This new study powerfully asserts the pivotal importance of the interplay between language and ethnicity, which is often underestimated as a component for political stability. These leading scholars present five key case studies of South Africa, Algeria, Canada, Latvia and Senegal. All five countries are multilingual nations where language has been a central political issue that has challenged their unity and stability. These studies are underpinned by two general, comparative and theoretical discussions, which analyse how scholars consider social class and economic factors to be the primary sources for political cohesion or of malcontent with the system and the new avenues opened by a focus on issues of langauge. This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of linguistics, language, politics and sociology. This is a special issue of the leading journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.

This new study powerfully asserts the pivotal importance of the interplay between language and ethnicity, which is often underestimated as a component for political stability.

These leading scholars present five key case studies of South Africa, Algeria, Canada, Latvia and Senegal. All five countries are multilingual nations where language has been a central political issue that has challenged their unity and stability.

These studies are underpinned by two general, comparative and theoretical discussions, which analyse how scholars consider social class and economic factors to be the primary sources for political cohesion or of malcontent with the system and the new avenues opened by a focus on issues of langauge.

This book will be of great interest to all students and scholars of linguistics, language, politics and sociology.

This is a special issue of the leading journal Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.

This lively and sophisticated study describes the opinions and attitudes of the electors in one electoral district (Vancouver-Burrard) during the federal and provincial elections held from 1963 to 1965. Based on interviews with a random sample of 800 people in the riding, it examines voting patterns in relation to age, sex, religion, ethnicity, social class, party preference, knowledge of politics, and level of education. Using these data Professor Laponce measures and identifies the distinguishing characteristics of voters and non-votes; of Liberals, Conservatives, New Democrats, and Social Creditors; of party "faithfuls" and party "migrants" (in particular those who support different parties in provincial and federal elections); and it describes the electors' attitudes to the parties competing for their support. The results of the study are compared to the results of surveys carried out in other parts of Canada, Britain, and the United States. Important sociologically for its contribution to research in the establishment of universal political patterns, this study also has immediate application to present political events in Canada and the United States.