In the decades following the Second World War, a revolutionary change took place in the Canadian national identity. The English-Canadian majority entered this period identifying themselves as British and emerged from it with a new, independent sense of themselves as purely Canadian. Assured of their unique place in the world, Canadians can now reflect on the legacies and lessons of their British colonial past.

Canada and the British World surveys Canada's national history through a British lens. In a series of essays focusing on the social, cultural, and intellectual aspects of Canadian identity over more than a century, the complex and evolving relationship between Canada and the larger British World is revealed. Examining the transition from the strong belief of nineteenth-century Canadians in the British character of their country to the realities of modern multicultural Canada, this book eschews nostalgia in its endeavour to understand the dynamic and complicated society in which Canadians did and do live.

Candid and ambitious, Canada and the British World is recommended reading for historians and scholars of colonialism and nationalism, as well as anyone interested in what it really means to be Canadian.

About the Author
Phillip Buckner is Professor Emeritus at the University of New Brunswick and a senior research fellow at the Institute of Commonwealth Studies in London. R. Douglas Francis is a professor of history at the University of Calgary.


Book Information
ISBN 9780774813068
Author Phillip Buckner
Format Paperback
Page Count 368
Imprint University of British Columbia Press
Publisher University of British Columbia Press
Weight(grams) 540g