AJ28046 Nationalism and the Canadian Identity

Faculty of Arts
Autumn 2019
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 2 credit(s) (plus 3 credits for an exam). Recommended Type of Completion: zk (examination). Other types of completion: z (credit).
Teacher(s)
Richard Nimijean (lecturer), doc. PhDr. Tomáš Pospíšil, Ph.D. (deputy)
Mgr. Bc. Lenka Žárská (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
doc. PhDr. Jana Chamonikolasová, Ph.D.
Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Contact Person: Tomáš Hanzálek
Supplier department: Department of English and American Studies – Faculty of Arts
Prerequisites
Before class:
• You must complete assigned readings.
• Students must email the instructor with at least one question that you want answered in class relating to that class’s theme, the readings, key issues and questions raised, or contemporary events: these can be for purposes of clarification, can seek to explore implications for contemporary Canadian society, or may challenge claims made in the reading(s).

In class:
• Class time is organized specifically to improve your understanding of course objectives and questions.
• Following an overview of the topic delivered by the instructor, students will discuss questions (including those submitted by students) provided by the instructor.
• Understanding issues emerging from the questions will be informed by breakout exercises and collaborative learning; this includes video. This will allow you to deepen your understanding of that class’s issues and questions.
• You will work on your student portfolio.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is also offered to the students of the fields other than those the course is directly associated with.
The capacity limit for the course is 8 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/8, only registered: 0/8, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/8
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
This course examines the historical and contemporary construction of Canadian identities, explores competing nationalisms within Canadian borders, and engages in a critical evaluation of the role of nationalism in an increasingly diverse and complex Canada. Can a renascent Canadian nationalism rooted in diversity serve as a counter to a growing ethnonationalism in many parts of the world?
Learning outcomes
• To encourage you to think critically about the complex relationship between competing articulations of Canadian nationalism and the Canadian identity; • To improve your ability to explain how Canada has changed over the years; and • To increase your knowledge of Canada and the major issues facing Canadians;
Syllabus
  • All readings are available where The instructor reserves the right to alter the class schedule and the reading list.

    Class 1: Thinking about Canadian Nationalism and the Canadian National Identity (Monday morning)
    • Sylvia Bashevkin (1991). True Patriot Love: The Politics of Canadian Nationalism. Toronto, Oxford University Press, pp. viii-ix, 1-38.
    • Rogers Brubaker (2004). “In the name of the nation: reflections on nationalism and patriotism.” Citizenship Studies 8(2): 115-127.
    • Richard Nimijean (2005). “The Paradoxical Nature of the Canadian Identity.” Teaching Canada 23: 25-31.

    Class 2: English Canadian Nationalism (Monday afternoon)
    • Carl Berger (1966). “The True North Strong and Free.” In Peter H. Russell, ed., Nationalism in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, pp. 3-26.
    • David Bell (1992). The Roots of Disunity: A Study of Canadian Political Culture. Rev. ed. Toronto: Oxford University Press, pp. 62-72.

    Class 3: French Canadian and Québec Nationalism (Tuesday morning)
    • Michel Brunet (1966). “The French Canadians’ Search for a Fatherland.” In Peter H. Russell, ed., Nationalism in Canada. Toronto: McGraw-Hill, pp.47-60.
    • Oakes, L. and J. Warren (2007). Language, citizenship and identity in Quebec. Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillian, 25-43.

    Class 4: Indigenous Nationalisms (Tuesday afternoon)
    • Karine R. Duhamel (2017). “Kanata/Canada: Re-storying Canada 150 at the Canadian Museum for Human Rights.” Journal of the Canadian Historical Association 28 (1): p. 217–247.
    • Richard G. Baker and Nadia Verrelli (2017). “‘Smudging, drumming and the like do not a nation make’: Temporal Liminality and Delegitimization of Indigenous Protest in Canada.” Journal of Canadian Studies/Revue d'études canadiennes 51, no. 1: 37-63.
    • Elliott, M. (2018). Indigenous Resurgence: The Drive for Renewed Engagement and Reciprocity in the Turn Away from the State. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 51(1), 61-81. doi:10.1017/S0008423917001032
    • Barker, AJ (2014). “‘A direct act of resurgence, a direct act of sovereignty’: Reflections on idle no more, Indigenous activism, and Canadian settler colonialism.” Globalizations: 1-23. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/14747731.2014.971531

    Class 5: Anti-Americanism and the Canadian Identity (Wednesday morning)
    • Brian Bow (2008). “Anti-Americanism in Canada, Before and After Iraq.” American Review of Canadian Studies 38 (3):341-359.
    • Brooks, S. (2002). “The narcissism of minor differences: reflections on the roots of English Canadian nationalism.” In Stephen Brooks, ed., The challenge of cultural pluralism. Westport, Praeger, pp. 39-52.

    Class 6: Economic Nationalism (Wednesday afternoon)
    • H.G.J. Aitken (1967), “Defensive Expansion: The State and Economic Growth in Canada.” In Approaches to Canadian Economic History, eds. W.T. Easterbrook and M.H. Watkins. Toronto: McClelland, pp. 183-221.
    • Stanford, Jim. 2012. “FTA’s Assumed Benefits Can’t Be Found.” Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. Accessed November 11, 2016. https://www.policyalternatives.ca/publications/commentary/ftas-assumed-benefits-cant-be-found
    • McBride, James, and Mohammed Aly Sergie. 2016. “NAFTA’s Economic Impact.” Council on Foreign Relations. Accessed November 11. http://www.cfr.org/trade/naftas-economic-impact/p15790.

    Class 7: Multiculturalism and Migration (Thursday morning)
    • Elke Winter (2015). “Rethinking Multiculturalism After its "Retreat": Lessons From Canada.” American Behavioral Scientist 59:6: 637-657.
    • Philip Resnick (2005), “Is Multiculturalism Enough?” In 2005. The European Roots of Canadian Identity. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview Press, pp. 57-64. • Ambrose, E. and C. Mudde (2015). "Canadian Multiculturalism and the Absence of the Far Right." Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 21(2): 213-236.
    • Nimijean, R. (2017). "Migrant Spirit Contested: Competing Visions of Canada’s National Identity in the 2015 Federal Election." TransCanadiana 9: 335-352.
    • Will Kymlicka (2015). “The Three Lives of Multiculturalism.”

    Class 8: Nationalism, Symbolism, and the Politics of the Canadian Identity (Thursday afternoon)
    • Tim Nieguth and Tracey Raney (2017), “Nation-Building and Canada’s National Symbolic Order, 1993-2015.” Nations and Nationalism 23:1 (January): 87-108.
    • Richard Nimijean and Anne Trépanier (2015). “A Passport to Identity: The Decline of Duality and the Symbolic Appropriation of Québec.” Etudes canadiennes / Canadian Studies no. 78: 25-48 Link • Richard Nimijean (2018). “Introduction: Is Canada Back? Brand Canada in a Turbulent World.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: 24 (2): 127-138.
    • Alex Marland (2018). “The brand image of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in international context.” Canadian Foreign Policy Journal: 24 (2): 139-144.

    Class 9: Corporate Canadian Nationalism (Friday morning)
    • Catherine Carstairs (2006). "Roots Nationalism: Branding Canada Cool in the 1980s and 1990s." Histoire sociale / Social History 39(77): 235-255.
    • Patricia Cormack (2008). "'True Stories' of Canada." Cultural Sociology 2(3): 369-384.
    • Ira Wagman (2002). “I am Canadian.”
    • Millard, G., et al. (2002). "Here's Where We Get Canadian: English-Canadian Nationalism and Popular Culture." American Review of Canadian Studies 32(1): 11 - 34. (and reply by brooks?) • CBC brand Canada movies; tim ads; Molson – group exercise on messages?

    Class 10: Conclusion (Friday afternoon)
    • Will Kymlicka (2003). “Being Canadian.” Government and Opposition: 357-385.
Assessment methods
1. Student Portfolio (50% - 10 X 5%)
At the end of each class, you will reflect on that class material by writing a reply to a question provided by the instructor. The goal is to demonstrate knowledge of issues raised in the class. Submit by Monday, 5 November.

2. Research Essay (50%)
Guidelines will be discussed in the first class. Submit by Monday 12 November
Language of instruction
English
Further Comments
Study Materials
The course is taught only once.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Autumn 2018.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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