Our 4th episode features Dr. Harry Hiller, who became Professor Emeritus in 2013 after 41 years of service in the Department of Sociology at the University of Calgary. His continual involvement in the discipline and his research led to his post-retirement appointment as Faculty Professor of Sociology. Macro-sociological questions pertaining to Canadian society structured much of his research including regionalism, migration, and the development of sociology as a discipline in Canada. Among his many publications are two books which reflect these interests, Canadian Society: A Macro Analysisand Second Promised Land: Migration to Alberta and the Transformation of Canadian Society. A second theme in his research as an urban sociologist has been on the urban impact of the Olympics. As Director of the “Cities and the Olympics Project”, Hiller has published extensively on the topic and contributed to global discussion and debate. He served in a variety of administrative roles in the University including Department Head from 1982-1988.
Dr. Hiller begins our discussion by recalling the development of sociology as a discipline in Alberta in the late 1950s and early 1960s, and how sociology grew as the University of Calgary emerged as an independent institution. Hiller identifies three themes that are related to each decade in the development of the department. The 1960s were years of immense growth as faculty were recruited globally to fill the needs of an expanding department and as a full range of courses were developed. The 1970s can be described as focused on the institutionalization of the department through the establishment of policies and procedures in terms of governance and ultimately the establishment of the Ph.D. program. Dr. Hiller then recalls the 1980s, during which time he served as department head (1982-1988), as one of a consolidation of the previous decade of growth through a variety of initiatives which sought to move the department forward through collegial engagement. Hiller then highlights favorite memories including the department’s 40th anniversary event which brought back many alumni who told about their contributions professionally since graduation with sociology degrees. Dr. Hiller closes our podcast with a discussion of how his own research evolved in relation to broader issues in the discipline and in Canadian society.