English-Canadian Academics and External Affairs, 1919-1959
Abstract
From 1919-1959, a select group of English-Canadian humanities, social science, and law academics developed a close, collaborative, and mutually beneficial relationship with the Canadian state in the sphere of external affairs. This study examines the individual and collective lived experiences of sixteen academics and their contributions to creating and disseminating knowledge of Canadian external affairs, assisting with the formulation and refinement of Canadian foreign policy, representing the nation in international fora, and aiding international reconstruction and development. Helping to meet the increasingly complex needs of the Canadian state, the sixteen academics in this study represented a talented reservoir of researchers, administrators, and diplomats that the state drew on in times of need such as the Great Depression and the Second World War. English-Canadian academics were not cloistered denizens of their universities, but were active in Canadian society and deeply involved with the foreign affairs of the nation. Significantly, the sixteen academics in the study played an important role in facilitating the process of moving Canada further along the continuum of colony to nation and helping the nation to become less overtly British and more sovereign and independent. As powerful interpreters of the Canadian state to audiences both foreign and domestic, the academics in this study were Canadian nationalists who helped the country begin to carve out a unique international identity.
Description
Keywords
Education--History of, History--Canadian
Citation
Hyland, C. J. (2016). English-Canadian Academics and External Affairs, 1919-1959 (Doctoral thesis, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada). Retrieved from https://prism.ucalgary.ca. doi:10.11575/PRISM/25897