Marshall McLuhan
(1911-1980)

Professor, Professor of Literature, pioneer of media studies, and pioneer in the study of media, communications and popular culture

Died aged 69

Herbert Marshall McLuhan CC (July 21, 1911 – December 31, 1980) was a Canadian philosopher whose work is among the cornerstones of the study of media theory. He studied at the University of Manitoba and the University of Cambridge. He began his teaching career as a professor of English at several universities in the United States and Canada before moving to the University of Toronto in 1946, where he remained for the rest of his life. McLuhan coined the expression "the medium is the message" in the first chapter in his Understanding Media: The Extensions of Man and the term global village. He even predicted the World Wide Web almost 30 years before it was invented. He was a fixture in media discourse in the late 1960s, though his influence began to wane in the early 1970s. In the years following his death, he continued to be a controversial figure in academic circles. However, with the arrival of the Internet and the World Wide Web, interest was renewed in his work and perspectives.

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Commemorated on 2 plaques

Professor of Literature Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980), a pioneer in the study of media, communications, and popular culture, lived here from 1955 to 1968.

29 Wells Hill Avenue, Toronto, ON, Canada where they lived (1955-1968)

Marshall McLuhan (1911 - 1980) a pioneer of media studies, this University of Toronto Professor became famous in the 1960s for his provocative theories about the impact of print and electronic media on human perception and behaviour. Teaching literary criticism led him to the idea that meaning was shaped by the technology of communication. His innovative work probed the influence of the printed word on society, the effects of combining print and images in advertising, and the world-wide impact of radio and television. The concepts of the "global village" and "the medium is the message" made McLuhan one of the most celebrated scholars in the Western world. [full inscription unknown]

English translation:

St. Michael’s College, University of Toronto, 6 St. Joseph Street, Toronto, ON, Canada where they taught