A History of Canadian Culture

This book presents the first in-depth study of Canadian cultural history. The author looked broadly at all forms of cultural expression, from music and dance to literature and painting, as well as the institutional framework within which culture operates. He examines publishing, TV and radio, and other media of cultural expression, as well as investigating how culture has been supported by both private and public patronage. The book begins at the beginning, with two chapters on Aboriginal cultural practice, first before contact and then during contact. From there, it moves to look at culture in frontier settlements and early urban Canada, the Confederation era, and into the twentieth century. The book touches on difficult questions of cultural nationalism, via its examination of the export of Canadian culture (actors and comedians to Hollywood; Anne of Green Gables to Japan and elsewhere; and children's literature/TV, such as the success of KidsCan Press and Nelvana in the last decade) as well as the import of both UK and US culture. The book ends with an examination of the question 'is our culture in crisis?'