What makes Canada a different kind of society from the United States? In this book-length essay, Philip Resnick argues that, in more ways than one, Canada has been profoundly marked by its European origins. This is most apparent where the European historical underpinnings both of English-speaking and French-speaking Canada are concerned, but it is no less true when one examines Canada's multiple national identities, robust social programs, increasingly secular values and multilateral outlook on international affairs today. As the war in Iraq brought home, and the 2004 federal election reinforced, Canada is a more European-type society than is our neighbour to the south. This does not come without its own complexities or problems. On the contrary, there are significant parallels between the ambiguous versions of national identity that one finds in Canada and what one finds on the European continent. There are parallels, too, between the elements of self-doubt that characterize Canadians overall when they think about their country and those of Europeans caught up in their own, often fractious, attempts to forge a more integrated Europe. The author argues that Canada needs Europe as an effective counter-weight to the influence of the United States. He further argues that, at a deeper existential level, Canadians need relevant European references to better understand what makes them the kind of North Americans that they are.

The Other Quiet Revolution traces the under-examined cultural transformation woven through key developments in the formation of Canadian nationhood, from the 1946 Citizenship Act and the 1956 Suez crisis to the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism (1963-70) and the adoption of the federal multiculturalism policy in 1971. Jos� Igartua analyzes editorial opinion, political rhetoric, history textbooks, and public opinion polls to show how Canada's self-conception as a British country dissolved as struggles with bilingualism and biculturalism, as well as Quebec's constitutional demands, helped to fashion new representations of national identity in English-speaking Canada based on the civic principle of equality.

Scholarly Essay from the year 2011 in the subject Cultural Studies - Canada, grade: -, York University, language: English, comment: Widely published articles on multiculturalism. Teaches at York University. Former school principal and school superintendent. Nominated for the York Presidents Teaching Award 2010, abstract: Many have argued that there is no such thing as a Canadian culture or identity. This article explores the history of how schools in the past have shaped a national identity and how cultures transmit their vaules and traditions to their young. This article argues that there are twelve commonplaces about Canada that all Canadians, regardless of where they live or how long they have lived here can identify with. The schools across the country have an obligation to debate, argue and explore these twelve commonplaces thereby promoting a shared Canadian culture that is fluid, flexible and evolving. It argues that these twelve are not fixed in stone but are just a starting point for "keeping the conversation going." It promotes a revisioning of our culture throiugh a myulticulturalism prism.

Passion for Identity provides an excellent collection of readings which are ideally suited for an introductory course in Canadian studies. The pieces are engaging, readable and highly relevant to the complexities of culture, society, and power.

Migration and the impact that immigrants have on Canada is and always has been central to a robust understanding of Canadian identity. However, despite claims that “the world needs more Canada,” Canadians, their governments, and scholars pay much less attention to the estimated 3 million Canadian expatriates who live elsewhere. The Construction of Canadian Identity from Abroad features Canadian scholars who live and work outside Canada (or have recently returned to Canada) and who write and think deeply about identity construction. What happens when that Canadian is a scholar whose teaching, research and scholarship, professional development, and/or community engagement focuses directly on Canada? How does being abroad affect how we interpret Canada? In short, in what ways does “externality” affect how Canadian expat scholars intellectually approach, construct, and identify with Canada? This engaging volume is ideal for university students, scholars, government officials, and the general public.

A Border Within addresses the question of English Canadian identity by exploring whether a plurality of discourses can lead to other than a fragmented society. Ian Angus examines the relationship between globalizing social movements and the particularities of identity politics by extending the theories on identity of Harold Innis and George Grant, two seminal figures in Canadian political philosophy, to develop a philosophy applicable to the contemporary social issues of multiculturalism and environmentalism.