Nova Scotia has been increasingly impacted by global events since the arrival of the first Europeans. The rise of globalization connects us to the world in ways that were unimaginable just a few generations ago. International trade agreements, like NAFTA, allow goods to flow freely across international borders. New technologies place the world at our fingertips, connecting us to global showcases like the Olympics and the World Cup.
While many benefit from globalization, a backlash has fueled nationalist and populist movements in Canada and abroad. Some countries seek to tighten border restrictions on both people and goods.
In 2018, many Nova Scotians are keeping a close eye on global issues, from ongoing trade negotiations to news of conflicts and peace talks. Will we continue to be more connected to the world? Or will the efforts to step back from globalization have lasting consequences?
Stories from Home and Abroad
Our collection reflects Nova Scotia’s global outlook. Scientists, missionaries and seafarers from Nova Scotia travelled the world over, often returning home with the most unlikely objects. The Museum Collection has giant clam shells from the Caribbean and samurai armour from Japan.
Nova Scotia has long captured the attention of the world. For example, fossil discoveries in the cliffs near Joggins have been making global headlines since the mid-19th century. Our provincial fossil, Hylonomus lyelli, represents the oldest known reptile on Earth, and remains crucial to understanding the origins of vertebrate life on land.
Today, the Nova Scotia Museum shares research with the world through peer-reviewed journals, mobile apps, our website, and our ePublications program.
Learn more about Nova Scotia’s place in the world by visiting museum sites, including those featured here.
- Perkins House Museum in Liverpool, where Simeon Perkins both defended against and financed privateering raids during two British-American wars
- At the Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro, you can walk the beaches – always with an eye to the awesome Fundy tides – where some of Canada’s oldest dinosaur bones have been found
- Lawrence House Museum in Maitland – the heart of a booming 19th-century industry that saw locally built ships dispatched to the far corners of the Earth