Prof. Ivan Avakumovic, noted historian of 20th-century political movements, dies at 86
The Department of History records with sorrow the recent death of Professor Emeritus Ivan Avakumovic, a noted historian of twentieth-century political movements and a memorable teacher of modern international history. Professor Avakumovic died in Vancouver on July 16, 2013 at the age of 86.
Ivan Avakumovic was born in what was then the Kingdom of Yugoslavia on August 26, 1926. His father was a prominent Yugoslav diplomat and Ivan spent some of his early years in South Africa. Unable to return home when Yugoslavia was invaded by Nazi Germany 1941, the family settled in Great Britain. Ivan Avakumovic studied at Cambridge and London before proceeding to Oxford University, where he received his doctorate in 1958. His home then became Canada. After teaching for a few years in Manitoba, he joined the UBC faculty in 1963 – initially as a member of the Department of Political Science and then from 1969 on as a member of the Department of History in which he served until his retirement in 1991.
Ivan Avakumovic was a prolific historian of political movements in Europe and North America from the late nineteenth century to the present. 
Though his own political outlook was far from extreme, he was fascinated by the structure, philosophy and impact of left-wing movements on both sides of the Atlantic. The remarkable range of European languages which he read with ease made it possible for him to investigate a vast range of publications and archival documents pertaining to the inner workings of such movements. While still a student, he co-authored with George Woodcock a still-influential study of one of the founders of anarchism: The Anarchist Prince: A Biographical Study of Peter Kropotkin (London, 1950) – a book frequently reprinted, updated and translated. He and Woodcock also co-authored a highly-regarded study of a Russian sect many of whose members emigrated to Canada in the late nineteenth century: The Doukhobors (New York and Toronto, 1968). Meanwhile Avakumovic had also published a pioneering study of communism in his native country: History of the Communist Party of Yugoslavia (Aberdeen, 1964). Avakumovic’s interest in the influence of European politics on working-class movements in Canada was reflected in his book The Communist Party in Canada: A History (Toronto, 1975). He also published Socialism in Canada: A Study of the CCF-NDP in Federal and Provincial Politics (Toronto, 1978). His books were supplemented by dozens of scholarly articles, entries in reference works and document collections dealing with the history of communism, socialism and working-class politics in Europe and North America.
Ivan Avakumovic was a passionate believer in the idea that even the most prolific scholars should also be active teachers, and he was particularly committed to undergraduate instruction. For decades he taught some of the History Department’s largest classes on twentieth-century world history and international relations. A whole generation of UBC students will remember his compellingly informative, occasionally sardonic and often quite opinionated style of lecturing. His service to the UBC Department of History did not end with his retirement in 1991. For almost twenty years he continued to advise Honours students and volunteered unstintingly to give classroom lectures for colleagues who were away from campus to attend conferences. Thus for almost two more decades UBC students continued to be exposed to his depth of learning and his fascination with the roots of political behavior. Until a few months before his death Ivan Avakumovic continued to visit the Department of History two or three times a week, regaling younger colleagues with the fruits of his vast reading on history and politics. His presence will be sadly missed.
Chris Friedrichs
BC Studies – Student Podcasts Coordinator
Deadline for applications: April 23
BC Studies: The British Columbian Quarterly (www.bcstudies.com) invites applications from History majors, honours, and graduate students for the temporary, part-time position of Student Podcasts Coordinator.
BC Studies is creating an innovative opportunity for scholars to submit scholarly work in the form of a single podcast episode. These episodes would be subject to peer review along similar lines to the other audio pieces we currently peer review under our “Soundworks” series.
This is a twelve-month position, five to ten hours per week for a total of 200 hours.
Hourly salary: $20.00
Desired starting date: 4 May 2020
About the position:
BC Studies is creating an innovative opportunity for scholars to submit scholarly work in the form of a single podcast episode. These episodes would be subject to peer review along similar lines to the other audio pieces we currently peer review under our “Soundworks” series.
The position involves a range of complex tasks including developing peer-review guidelines for podcasts, production and post-production of podcasts, social media outreach and distribution of calls for submissions, author support during the submission process, and development of a podcast archive within the existing BC Studies online bibliography.
As the primary person responsible for developing and maintaining BC Studies podcasts, this is a great learning opportunity that will instill a strong sense of independence and project management skills in the student. While working within a collaborative, team-based environment, the student will be responsible for the following duties:
Peer-review guidelines for podcasts
- researching other precedents for peer-reviewed audioworks
- assisting with the drafting of peer-review guidelines
- assisting with the work on the BC Studies website necessary for publishing these podcasts
- assisting with issuing a a call for podcast submissions
Post production of podcasts
- learn to use Hindenburg and do post production editing on podcasts prior to publication by BC Studies
- assisting authors with preparing their podcast for submission
- using speech to text transcription software such as Temi, the student will correct audio transcripts through editing and proofreading for publication on the BC Studies website
- explore possibility of using software that embeds the transcript with the audio so that users/readers can listen /read simultaneously
Bibliography of Podcasts
- create curated list of podcasts to feature on bibliography website https://bcstudies.com/bibliography/
- enter and maintain podcast data into the online bibliography
- assist with the promotoion and marketing of featured podcasts
Qualifications:
UBC student in the department of History
Independent, self-motivated worker and team oriented
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, attentive to details
Excellent organizational and time management skills
Able to curate a podcast section on the BC Studies website
Background or interest in sound engineering or radio
Interest in publishing
Knowledge of WordPress; audio production software such as Temi and/ or Hindeburg
Deadline for applications: April 23
Applications should include a cover letter summarizing relevant experience, a resume, and the name and contact information for two references. Please submit your application and direct questions about the position to Leanne Coughlin, Managing Editor, BC Studies, info@bcstudies.com.
Non-Tenured Sessional and Lecturer Positions
Recommended if… you love teaching, first and foremost, and are financially flexible – for example, you can get by through periods in which you may have fewer contracts. Sessional instruction can provide additional income to those who have found other funding sources and have time for part-time teaching. It is an experience-builder for recent post-graduates. It also may suit those historians who have ties at home and are not able to move to take a job.
Requirements… The completion of a PhD, although positions are sometimes available for PhD candidates. Letters of reference and student evaluations from past teaching and teaching assistantships.
Introduction
Non-tenured lecturers may work at universities on a part-time, full-time, or – if they are working at more than one institution – more-than-full-time basis.
The Organization of American Historians defines non-tenure track faculty “as adjunct, contingent, part-time, contractual, affiliate, special, irregular, fulltime untenured or non-tenure track and off-tenure track, and designated with titles such as Instructor, Visiting Professor, Professor and Lecturer.”
Part-time teaching positions in Canada are generally referred to as sessional, while adjunct is a term commonly used in the United States. Non-tenured sessional instructors are hired to teach a few courses according to a department’s specific and irregular teaching needs at a particular moment. They are paid by the course for teaching only, with no paid responsibility for research or expectations for service. At some universities, these positions are sometimes bundled into full-time, untenured positions, which at UBC are called 12-month lectureships. Occasionally, departments will offer full-time, short-term contracts (for two years for example) to cover a specific need or field.
Because of the growth of higher education over the decades, universities have been hiring more and more part-time, non-tenured faculty. In turn, fewer tenure-track faculty positions have been offered. Sessional faculty generally do not receive the benefits that faculty enjoy, including reliable benefits, opportunities for professional development and research, and the security of a permanent position.
Applying and Working
Sessional positions are usually publicly posted and involve a competitive application process. The rules about sessional hiring vary by university. At UBC, for example, the hiring and employment guidelines for all instructors –sessional, lecturers, full-time faculty – are part of a collective agreement established in a bargaining process between the Faculty Association and the university. This agreement, at UBC, establishes rules for the order in which courses are assigned.
Sessional teaching can range from as little as one course in a term, to teaching seven classes over the course of a year at one university, to as many as seven courses a term at a variety of local post-secondary institutions in an effort to make a decent income. Over a third of contingent professors in the United States teach at more than one post-secondary institution.
As part-time instructors, sessional instructors are paid on a course-by-course basis which means that sessional positions generally pay much less than what a full-time faculty member earns. The pay rate can be comparatively low for the amount of work put into creating the course, teaching, and marking – often without the support of teaching assistants. In the U.S., contingent staff make about a third of what a faculty member makes for the same work. In addition, while many universities have office spaces designated for part-time staff to share, that is not guaranteed. Access to resources may vary from one educational institution to another. Many sessional staff arrive on campus to teach their course or courses, and then do their preparatory and marking work at home.
Limited Contracts
Lecturers and/or instructors can hold more established positions in history departments, but here, again, the situation varies by university. The positions often involve ongoing interaction with departmental faculty and opportunities to participate in or even organize activities at the educational institution. These scholars are often given an office space and full access to an array of resources that benefit their research and teaching work. The downside is that these positions are often temporary, and once they are finished, the scholar may need to apply for new opportunities.
Part-time positions are not most people’s first choice. That said, for many recent post-graduates, sessional or adjunct teaching develops the practical experience needed to gain tenure-track position. The job market fluctuates with the economy, and this not only affects the number of tenure-track positions available, but also the extent to which adjunct and sessional jobs will be offered.
For the independent scholar, sessional positions can help fund periods in which they haven’t secured research funding, or help supplement their existing income. For those for whom income is not as much of an issue, sessional teaching work provides more flexibility for those who love teaching as sessional instructors do not need to fulfill the expectations of a tenured faculty member in terms of departmental administration and research. They can more easily set their own agenda.
Some starting points
Have a look at starting points suggested for all academic historians in the introduction to this section on academia. Conversing with non-tenured sessional instructors and lecturers about their experiences is highly recommended as a way to gain further insights into what is involved in attaining contract positions as well as the pros and cons of this type of work. Of particular interest will be Chapter 8 on Sessional Employment of the CHA guide Becoming a Historian. Also see Adam Beardsworth and Stephanie McKenzie’s “A Sessional Manifesto” in ESC: English Studies in Canada 37, no. 1 (March 2011), 26-30, for issues that are of concern to sessional instructors across the humanities. A search of online news stories and articles pertaining to the issues of sessional work in universities will also provide useful insights. Among them, “The unappreciated plight of the underpaid ‘roads scholar’” in the Ottawa Citizen (2005) provides a realistic case study. For a more optimistic perspective, see Edward Rice-Maximin’s “Reflections of a Part-Timer,” Viewpoints column, Perspectives (April 2003). Also see Donna Binkiewicz and Arlene Lazarowitz, “Historians’ Contingent Workforce: Where Have We Been? Where Are We Going?” and Standards for Part-Time, Adjunct and Contingent Faculty, both published by the Organization of American Historians.
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Do you have further insights on working as a non-tenured sessional instructor or lecturer, or additional information that we can add here? If so, please contact us so we can refine this resource.