Research Staff

John Willis

Until recently Dr. Willis’ primary research interest was the social history of postal communication. His research focus is now moving toward economic history, more specifically such fields of activity as publicity and marketing, and the stock market. He also studies the environmental impact of industry and economy.

Other research interests include the Saint Lawrence River as an axis of communication and life, and the Underground Railroad. His published work so far has focused on communication, the rural post, the mail-order catalogue, and French-Canadian migration, industrialization and labour. He has curated or co-curated several exhibitions, both physical (Satisfaction Guaranteed: The Mail Order Catalogue in Canada, Once in French America and Signed Sealed, and Delivered: Postal Heritage in Evolution) and virtual (Before E-commerce: A History of Canadian Mail-order Catalogues and A Chronology of Canadian Postal History).

Dr. Willis joined the Museum of Civilization in 1991 after working for Parks Canada and various museums and institutions. He holds an MA in History from l’Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières and a PhD in Historical Geography from l’Université Laval.

Contact:
tel: (819) 776-8467