October 2018: An invitation to be involved in a social history project on the 1970’s back to the land movement in Nova Scotia.
My name is Chris Murphy and I’d like to tell you about an ongoing social history project on the 1970’s “back to the land” movement in Nova Scotia and to invite you to participate by sharing your personal experiences and insights. My interest in this topic stems from my involvement with a number of “back to the landers” in Antigonish while I was a Dalhousie graduate student and St. FX instructor in the 1970s. That migration of young idealistic counter culture hippies to my hometown and rural Nova Scotia in general had a significant influence on me and the community I lived in. Since then many have moved on, while others settled down, started families and businesses, helping to diversify and revitalize their local rural communities.
Today, their story has largely been untold and their lasting social and cultural impact remains underappreciated. To address this my brother Peter Murphy, an Antigonish filmmaker and I, have started interviewing people from that era throughout the province in in order to create a visual and written record and ultimately to produce a documentary film and a non-fiction book for general public consumption. We believe this unique and interesting story needs to be told not only because of its historical importance and lasting social impact but also because of its contemporary relevance to issues of today and tomorrow.
If you’re interested telling us your story, or want more information please email me at Cmurphy4@dal.ca and we can set up a time and a place at your convenience for an interview.
Chris Murphy, retired Prof. of Sociology, Dalhousie University & University of Kings College
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