Canadian Society in the Twenty-first Century: An Historical Sociological Approach

Now in its second edition, Canadian Society in the 21st Century: A Historical Sociological Approach opens up an engaging and much-needed overview of our society, at a level appropriate for a wide range of courses in Canadian Studies, Sociology, and History. This original work examines the growth and development of Canadian society within a socio-historical framework. The authors investigate historical, economic, political, cultural, and ideological perspectives through three key relationships: Quebec and Canada, Canada and the United States, and Canada and the Aboriginal Nations.

• Examines society as a set of relationships that emerge gradually over time as fostered, encouraged, and mediated by a set of institutions, in particular, the state and markets.
• Explores society as the product of an historical narrative - a movie, rather than a snapshot - which enlists many literary devices, including myths, metaphors, symbols, heroes, villains, and tragic figures.
• Identifies the complex relationship between individuals and society. Students are asked to consider to what extent individuals create society, and conversely, to what extent society creates individuals.