The Force of Culture: Vincent Massey and Canadian SovereigntyA misunderstood and sometimes maligned figure, Vincent Massey was one of Canada's most influential cultural policy-makers and art patrons. Best known as Canada's first native-born Governor General, he chaired the landmark Royal Commission on National Development in the Arts, Letters, and Sciences that led to the creation of the Canada Council. The Force of Culture examines Massey's notion of culture, its conflicted roots in late nineteenth-century and early twentieth-century Canadian Protestant thought, and Massey's transformation into a champion of culture as a bastion of Canadian sovereignty. Karen Finlay's study goes beyond existing literature by examining the role of Massey's Methodist upbringing in instilling an education gospel as the bedrock of culture and the foundation of a national citizenry. The study also reassesses Massey's reputation as a supporter of the fine arts. Steeped in Methodism, his attitudes towards the arts were ambiguous. He never adopted a purely art-for-art's sake doctrine, but came to understand that the arts, without being moralizing, could serve a moral and cultural purpose: the expression and affirmation of national character and sovereignty. As well as charting Massey's evolving attitudes towards culture and the arts, Finlay attempts to redress the common charges of sexism, elitism, and anglophonism levelled against him. Finlay stresses Massey's contradictory views on issues relating to gender, race, and class, outweighed by the ongoing legacy of his belief in Canadian cultural diversity. Above all, Massey valorized the principles of excellence and diversity as twin antidotes to the anathema of conformity and cultural homogenization. The tenet Massey sought to honour, pertaining deeply to the collective and moral nature of humanism in Canada, Finlay argues, was community without uniformity. The Force of Culture shows that Massey was, in certain respects, a democratizer and even a populist, who believed that difference need not divide. Electronic Format Disclaimer: Images removed at the request of the rights holder. |
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... argued for the force of culture over what he called the 'force(s) of geography.' Only by taking its culture seriously might Canada overcome its sectionalism and thwart the forces of colonialism, past and future. Of the prominent ...
... defined as cultural.'10 As David Chaney has argued, culture has become 'the dominant topic and most productive intellectual resource in ... our understanding of life in the modern world.'11 Yet there remains in Canada.
... arguing for its creation, Ryerson declared that it would not compete with any provincial college or university but would 'be a tributary to it... by imparting to youth and children the elements of a classical education.' Adding that ...
... argued that a church-guided education was critical to the development of Canada's state leaders and citizens, who 'will mould the future of our youthful nation.' He continued: 'The thorough harmony in a Christian spirit and effort of ...
... determine the functions of the Methodist schools and colleges and assess the degree to which they were fulfilling their task. As well, it argued that such a study was of great significance, given the wide extent of the.
Other editions - View all
The Force of Culture: Vincent Massey and Canadian Sovereignty Karen Finlay No preview available - 1999 |
The Force of Culture: Vincent Massey and Canadian Sovereignty Karen Finlay No preview available - 2004 |