Milton Israel was born in Hartford, Connecticut on July 27, 1936 and obtained a Bachelor of Science from Trinity College (Hartford) in 1958. He pursued graduate studies at the University of Michigan where he received an M.A. in 1960 and Ph. D in 1965. His doctoral thesis in history was a study of “The Anglo-Indian in defense of authority, 1905-1910”.
It was during his last year of study for his doctorate that Milton Israel was hired as a lecturer in the Department of History at the University of Toronto. Two years after joining the University in 1966 he was promoted to Assistant Professor. In addition to his teaching and research he served as Assistant to the Dean, School of Graduate Studies from 1967-1970. In 1971 he was promoted to Associate Professor. Through the 1970’s and 1980’s Prof. Israel held a number of administrative appointments and served on a number of University and departmental committees and task forces. These included his service as Vice-provost from 1974-1979, Chairman, Presidential Advisory Committee on International Exchange and cooperation (1981-1987), Board of Directors, OISE (1984-1987), Chairman, Presidential Task Force on Foreign Students (1984-1986), SGS review committee on the Centre for Russian and East European Studies (1984) and Advisory Committee on the professorship of ethnic studies (1989 -). In the 1990’s he served as Director, Graduate Centre for South Asian Studies. He retired from the University in July 2002.
During his career, Prof. Israel wrote and published extensively on South Asians in Ontario, Canada and abroad. His body of work includes two books Communications and power: studies on propaganda and the press in the Indian nationalist struggle 1920-1947 (Cambridge University Press, 1994) and In the further soil: a social history of Indo-Canadians in Ontario (Toronto: TOPIC, 1994). In addition he has been the editor or co-editor of many books, contributed chapters to other books, published articles and reviews, and reports.
In addition to his teaching, research and publication activities, Prof. Israel has been actively involved in the Ontario and Toronto multicultural community. He has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario since 1976 and has served as its Chairman since 1990. As Chair of the MHSO, he promoted and actively participated in the collaborative production of a book and exhibition entitled “Safe Haven. The refugee experience of five families” with the Royal Ontario Museum. In addition he was a major participant in the MHSO publication Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples published in 1999. Prof. Israel has chaired the Academic Advisory Committee, Asia Television since 1994, and has served as member of the boards of Maneka Thakkar and Company, Alliance for Ontario Universities and the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute.
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Records document Milton Israel’s graduate studies at University of Michigan, and his publishing, teaching and research activities as Professor of South Asian Studies in the Department of History at the University of Toronto. The records relating to his graduate studies consist of research notes and some footnote drafts for his doctoral thesis “The Anglo-Indian in defense of authority, 1905-1910”.
A significant portion of the B2002-0009 accession documents his research and teaching activities relating to South Asian settlement and migration during the 1990s and includes course materials for HIST 394, a course he developed on this topic. In addition there is correspondence and reports relating to the Sikh Studies program in the Department for the Study of Religion developed at the time he was Director for the Centre for South Asian Studies.
The B2011-0004 accession contributes significantly to his research and teaching activities, including course materials and lecture notes for HIS 101, HUM 101, HIS 232, HIS 282, HIS 364 and HIS 394, relating to British colonialism, the history of India and particularly modern India, and South Asian civilization and migration. Also included are several popular lectures and seminars that Professor Israel gave over the course of his career.
Records documenting his publication activities in Series 4 focus on primarily three projects: his book In the future soil: a social history of the Indo-Canadians in Ontario (1994), his work on Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples (1999) while he was Chair of the Multicultural History Society of Ontario and “Safe Haven. The refugee experience of five families”, a book and exhibition produced in cooperation with the Royal Ontario Museum. Accession B2011-0004 also includes notes and correspondence regarding several published reviews and articles by Professor Israel, as well as reviews of these key publications.
An earlier accession (B1995-0052) is represented in Series 6, and includes correspondence, research material, notes and card files relating to, with drafts of, Milton Israel's book, "Communications and Power: propaganda and the press in the Indian Nationalist Struggle, 1920-1947" (1994).
* Added to AtoM by Karen Suurtamm, June 2016
* Finding aid revised by E. Sommers, July 2018 and uploaded to Discover Archives
* 2024-02-26 E. Sommers: updated extent to include digital files from floppy disks
Series 4 from B2002-0009 (South Asian settlement and migration) was missing in latest finding aid - was added in by Karen Suurtamm.
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In the mid-1960s, Milton Israel undertook graduate work in history at the University of Michigan. This series contains research notes, drafts of footnotes, and copies of archival documents compiled while preparing his thesis “The Anglo-Indian in defense of authority, 1905-1910”. Also included is Prof. Israel’s personal bound copy of his thesis presented to his parents.
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This series documents some of Prof. Israel’s activities as teacher and administrator at the University of Toronto. It includes correspondence regarding his tenure as a University of Toronto professor, especially during the period when he was vice provost (1974-1979), Director of the Graduate Centre for South Asian Studies (1981-1991), and Chairman of the Robert F. Harney Memorial Trust. Also included are files relating to the Sikh studies program, initiated after the Conference on Sikh History and Religion in the Twentieth Century (1987) organized by the Centre for South Asian Studies. According to Prof. Israel “the program became quite controversial and attracted attacks from orthodox Sikh critics both in Canada and outside”. The material on the Sikh community also includes his 1990 report prepared for the 5 Ks Interministerial Committee Government of Ontario entitled “Sikhs and their religious symbols: an Ontario perspective”.
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This series documents Prof. Israel’s external activities relating to the South Asian community in Ontario. It includes correspondence from his role as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Multicultural History Society of Toronto. Also included are documents relating to the application of South Asian Television for a CRTC license (1996), ideas for a film on modern commonwealth and notes on his study of Urdu.
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This series documents Prof. Israel’s research, teaching and external activities relating to the South Asian community in Ontario. The majority of files are course materials for the University of Toronto History 394 course on South Asian migration and settlement including bibliographies and collections of articles as reading material. Some of this material was also used in the preparation of his book In the further soil: a social history of Indo-Canadians in Ontario (see Series 5). Also included are documents relating to the application of South Asian Television for a CRTC license (1996).
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Digital files copied off of 9 3.5 inch floppy disks.
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Over his 38-year career, Prof. Israel has written extensively on the history of South Asian people. This series contains records relating primarily to three publication projects: the Safe Haven project for the Multicultural History Society of Ontario (MHSO) and Royal Ontario Museum, *Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples* (1999; also sponsored by the MHSO) and *In the future soil: a social history of the Indo-Canadians in Ontario* (1994). (see Series 3 for general correspondence related to the MHSO). There is also one file of correspondence and partial manuscript relating to publication of selected articles from *History Today*, and published as *Pax Britannica* (1968). Prof. Israel was editor and wrote the introductory essay.
The records relating to “Safe Haven. The refugee experience of five families” consist entirely of the manuscript for the book submitted to Prof. Israel in 1994 for his comments. Prof. Israel also prepared the Preface (not included) and undertook research on the Tamil community. At this time Prof. Israel was Chairman, Board of Directors of the Multicultural History Society. An exhibition was also produced by the MHSO for the new Heritage Gallery of Canada’s peoples at the Royal Ontario Museum.
The records relating to the *Encyclopedia of Canada’s Peoples* include manuscripts of articles on South Asian people edited by Prof. Israel and files on three of the four articles he prepared for this publication: the Ismailis, South Asians and Pakistanis. The manuscript relating to the article on Ahmadis is not included.
The records relating to *In the further soil: a social history of the Indo-Canadians in Ontario* consist of correspondence, manuscript, Microsoft Word and Pagemaker files, and research notes.
The remaining records deal specifically with his publications on India and Indian migration, especially to Canada. These include notes and correspondence regarding his contribution of chapters in the books, *The Congress and Indian Nationalism: Historical Perspectives* and *Reformers, Writers and Editors: Social Transformation in Maharashtra 1830-1940*. They also include notes and research regarding an incomplete work entitled *Violence and Empire: James Neill in the Indian Mutiny*.
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Correspondence, research material, notes and card files relating to, with drafts of, Milton Israel's book, "Communications and Power: propaganda and the press in the Indian Nationalist Struggle, 1920-1947" (1994).
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* B2002-0009/001P(01)-(05): Sikh Studies Conference: photographs taken at a dinner in the home of Prof. Israel.
* B2002-0009/001P(06)-(07): Photographs of the office in the Centre for South Asian Studies, room 2054 Sidney Smith, 1985
* B2011-0004/001(18): Photographs of M. Israel at the Indo-Canadian Institute, 1980, with Canadian students, and Resident Director
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This series highlights Professor Israel’s academic and professional achievements. It includes a copy of his curriculum vitae and other biographies (current to 1999), his official University of Michigan transcript, and letters of recognition, and a journal account of his first trip to India in 1963. It also includes personal and other professional correspondence, other than correspondence dealing with his tenure at the University of Toronto, Department of History (see Series 2) and in his role as Chair, Multicultural History of Ontario (see Series 3).
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This series documents courses taught by Professor Israel in the Department of History Faculty of Arts and Sciences. It consists of correspondence, course outlines, reading lists, examination questions, and lecture notes. The arrangement is by ascending course number and by lecture topic.
The courses documented in this series are:
HIS 101 : The Emergence of the Third World n.d.
HUM 101 : South Asian Civilization 2001
HIS 232 : The British Imperial Experience 1997
HIS 282 : The History of India 1978-2002
HIS 364 : Studies in the History of Modern India 1986-2005
HIS 394 : South Asian Migration 1996-2004
HIS 491/JHA 1690 : Nationalism in India 1981-2002
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This series consists of research notes and background materials regarding India, South East Asia and Kashmir. It is arranged by subject.
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This series consists of research notes and background materials regarding India, South East Asia and Kashmir. It is arranged by subject.
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