentum’ for Canada: B.C. AG. Global News. https://globalnews.ca/news/11247593/opioid-crisis-lawsuits-purdue-mckinsey-canada-bc-us/CATIE. (2025). Reported drug toxicity deaths dropped in parts of Canada in 2024 – But what’s behind the numbers

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31:16

Episode 33: Unfreedom North of the Border ft. Dr....

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/02/17

Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Dr. Harvey Imani Whitfield about the history of slavery in early Canada, the lives of enslaved people during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, and the legacy of slavery in North America today. Dr. Harvey Amani Whitfield is a professor and Centennial Carnegie Chair in the History of Slavery in Canada at the University of King’s College in Halifax. Prior to his current role, he taught for 17 years at the University of Vermont and four years at the University of

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34:57

Episode 32: Slavery in Canada

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/02/02

Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia. (n.d.). Slavery. https://bccns.com/our-history/slavery/Brown, K. G. (2019). Canada’s slavery secret: The whitewashing of 200 years of enslavement. CBC. https://www.cbc.ca/radio/ideas/canada-s-slavery-secret-the-whitewashing-of-200-years-of-enslavement-1.4726313Canadian Museum of History. (n.d.). Virtual Museum of New France. https://www.historymuseum.ca/virtual-museum-of-new-france/population/slavery/Cooper, A. (2022). The Enslavement of Africans in Canada. The

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33:31

Episode 31: Victorian Death and Modern Denial

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2026/01/19

Adams, P. (2025). Canada needs to move toward a public health model of supporting grief. Policy Options. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/2025/07/grief-support/Australian Museum. (2018). Mourning - Victorian Era. https://australian.museum/about/history/exhibitions/death-the-last-taboo/mourning-victorian-era/Cole, M. (n.d.). Mourning After: The Victorian Celebration of Death. Oshawa Community Museum. https://www.oshawamuseum.org/pdf/Mourning_After_The_Victorian_Celebration_of_Death.pdfCrowther, H

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51:06

Episode 30: Misogynist Violence, Collective Memory,...

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/12/08

Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Francine Pelletier about the legacy of the École Polytechnique massacre and the progress of feminism and with Makenna Kuzyk about the Order of the White Rose Scholarship and building brighter futures for women in engineering. Francine Pelletier has had a long career as a journalist, both in print and for electronic media, in French as well as in English. Her career includes co-founding and acting as editor-in-chief of the women’s monthly magazine (La Vie en rose,

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24:45

Episode 29: The École Polytechnique Massacre

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/11/24

If you're in need of support, dial 988 or text WELLNESS to 741741.Blais, M. & Dupuis-Déri, F. (2019). The Montréal Massacre is finally recognized as an anti-feminist attack. The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/the-montreal-massacre-is-finally-recognized-as-an-anti-feminist-attack-128450DiBranco, A. (2019). The First Anti-Feminist Massacre. Political Research Associates. https://politicalresearch.org/2019/12/06/first-anti-feminist-massacreDiebel, L. Two women on Marc Lépine’s death list

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29:48

Episode 28: Sixties Scoop Survivorship, Healing, and...

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/11/10

Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Wayne Garnons-Williams about his experience as a Sixties Scoop survivor, the work of the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada, and what's required to protect the rights of Indigenous children in Canada and globally. Wayne Garnons-Williams, BA (Windsor), LLB (Queen’s), MPA (Dalhousie), LLM (Oklahoma) is the CEO of the not-for-profit registered charity, the National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada. Wayne is a lecturer at the University of

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20:35

Episode 27: The Sixties Scoop

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/10/27

Alston-O’Connor, E. The Sixties Scoop: Implications for Social Workers and Social Work Education. University of Windsor. https://ojs.uwindsor.ca/index.php/csw/article/view/5816/4747Cameron, C. (2018). The Sixties Scoop tried to extinguish our culture and our spirit. It failed. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/sixties-scoop-1.4595402Hoye, B. (2025). 10 years after apology, '60s Scoop survivors call for support beyond 'grossly inadequate' payout. CBC News.

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44:58

Episode 26: 2SLGBTQ+ Rights in Canada

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/10/14

Bradburn, J. (2021). ‘A turning point in our history’: Remembering Canada’s first major gay-rights protest. TVO Today. https://www.tvo.org/article/a-turning-point-in-our-history-remembering-canadas-first-major-gay-rights-protestBenchetrit, J. (2023). How the parental rights movement resurged in response to trans inclusivity in classrooms. CBC News. https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/parental-rights-movement-us-canada-1.6796070Bronskill, J. (2023). A new study lays out the 'horrendous' treatment of

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35:37

Episode 25: Unmarked Burials, Denialism, and the Role...

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/09/29

Host Aubrianna Snow speaks with Benjamin Kucher about unmarked burials, residential school denialism, balancing academic and community responsibilities, and the future of reconciliation. Benjamin Kucher is a Métis archaeologist, writer, and activist from the Métis Nation of Alberta and a descendant of the Michel First Nation. He is the former Chair of the National Indigenous Advocacy Committee and currently a researcher at the University of Alberta where his research focuses on Métis identity,

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11:53

Episode 24: The State of Reconciliation in Canada

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/09/15

If you need support, please contact the National Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or dial 988 if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm.Baskatawang, L. (2023). A Brief History of Reconciliation in Canada. Peace Review, 35(1), pp. 109-118. https://doi.org/10.1080/10402659.2022.2164183Blackstock, C. (2007). Residential Schools: Did They Really Close or Just Morph Into Child Welfare? Indigenous Law Journal, 6(1), pp. 71-78.

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22:59

Episode 23: Canada's Residential Schools

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/09/02

If you need support, please contact the National Residential School Crisis Line at 1-866-925-4419 or dial 988 if you are experiencing thoughts of suicide or self-harm.CBC News. (2016). A history of residential schools in Canada. https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/a-history-of-residential-schools-in-canada-1.702280Hill, R. (2021). Survivor. Toronto Life. https://torontolife.com/life/how-i-survived-canadas-residential-school-system/Homeless Hub. (2025). Indigenous Peoples.

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18:16

Episode 22: Prisons

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/08/18

Anderson, A. (2023). Prison Abolition is Needed Now. Georgetown Journal of Law & Modern Critical Race Perspectives. https://www.law.georgetown.edu/mcrp-journal/blog/prison-abolition-is-needed-now-prisons-and-jails-do-not-keep-anyone-safe/Bauer, S. (2018). The True History of America’s Private Prison Industry. Time. https://time.com/5405158/the-true-history-of-americas-private-prison-industry/BBC. (n.d.). Crime and punishment in 18th- and 19th-century Britain. Bitesize.

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18:19

Episode 21: The Atomic Bombings of Hiroshima & Nagasaki

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/07/21

Chmielewski, K. (2025). The First Atomic Bombs Tested and Used During World War II. Brittanica. https://www.britannica.com/story/discover-more-about-the-first-atomic-bombs-tested-and-used-during-world-war-iiHarry S. Truman Library. (n.d.). Decision to Drop the Atomic Bomb. https://www.trumanlibrary.gov/education/presidential-inquiries/decision-drop-atomic-bombInternational Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons. (n.d.). Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings.

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14:59

Episode 20: Violence and Femininity Through the Lens...

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/07/07

Disclaimer: I experienced some minor tech issues with my microphone while recording this episode. I apologize for any impact on the sound quality and appreciate your patience — everything will be back to normal next episode!Butts, E. (2018). Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka Case. The Canadian Encyclopedia. https://www.thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/paul-bernardo-and-karla-homolka-caseEate, P. (2007). From Complicity to Coercion: The Representation of the Female Sexual Serial Murderer in the

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15:34

Episode 19: Abuses at Abu Ghraib Prison

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/06/23

Breckler, S. J. (2004). How Can the Science of Human Behavior Help Us Understand Abu Ghraib? American Psychological Association. https://www.apa.org/topics/physical-abuse-violence/abu-ghraibChaloux, L. (2012). Convergence of Errors: Leadership Failures Contributing to Abu Ghraib Abuses. Royal Military College Saint-Jean. https://www.cmrsj-rmcsj.forces.gc.ca/cb-bk/art-art/2012/art-art-2012-1-eng.aspHersh, S. M. (2004). Torture at Abu Ghraib. The New Yorker.

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13:15

Episode 18: The Wives of King Henry VIII

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/06/09

Elton, G.R. & Morrill, J. S. (2025). Henry VIII. Brittanica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-VIII-king-of-EnglandHistoric Royal Palaces. (2025). Henry VIII, Terrible Tudor? https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/henry-viii/#gs.mckfb5Historic Royal Palaces. (2025). Henry VIII’s Wives: Six Queens, Six Women. https://www.hrp.org.uk/hampton-court-palace/history-and-stories/henry-viii-s-wives-six-queens-six-women/#gs.mckf1bPonti, C. (2025). Who Were the Six Wives

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20:52

Episode 17: Mental Health Treatment & Care

Under the Mat: A Dark History Podcast ·

2025/05/27

Concordia University, St. Paul. (2020). A History of Mental Illness Treatment: Obsolete Practices. https://online.csp.edu/resources/article/history-of-mental-illness-treatment/Department of Justice Canada. (2023). The Mentally Ill: How They Became Enmeshed in the Criminal Justice System and How We Might Get Them Out. https://www.justice.gc.ca/eng/rp-pr/jr/mental/p3.htmlGoodman, J. T. (2014). Mental Health. The Canadian Encyclopedia.

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37 results

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