Preface - The Character Of Canadian Culture

This monograph is the second in the series of monographs emanating from the World Culture Project. (see Appendix A) It is intended to address one of the most difficult and demanding Canadian problems of all, namely the problem of determining what is "Canadian culture." For despite the fact that we use this term all the time in our everyday conversations and public discourse, there is still very little agreement on what Canadian culture actually is.

Hence the object of the present monograph. It is divided into four parts. In part one, many different conceptions of Canadian culture are examined. An attempt is made to show that these conceptions do not exist in a vacuum, but rather are intimately connected to the long historical tradition and global movement aimed at understanding the meaning of culture in general. In part two, a comprehensive conception of Canadian culture is proposed, where Canadian culture is defined in its broadest cosmological sense as "an ordered whole." An attempt is made here to show that this all-embracing conception of the country's culture is consistent with the country's ecological situation, historical development and contemporary experience. In part three, some of the distinctive characteristics that emanate from Canadian culture and differentiate it from the cultures of other countries are analyzed. And finally, in part four, an assessment is made of some of the contributions Canadian culture might make to national and international development in the future.

Like the first monograph in the World Culture Project series on The Character of Culture, the present monograph is intended to be exploratory and illustrative rather than authoritative or definitive in nature. Its purpose is twofold: first, to shed some light on the scope, subject matter and character of Canadian culture rather than to evaluate it; and second, to show how a conception of the country's culture which is consonant with the Canadian experience can transform our understanding of the vital role that Canadian culture has played in the past and is capable of playing in the future.

The reader may well ask why it is necessary to go to such lengths to develop a conception of Canadian culture that is consistent with the reality of the Canadian experience. One can only respond by paraphrasing William Blake: people either develop their own conceptions of their culture, or they are enslaved by someone else's.

Whether it is the conception of Canadian culture presented here, or some other conception more appropriate to the circumstances, I believe a broad consensus should be achieved on the nature, meaning and character of Canadian culture if the full potential of the country's culture is to be realized in the future. If this monograph contributes in any way to this objective, it will more than fulfil its purpose.

It remains to express my gratitude to Nancy Schafer, Joy MacFadyen, John Robert Colombo and Sal Amenta, as well as to the members of the Advisory Council (Appendix B), for their valuable contributions to this monograph. While recognizing these contributions, I nevertheless assume full responsibility for everything contained in the text.