The records have been arranged in three broad series: Series one is the records of the Edmonton Technocracy regional district; Series two is the Calgary Technocracy regional district records; and Series three is the records of a long-standing individual member of the Edmonton Technocracy group, John Gregory. Within each series are several sub-series to further facilitate the description of the record. Sub-series include: organizational records, office administration files, special collections from individual Technocracy members, outreach and publicity records, and publications. The predominant amount of the fonds is comprised of publications, including newsletters, pamphlets and booklets, reprints and other articles, periodicals, and books. Much of this material is the official publications of Technocracy, Inc. head office, or material published by individual sectors on matters of more local concern. Individual members also wrote papers on a variety of Technocracy topics, and submitted their writings to CHQ (Corporate Headquarters) for comment and approval before considering wider distribution. Also included are other articles, papers, theses and books that write about Technocracy as a topic or about subject-mater of interest to Technocracy members. A published series of lessons discussing Technocracy doctrine was published by Technocracy, Inc. and titled “Technocracy Study Course”; various editions of the Study Course publications are found in this fonds. Technocracy Headquarters also prepared regular ‘general mailings’ and operating instructions which were sent to all their members, and included information updates, book reviews, activity reports and plans for upcoming meetings and visits. Strategies for attracting membership and related outreach activities were discussed in the CHQ mailings, and member sectors responded in turn with monthly reports to CHQ detailing their membership and financial activity, meetings and outreach plans. Series three, John Gregory’s records, includes interesting correspondence between himself and Howard Scott, originator of Technocracy and long-serving Director-in-Chief of Technocracy, Inc. Issues around water and continental hydrology are one topic of their correspondence. Mr. Gregory also collected long playing albums that record a lecture Howard Scott gave in Ohio in 1952. While categorically not a populist movement, the Technocracy papers deposited with the University of Alberta Archives reflect the popular interwar currents of thought in North America regarding the political and economic organization of society. In this sense, the Technocracy movement is significant in the same manner that many prairie populist movements hold historical research value. The records are in excellent physical shape and provide valuable insight into a unique North American social movement.
Technocracy Inc.
