In terms of world events, Nova Scotia midway between Spanish Main/Gulf Coast Oil and Europe , has always been important but never crucial - will that change with the internet ?

If you happen to be a grad student residing in a present or past world class metropolitan city (say NYC, London, Tokyo  or Athens, Rome , and Madrid) your academic advisor is wise to ironically suggest to you that you pursue a local subject , if you wish to secure tenure at a world class university.

This is because local archives are close enough to allow you visit them frequently, allowing you to take the time to dig deeply and thoroughly on your chosen local subject - of which they are almost mostly likely the best single source about that local subject.

But a local subject in New York and in other world-shaking cities can frequently also be a world class subject, of interest to readers and scholars worldwide.

So, for these lucky scholars or authors , the advice gives them the best of both worlds.

But a writer in Lethbridge Alberta (population 75,000) or a grad student at Lethbridge University has a much harder go of it.