Description
Book SynopsisCanada is not one nation, but three: English Canada, Quebec, and First Nations. Yet as a country Canada is very successful, in part because it maintains national diversity through bilingualism, multiculturalism, and federalism. Alongside this contemporary openness Canada also has its own history to contend with; with a legacy of broken treaties and residential schools for its Indigenous peoples, making reconciliation between Canada and First Nations an ongoing journey, not a destination.Drawing on history, politics, and literature, this Very Short Introduction starts at the end of the last ice age, when the melting of the ice sheets opened the northern half of North America to Indigenous peoples, and covers up to today''s anthropogenic climate change, and Canada''s climate politics. Donald Wright emphasizes Canada''s complexity and diversity as well as its different identities and its commitment to rights, and explores its historical relationship to Great Britain, and its ongoing relationship with the United States. Finally, he examines Canada''s northern realities and its northern identities.ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.
Trade ReviewIt takes a brave person to write a history of Canada in 109 small pages of text but Donald Wright has made a very good stab at it ... I would happily recommend this thoughtful and elegantly-written survey to anyone looking for a very short history of Canada. * Phillip Buckner, British Journal of Canadian Studies *
I very much enjoyed reading this book. I wholeheartedly recommend it to readers, both expert and general, although it will probably be more useful for the latter. If you have ever been fascinated to learn more about this vast country of the north then this book will be a wonderful introduction. * Jatinder Mann, Journal of Australian, Canadian, and Aotearoa New Zealand Studies *
Table of ContentsList of illustrations Introduction 1: Beginnings 2: Dispossessions 3: Nationalisms 4: Rights 5: Borders 6: Norths Conclusion Further reading Index
