The Reluctant Land
Society, Space, and Environment in Canada Before Confederation
Published on 1. January 2009
Book
Paperback/Softback
536 pages
978-0-7748-1450-8 (ISBN)
Description
The Reluctant Land describes the evolving pattern of settlement and the changing relationships of people and land in Canada from the end of the fifteenth century to the Confederation years of the late 1860s and early 1870s. It shows how a deeply indigenous land was reconstituted in European terms, and, at the same time, how European ways were recalibrated in this non-European space. It also shows how an archipelago of scattered settlement emerged out of an encounter with a parsimonious territory, and suggests how deeply this encounter differed from an American relationship with abundance. The book begins with a description of land and life in northern North America in 1500, and ends by considering the relationship between the pattern of early Canada and the country as we know it today. Intended to illuminate the background of modern Canada, The Reluctant Land is an intelligent discussion of people and place that will be welcomed by scholars and lay readers alike.
Reviews / Votes
Trial lawyers attending on Aboriginal claims will find this text usefully covers the history from 1500 forward, showing the changes from an Indigenous populated land to one organized on European terms. - Ronald F. MacIsaac (The Barrister, Issue No.89) This is a welcome antidote to the simplistic renderings of early Canadian history we are exposed to in high school social studies courses, political speeches and CBC mini-series. [...] Harris has crafted a deeply insightful account of the history of what would become Canada. [...] The Reluctant Land will be used in historical geography courses for many years to come - but it's more than that, because Harris set himself the task of writing a scholarly book accessible to the general reader. [...] Encountering The Reluctant Land is like listening to a series of articulate public lectures, organized on a regional basis, allowing for an exploration of each part of the country, in turn. - Raymon Torchinsky (BC Bookworld, Vol.23, No.1, Spring 2009)More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Vancouver
Canada
Target group
Adult education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Illustrations
106 maps, 3 charts, 52 b&w photos
Dimensions
Height: 228 mm
Width: 151 mm
Thickness: 35 mm
Weight
810 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-7748-1450-8 (9780774814508)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Cole Harris is a professor emeritus of geography at the University of British Columbia. He is the author of The Resettlement of British Columbia and Making Native Space, and general editor of The Historical Atlas of Canada, Volume 1: From the Beginning to 1800.
Content
Preface
Acknowledgments
1 Lifeworlds, circa 1500
2 The Northwestern Atlantic, 1497-1632
3 Acadia and Canada
4 The Continental Interior, 1632-1750
5 Creating and Bounding British North America
6 Newfoundland
7 The Maritimes
8 Lower Canada
9 Upper Canada
10 The Northwestern Interior, 1760-1870
11 British Columbia
12 Confederation and the Pattern of Canada
Index
Acknowledgments
1 Lifeworlds, circa 1500
2 The Northwestern Atlantic, 1497-1632
3 Acadia and Canada
4 The Continental Interior, 1632-1750
5 Creating and Bounding British North America
6 Newfoundland
7 The Maritimes
8 Lower Canada
9 Upper Canada
10 The Northwestern Interior, 1760-1870
11 British Columbia
12 Confederation and the Pattern of Canada
Index