Overview

In the wake of the terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001, President George W Bush declared that ""every nation in every region now has a decision to make: either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists."" Until then, Canada had been contentedly fast-tracking down the post-NAFTA road towards continental integration. Bush's words resurrected an historic sovereignty debate, one that burst into full flame when Canadians, led by Prime Minster Jean Chretien, took the unprecedented decision not to fight alongside their Anglo-American allies in Iraq. Robert Wright argues that Canadians' understanding of notions such as art, culture, unity, identity, and sovereignty have always been informed by conflicting forces, most of them beyond the control of ordinary citizens, many beyond the control of governments. He suggests that Canadians are not timid fence-sitters, or apathetic victims of situational forces. Rather, out of conditions of contradiction, paradox, and irony, they have developed remarkably sophisticated cultural and political strategies for deriving pleasure, prosperity, and peace of mind. Living with contradiction has always been a fact of Canadian life; ambivalence has been the critical framework that has made this living not only possible, but the envy of the world. In this book, Wright explores the relationship between modern Canadian nationalism, cultural policy, popular discourse, and the lives of ordinary Canadians. One may agree or disagree with the claims of Canadian nationalists, Wright argues, but there can be no disputing their absolutely vital role in the maintenance of a national conversation in which all Canadians have a stake.

Full Product Details

Author:   Robert Wright
Publisher:   Canadian Scholars
Imprint:   Canadian Scholars
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 0.70cm , Length: 22.80cm
Weight:   0.410kg
ISBN:  

9781551302584

ISBN 10:   1551302586
Pages:   300
Publication Date:   01 January 2004
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print  
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Table of Contents

"Preface and Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter One: The Making of a Mystique: Nationalism, Wilderness, and the Origins of the Group of Seven Chapter Two: Dream, Comfort, Memory, Despair: Canadian Musicians and the Dilemma of Nationalism Chapter Three: Gimme Shelter: Cultural Protectionism and the Canadian Recording Industry Chapter Four: Historical Underdosing: Pop Demography and the Crisis in Canadian History Chapter Five: The Way We Were? History as Infotainment in the Age of History Television Chapter Six: L'etat, C'est Molson? Youth and the Decline of Canadian Nationalism Chapter Seven: Zero Tolerance: Canadian Youth in the Chretien Era Chapter Eight: Time to Grow Up: ""Anti-Americanism"" in Canada after September 11th Conclusion: The End of an Era? Bibliography Index"

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Author Information

Dr Robert Wright teaches history at Trent University in Peterborough, Canada. He is the author of Hip and Trivial: Youth Culture, Book Publishing and the Greying of Canadian Nationalism and A World Mission: Canadian Protestantism and the Quest for a New International Order, 1918-1939.

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