The Globe and Mail reports the death at 81 of historian and longtime University of Toronto professor Paul Rutherford:
Paul was a historian of popular culture and mass media in the Department of History at the University of Toronto for 43 years. He was the author of seven books and editor of two volumes that explored this academic space. His ideas profoundly influenced the field of cultural history, emphasizing the role of mass media in shaping society. In so doing, he advanced the field of cultural theory in Canada.
One way or another, I met, or interviewed, or somehow knew most of the Canadianists around the UT history department over quite a few years, but I don't think I ever met or spoke to Paul Rutherford. My early impression was that it was fresh and somewhat bold to have a UT history prof who didn't do national political history. Historians could do media? -- it sounded like a good idea to me, and Rutherford was very productive in that field.
