
Before Canada
Northern North America in a Connected World
Allan Greer(Editor)
McGill-Queen's University Press
Published on 15. January 2024
Book
Paperback/Softback
426 pages
978-0-2280-1921-3 (ISBN)
Description
Long before Confederation created a nation-state in northern North America, Indigenous people were establishing vast networks and trade routes. Volcanic eruptions pushed the ancestors of the Dene to undertake a trek from the present-day Northwest Territories to Arizona. Inuit migrated across the Arctic from Siberia, reaching Southern Labrador, where they met Basque fishers from northern Spain.
As early as the fifteenth century, fishing ships from western Europe were coming to Newfoundland for cod, creating the greatest transatlantic maritime link in the early modern world. Later, fur traders would take capitalism across the continent, using cheap rum to lubricate their transactions. The contributors to Before Canada reveal the latest findings of archaeological and historical research on this fascinating period. Along the way, they reframe the story of the Canadian past, extending its limits across time and space and challenging us to reconsider our assumptions about this supposedly young country.
Innovative and multidisciplinary, Before Canada inspires interest in the deep history of northern North America.
As early as the fifteenth century, fishing ships from western Europe were coming to Newfoundland for cod, creating the greatest transatlantic maritime link in the early modern world. Later, fur traders would take capitalism across the continent, using cheap rum to lubricate their transactions. The contributors to Before Canada reveal the latest findings of archaeological and historical research on this fascinating period. Along the way, they reframe the story of the Canadian past, extending its limits across time and space and challenging us to reconsider our assumptions about this supposedly young country.
Innovative and multidisciplinary, Before Canada inspires interest in the deep history of northern North America.
Reviews / Votes
"This collection builds upon earlier scholarship on Canada's distant past and pushes resolutely at its boundaries. The variety of topics is dazzling, offering a valuable sample of current research on this elusive period of global history." Margaret Conrad, University of New Brunswick and author of A Concise History of Canada "Before Canada features eleven of the smartest minds in early Canadian history, archeology, geography, and literary studies. Throughout the book, ... Greer's contemporaries define, demystify, and dismantle the imagined histories of the centuries preceding Canadian federation." Montreal Review of Books "Before Canada is a must-read volume for everyone teaching Canadian history before Confederation (1871). This is altogether a fascinating read; its breadth and lively details are enthralling. Essential." ChoiceMore details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Montreal
Canada
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Unsewn / adhesive bound
Illustrations
17 photos, 28 maps, colour insert
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 150 mm
Thickness: 28 mm
Weight
676 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-2280-1921-3 (9780228019213)
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Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions

E-Book
01/2024
1st Edition
McGill-Queen's University Press
€44.49
Available for download
Person
Allan Greer is professor emeritus of history at McGill University.