Series 3 - Peace activities

0.33 m of textual records

This series documents the breadth of Spencer’s work as a peace activist, a role that most certainly defines her life. Her involvement ranges from government working groups, Canadian non-governmental organizations, international peace and disarmament groups as well as intimate contact and relationships with eastern dissidents and peace activist. While records in this series include correspondence, newsletters, reports, discussion papers, minutes of meetings, agendas, conference programs etc… they are not complete for any one organization. The records, do however, offer researchers a snapshot of the peace and non-violence network through the labours of one activist. They cover mainly the late 1980s and 1990s - a period in world history that saw the easing of the nuclear arms race, peristroika, the end of the cold war, the establishment of democracies in the former Soviet Bloc and the war in Yugoslavia.

The key groups in which Spencer was most actively involved and that are documented in this series are:

Helsinki Citizen Association: This group, established in 1990, aimed to bring together western peace, anti-nuclear and environmental activists with former soviet dissidents in order to influence the direction of the new democracies being established in eastern Europe. Spencer attended several meetings and as Chair of the structure committee (1992-1994) prepared a structure document (a type of constitution) for the HCA. She attended both the prepatory meeting in June 1990 and the founding meeting in October 1990. Records document both the background to the HCA, the structure document that Spencer prepared and the several meetings she attended throughout the early 1990s.

Canadian Pugwash Group: First known as the Pugwash Movement this group was established at a meeting of individual scientists in 1957 in Pugwash Nova Scotia to discuss the nuclear arms race. Since then it has spread to over 30 countries of which Canada is one. A member since 1985, Spencer has served as secretary 1988-90 and was on its Executive Committee, 1991-93 and on its Board of Directors since 1993. Records document these responsibilities and include agenda, minutes, financial statements, notes and correspondence.

Science for Peace: This University of Toronto affiliated group is a Canadian organization that brings together academics of all disciplines, students and lay people who are concerned with world peace, justice and a sustainable environment. Spencer has been active in Science For Peace (SfP) since 1983 serving on many executive positions. Of particular note in these papers, was her role in organizing the SfP sponsored conference Lessons of Yugoslavia: An International Conference in Memory of Alison and George Ignatieff. Papers from this conference formed the basis of the book Separatism, edited by Spencer.

For Helsinki Citizen Association see B2001-0006/002
For Canadian Pugwash Group see B2001-0006/003 (01) - (06)
For Science for Peace see B2001-0006/003 (07)-(13)
For other groups see B2001-0006/004 (01)-(09)

Open