From Civilization to Canada

The National Museum of Man became the Canadian Museum of Civilization when it got its new quarters in Douglas Cardinal's new building across the Ottawa from Parliament Hill.  Now the Civ is about to become the Museum of Canadian History or the Canadian Museum of History.  So reports the Globe and Mail, but I found the news on the rapidly-becoming-indispensable blog called Charlevoix.

Charlevoix suspects this is another of the Harper government's efforts to brand Canadian history as dead white guys, war stories, and Queen Elizabeth II.  Well, maybe, but the museum, whatever its name, has always been largely a museum of Canadian history.  If it continues to be a place where museum professionals can do cutting-edge museological work about Canada for a large public -- something Charlevoix very much doubts -- I'll be okay with the name change.