Tamara Myers

Tamara Myers is Associate Head and Professor in the Department of History at the University of British Columbia's Faculty of Arts. Her research focuses on the history of children and youth, gender/women's history, and the history of crime and delinquency, with regional expertise in Quebec and Canada. She serves as President of the Society for the History of Children and Youth (2019-21) and leads the Montreal History Group working group at UBC.

Dr. Myers' research explores how societal institutions like the juvenile justice system have shaped young people's lives, particularly girls and marginalized youth in historical contexts. Her work examines the intersection of gender, class, and legal systems in Canadian history, with special attention to Montreal. She investigates concepts of delinquency, youth activism, and the representation of children and youth across different historical periods from the 19th to 20th centuries. Her scholarship reveals how definitions of acceptable youth behavior have evolved and been applied differently to boys and girls.

Her publications demonstrate a consistent scholarly trajectory examining youth, gender, and justice in Canadian historical contexts. Dr. Myers has produced significant monographs including "Youth Squad: Policing Children in the Twentieth Century" (2019) and "Caught: Montreal's modern girls and the law, 1869-1945" (2006), along with numerous articles analyzing juvenile justice systems, youth resistance, and social reform movements. Her work connects local Montreal history to broader national and transnational patterns.

• President, Society for the History of Children and Youth (2019-21)
• Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Standard Grant (2009-12) for "On the Youth Beat: Age Consciousness and the Transformation of Policing Children, 1939-1960s"
• SSHRC Grant (2009-12) for "Criminal Justice and Gendered Bodies in Quebec City and Montreal, 1840s-1930s"
• UBC Hampton Grant (2010) for research on the Miles for Millions Walkathon

Dr. Myers has secured substantial research funding that has enabled extensive archival work on youth justice systems and youth activism in Canadian history. Her SSHRC-funded projects have examined age consciousness in policing children, gendered aspects of criminal justice in Quebec, and international development through youth participation in walkathons. She is recognized as a leading scholar in the history of children and youth in Canada.