The Peoples of Canada: A Post-Confederation History

Penny E. Bryden is a sessional instructor of history at Mount Allison
University in New Brunswick.

Undergraduate Canadian-history survey courses have undergone a subtle
change in the last decade, and now frequently reflect instructors’
growing interest in the social environment as well as catering to
students’ desires to learn more about women’s history, minority
groups, and popular culture. The standard textbooks, however, have
generally adopted a much more political and economic approach to the
study of Canadian history, and have therefore not kept pace with the
changing contours of historical inquiry. Bumsted’s book, meant as a
general introduction to the history of post-Confederation Canada,
represents an important and much-needed solution to this problem.

While Bumsted is careful to incorporate the contributions of immigrant
groups, indigenous peoples, and women into his narrative of national
development, it is in his attention to cultural history that this book
differs so dramatically from other in its class. From the artistic
expression of Canadian values and ideals, to the impact of the
automobile and the apartment complex, to the institutionalization of
culture with the formation of such groups as the Canadian Arts Council,
there is little that he has overlooked. His book offers a unique
cultural perspective on Canadian history. That this has been at the
expense of the traditional, and still necessary, political and economic
backdrop will cause little concern for those eager to teach Canadian
history through the eyes of the average Canadian.

Equally important, Bumsted is true to his temporal mandate, and devotes
virtually one-half of the text to an examination of developments in
post–World War II Canada, an important feature for teachers who want
to bring history into the present. Clearly written, generously
illustrated, and offering many suggestions for further reading, this
book offers numerous features that are not readily available in texts
for undergraduate study.