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The C.D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History
North of America

North of America

Canadians and the American Century, 1945–60

Edited by Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson

Published by: University of British Columbia Press

Series: The C.D. Howe Series in Canadian Political History

Imprint: UBC Press

388 Pages, 152.00 × 229.00 mm, 6 b&w photos, 5 tables, 4 graphs

Paperback
9780774868846
Published: April 2024

£32.00

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Hardcover
9780774868839
Published: July 2023

£79.00

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Description
Contents
Authors
Praise

In 1941, influential US publishing magnate Henry Luce declared the world was in the midst of the first great American century, believing his nation held the power and vision to lead and transform the world. What did a newly outward-looking and hegemonic United States mean for its northern neighbour? North of America is a sharp-eyed volume providing a unique look at postwar Canada, bringing to the fore the opinions and perceptions of a broad range of Canadians – from consumers to diplomats, jazz musicians to urban planners, and a diverse cross-section in between. As they grappled with issues including constitutional reform, transit policy, national security, the arrival of television, white supremacy, and postwar domesticity, Canadians were ever mindful of the unfolding American experience and its influence.

Foreword / Robert Bothwell and John English

Introduction: Canada and Canadians in the Shadow of the American Century / Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson

Part 1: North America in a Cold War World

1 "A Natural Development": Canada and Non-Alignment in the Age of Eisenhower / David Webster

2 Cheers to the Canadian Wheat Surplus! Lester Pearson's Visit to the Soviet Union and the West's Détente Dilemma / Susan Colbourn

3 Living Dangerously: Canadian National Security Policy and the Nuclear Revolution / Timothy Andrews Sayle

4 From Normandy to NORAD: Canada and the North Atlantic Triangle in the Age of Eisenhower / Asa McKercher and Michael D. Stevenson

Part 2: Politics and Identity in Postwar North America

5 An Emerging Constitutional Culture in Canada's Postwar Moment / P.E. Bryden

6 Rethinking Postwar Domesticity: The Canadian Household in the 1950s / Bettina Liverant

7 Racial Discrimination in "Uncle Tom's Town": Media and the Americanization of Racism in Dresden, 1948–56 / Jennifer Tunnicliffe

8 Between Distrust and Acceptance: The Influence of the United States on Postwar Quebec / François-Olivier Dorais and Daniel Poitras

Part 3: Cultural Conundrums in an Age of Prosperity

9 Living the Good Life? Canadians and the Paradox of American Prosperity / Stephen Azzi

10 Make Room for (Canadian) TV: Print Media Cover the Arrival of Television in the Shadow of American Cultural Imperialism, 1930–52 / Emily LeDuc

11 Getting Off the Highway: Frederick Gardiner and Toronto's Transit Policy in the Age of the Interstate Highway, 1954–63 / Jonathan English

12 Talking Jazz at the Stratford Shakespearean Festival, 1956–58 / Eric Fillion

Afterword / Norman Hillmer

List of Contributors; Index

Asa McKercher is an assistant professor of history at the Royal Military College of Canada. His publications include Canada and the World Since 1867 and Canada and Camelot: Canadian-American Relations in the Kennedy Era. Michael D. Stevenson is a professor of history at Lakehead University. He is the author of Canada's Greatest Wartime Muddle: National Selective Service and the Mobilization of Human Resources in Canada during World War II and editor of the 1957–58 volumes of Documents on Canadian External Relations.

Contributors: Stephen Azzi, P.E. Bryden, Susan Colbourn, François-Olivier Dorais, Jonathan English, Eric Fillion, Norman Hillmer, Emily LeDuc, Bettina Liverant, Daniel Poitras, Timothy Andrews Sayle, Jennifer Tunnicliffe, David Webster

"This collection of essays furthers Canadian-American scholarship, providing a welcome historical look at how each country stands in relation to the other."
- David Marks Shribman (Literary Review of Canada)