Overview

How did the ?Common Sense Revolution? remake the political landscape of Ontario?and what can it teach us about the rise of neoliberalism in Canada? In The Power of Persuasion, Kirsten Kozolanka offers a rich, theoretically grounded, and empirically detailed analysis of the Mike Harris government's first term (1995?1999), a turning point in the neoliberal transformation of Canadian politics. Drawing on Antonio Gramsci's theory of hegemony and its influential reinterpretation by British cultural studies, Kozolanka shows how the Harris Conservatives used polling, advertising, media strategy, and a ?permanent campaign? model to popularize a radical restructuring of the state. Her analysis reveals how neoliberalism was not only imposed through legislation, but also sold to a skeptical public through strategic political communication. At the same time, she offers a critical look at the limits of resistance?from the Ontario Days of Action to the media strategies of civil society groups. Through case studies of education reform, municipal amalgamation, labour protests, and the role of Toronto's major newspapers, Kozolanka demonstrates how the battle for hegemony in Ontario played out in both discourse and street-level politics. Her work expands the definition of political communication beyond electoral cycles to encompass long-term ideological projects, while keeping a clear eye on the costs to democratic debate and the shrinking public sphere.

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9781551642888

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Reviews

""The Power of Persuasion is a persuasive intervention in its own right and a clear demonstration of the continuing relevance of hegemony theory in political and communication studies. The definitive work on the new right revolution in Canada has yet to appear. When it does, Kozolanka's insights on the Ontario piece will no doubt figure significantly."" - Canadian Journal of Communication

Author Information

Kirsten Kozolanka is an Associate Professor in the School of Journalism and Communications at Carleton University.

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