This book is a history of Canada's role in the world as well as the impact of world events on Canada. Starting from the country's quasi-independence from Britain in 1867, its analysis moves through events in Canadian and global history to the present day. Looking at Canada's international relations from the perspective of elite actors and normal people alike, this study draws on original research and the latest work on Canadian international and transnational history to examine Canadians' involvement with a diverse mix of issues, from trade and aid, to war and peace, to human rights and migration. The book traces four inter-connected themes: independence and growing estrangement from Britain; the longstanding and ongoing tensions created by ever-closer relations with the United States; the huge movement of people from around the world into Canada; and the often overlooked but significant range of Canadian contacts with the non-Western world. With an emphasis on the reciprocal nature of Canada's involvement in world affairs, ultimately it is the first work to blend international and transnational approaches to the history of Canadian international relations.

In 1941, influential publishing magnate Henry Luce wrote a stirring essay on American global power, declaring that the world was in the midst of the first great American century. What did a newly outward-looking and hegemonic United States mean for its northern neighbour? From constitutional reform to transit policy, from national security to the arrival of television, Canadians were ever mindful of the American experience. This sharp-eyed volume provides a unique look at postwar Canada, bringing to the fore the opinions and perceptions of a broad range of Canadians – from consumers to diplomats, jazz musicians to urban planners, and a diverse cross-section in between.

When the field of Canadian history underwent major shifts in the 1990s, international history became marginalized and the focus turned away from foreign affairs. Over the past decade, however, the study of Canada and the world has been revitalized. Undiplomatic History charts these changes, bringing together leading and emerging historians of Canadian international and transnational relations to take stock of recent developments and to outline the course of future research. Following global trends in the wider historiography, contributors explore new lenses of historical analysis - such as race, gender, political economy, identity, religion, and the environment - and emphasize the relevance of non-state actors, including scientists, athletes, students, and activists. The essays in this volume challenge old ways of thinking and showcase how an exciting new generation of historians are asking novel questions about Canadians' interactions with people and places beyond the country's borders. From human rights to the environment, and from medical internationalism to transnational feminism, Undiplomatic History maps out a path toward a vibrant and inclusive understanding of what constitutes Canadian foreign policy in an age of global connectivity.

This book is a history of Canada's role in the world as well as the impact of world events on Canada. Starting from the country's quasi-independence from Britain in 1867, its analysis moves through events in Canadian and global history to the present day. Looking at Canada's international relations from the perspective of elite actors and normal people alike, this study draws on original research and the latest work on Canadian international and transnational history to examine Canadians' involvement with a diverse mix of issues, from trade and aid, to war and peace, to human rights and migration. The book traces four inter-connected themes: independence and growing estrangement from Britain; the longstanding and ongoing tensions created by ever-closer relations with the United States; the huge movement of people from around the world into Canada; and the often overlooked but significant range of Canadian contacts with the non-Western world. With an emphasis on the reciprocal nature of Canada's involvement in world affairs, ultimately it is the first work to blend international and transnational approaches to the history of Canadian international relations.

Entangled Terrains and Identities in Cuba: Memories of Guantánamo explores the challenges and conflicts of life in the transnational spaces between Cuba and the United States by examining the lived experiences of Alberto Jones, a first-generation black Cuban who worked at the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay. Asa McKercher and Catherine Krull take readers on a journey through Jones’s life as he crossed the entangled political, racial, cultural, and economic boundaries, both in Cuba and living as a black Cuban in central Florida. McKercher and Krull argue that Jones’s story encapsulates the reality of recent Caribbean and Cuban experiences as they deconstruct the events of his life to reveal the broader cultural and social implications of identity, boundaries, and belonging throughout Caribbean and Cuban history.

Although fifty years have passed since Lester Pearson stepped down as prime minister, he still influences debates about Canada's role in the world. Mike's World explores the myths surrounding Pearsonianism to explain why he remains such a touchstone for understanding Canadian foreign policy. Leading scholars dig deeply into his diplomatic and political career, especially during the 1960s and his tenure as prime minister. Situating Pearson within his times and using him as a lens through which to analyze Canadians' views of global affairs, this nuanced collection wrestles with the contradictions of Pearson and Pearsonianism and, ultimately, with the resulting myths surrounding Canada's role in the world.

Camelot and Canada explores Canada-U.S. relations in the early 1960s-the Kennedy era-a period marked not only by some of the tensest moments of the Cold War but also by the most contentious moments in the relationship between these neighboring nations. Exploring key political, economic, and military features of the Canada-U.S. relationship during this period, Asa McKercher challenges the prevailing view that U.S. foreign policymakers, including President John F. Kennedy, were imperious in their conduct toward Canada. Rather, he shows that the Kennedy administration continued to uphold the special diplomatic relationship that characterized the early postwar years. Even as John Diefenbaker's government pursued distinct foreign and economic policies, American officials acknowledged that Canadian objectives legitimately differed from their own and adjusted their policies accordingly. Moreover, for all its bluster, Ottawa rarely made a move without weighing the impact that its initiatives might have on Washington. At the same time, Camelot and Canada acknowledges the significant strain placed on the bilateral relationship in the early sixties, due to mounting Canadian doubts about U.S. leadership in the Cold War and a growing sense of nationalism in Canada. Rooted in Canadian concern at their country's close ties with the United States, this nationalism came to be personified by Diefenbaker, whose personal clashes with Kennedy have become mythologized by historians and the public alike. McKercher highlights how the Kennedy era saw an increasing breakdown of the postwar consensus between Canadians and Americans, even as the special relationship between their governments continued to function.