The Construction of Canadian Identity from Abroad

Foreword
Preface
Acknowledgments
Contents
Notes on Contributors
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Tables
Part I Introduction: The Construction of Canadian Identity from Abroad
1 Spatial Dislocation, Canadian Expats, and National Identity
	Focus of the Book
	Contents of the Book
	References
Part II Exile, Scholarship, and Rethinking Canada and the Canadian Identity
2 Exile in America: Rendering Canadian History from the Margins
	Historicism and the Concept of Scholars as Exiles
	A Wider Window
	A Divorce from Civics
	Fossilization
	“Standing,” Community, and the Burden of Authenticity
	References
3 In the National Interest: Teaching About Canada and the Environment
	Where Are You from? My Introduction to Canadian Studies
	The National Interest: Teaching Canada as, in, and Through Environmental History
	“That brings me to the Americans!” Teaching Continental Space
	“A Neighbouring Province”: Teaching the Colonial Period
	Unmoored: A Canadianist Abroad and Inland
	Conclusion
	References
4 Expatriate Scholarship in the Field of Canadian Studies: Gaining New Perspectives from a More Distant Vantage Point
	Introduction
	Identity as a Concept: Formation and Mutation
	Defining Doxa
	Challenging Doxa as an Expatriate Scholar
	The Particularities of the Expatriate in France: Exposure to the Tradition of French Universalism
	The Impact of Exile on My Research and Teaching
	Canadian National Identity Seen as a Showcase for New Global Trends: An Expatriate Perspective?
	Conclusion
	References
Part III Multiple Layers of Externality
5 Race, the University, and Social Transformation
	The University and Social Transformation
	Conclusion
	References
6 Teaching Indigenous Canada: Learning from “Externality”
	O Canada!
	Our Home and Native Land!
	True Patriot Love in All of Us Command
	With Glowing Hearts We See Thee Rise, the True North Strong and Free!
	From Far and Wide, O Canada, We Stand on Guard for Thee
	God Keep Our Land Glorious and Free!
	O Canada
	We Stand on Guard for Thee
	References
7 Bringing Sexy Back: The Other
	Introduction
	Canadian-American Studies at Western Washington University
	Anecdote 1: The Hotshot in Heels. September 24, 2008
	Anecdote 2: Starting from Zero, Take Two. Later That Very Same Day…
	Reflections on Teaching French Language Classes Through Canadiana
	Anecdote 3: Recreating. April 4, 2017
	Reflections on Teaching Acadian Identity Through Recreation
	Anecdote 4: Tongue Tied. April 30, 2020
	Reflections on Teaching Franco-Canadian Phonetics Through a Linguistic Toolbox
	Anecdote 5: Living Their Lesson. August 8, 2018
	Reflections on Teaching Canada Through Experiential Learning
	Anecdote 6: Community Building. March 18, 2019
	Reflections on Teaching Franco-Canadian Sociolinguistics Through Community Building
	Conclusion: Some Random Summer Day, 2020
	References
Part IV Remaining Unmoored—Externality and Uncertainty
8 Stranger, Expat, Immigrant: The Comparative Advantage, and the Challenges, of Indifference and Authenticity
	Why Canada?
	Stranger: The Power of a Comparative Lens
		The Benefits of Being a Stranger: Research Questions and Theoretical Orientations
		The Benefits of Being a Stranger: Externality and North American Comparative Methods
	Expat: Battling and Benefiting from Indifference
		Indifference: Why Canada, Redux
		Rewards: New Approaches, and Being the Expert in the Room
	Immigrant: In Search of Authenticity
		Automatic Expertise and Institutional Leadership
		Authenticity Challenged: What Does an Outsider Know?
	Migrating People, Cross-Border Ideas
	References
9 Spatial Dislocation and Canadian Studies, or Thinking About Canada 6000 Kilometres from Home
	Canadian Studies
	Space, Location, and Identity
	Seeing Canada from Afar
	A Changing Social Contract?
	Perspective Transformation: Rethinking Canada as an Expat
	Conclusion
	References
10 “Proving Canada”: A Canadian Writer in the American Academy
	References
11 Lost in the Heart of Europe: Doing Canada Among the Czechs
	Proem
	Introduction
	Isolation—1969–1989
	Opening Up—1990–2000
	The World implodes—2000–the Present
	Conclusion
	References
Part V Disciplinary Focus and the Question of Externality
12 Reading and Teaching Canadian Literature in Slovenia
	Going Textual
	Where I’m Coming from, Where I Am
	CanLit Parochialism?
	The Outsider’s View
	Teaching Canada
	Shared Vocabulary and Shared Assumptions
	Multiculturalism: Never Assume …
	Multiculturalism and Immigration in Rohinton Mistry and David Bezmozgis
	Conclusion
	References
13 Critical Distance: Unsettling Canada from Abroad
	Canada in the Classroom
	The Case of Québec
	Comparative Approach
	Teaching as Commitment to Change
	Conclusion
	References
14 Systems of Canadian Studies: A Personal View
	A Career in Canadian Studies
	Communication and a Graphic Turn in Canadian Studies: The Case for Systemism
	Issues and Themes for Emerging and Future Scholars: Toward New Area Studies (NAS)
	Final Thoughts
	References
15 Cha(lle)nging Representations of Canada in Italy
	A Multilayered Canadian Narrative Reinforced
	A Curated Narrative
	A Wake-Up Call in an International Setting
	The 2016 Biennale: Extracting Meanings of Canada
	The 2018 Biennale: An Unsettling Celebration of Two Universes
	Conclusion: A Canadian Tale
	References
Part VI Externality and Canadian and Professional Identities
16 Reflections from (the Very Near) Abroad: Being Canadian in the Canada/U.S. Borderlands
	Background and Context
	Teaching and Organizing Canadian Studies at University at Buffalo (UB)
	Research and Scholarship
	Professional Service and Public Engagement
	Concluding Thoughts
	References
17 Living and Working in Mexico as a Canadian: Not so Difficult as One Would Think
	How It Happened
	Connecting a New Research Agenda to a New Teaching Style
	Final Thoughts
	References
18 Peering Northward to Construct Canadian Identity: Why Canada?
	Constructing Canada from the United States
	An Enhanced Landscape for Constructing Canadian Identity
	Conclusion
	References
Index