Issues in Crackwalker

[Paul Ord]

Monika,
        There is a rather lengthy 1996 article on the Alberta eugenics
lawsuits on archive at:
http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/web/index.html

enter a keyword search for sterilization canada

There is also a fairly wide ranging discussion archive touching on the
practice in Alberta, China, and India at:
http://www.quasar.ualberta.ca/ddc/ICAD/digests/steril.html

Finally, Judith Thompson is a faculty member at the University of Guelph.
You can likely contact her directly through the drama program website at:
http://www.uoguelph.ca/drama

Paul Ord




> On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Don Perkins wrote:

> Monika,
>
>         Whether The Crackwalker refers to a particular case in Kingston or
> not, it can, unfortunately be read in reference to a similar set of
> circumstances in Alberta (and probably elsewhere) where a eugenics board
> was in operation for some fifty years, and the lawsuits are just now being
> settled.  A related play would be Jenny's Story, by Betty Lambert.
>
>
> On Fri, 2 Feb 2001, Monika Gay wrote:
>
> > Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 09:48:48 -0500
> > From: Monika Gay <meg11 at CORNELL.EDU>
> > To: CANDRAMA at LISTSERV.UNB.CA
> > Subject: Issues in Crackwalker
> >
> > Hello,
> >
> > I am currently researching Thompson's Crackwalker.  Thompson has written
> > that the murder of Danny is based on an actual situation she encountered as
> > a social worker in Kingston, but I also remember a situation in Canadian
> > politics in the mid 1980s (?) regarding the enforced sterilization of
> > retarded women (people?).  Whether or not this debate informed Thompson's
> > writing of the play (and I have not read anything to indicate that it has),
> > it certainly seems to resonate with it, but I am not being successful in my
> > search for information.  I would appreciate any information that list
> > members could send to lead me in the right direction.
> >
> > Please reply to meg11 at cornell.edu.  Thanks.
> >
> > Monika Gay
> > Cornell University
>