Interests of State: The Politics of Language, Multiculturalism, and Feminism in Canada

Raj S. Gandhi is a sociology professor at the University of Calgary.

Since the 1960s, the Canadian government has funded citizens’
organizations in three crucial policy fields—namely, official
languages, multiculturalism, and feminism. Whether such organizations
become mere ciphers once they come to depend on Ottawa is the main
question addressed in the book. It is a question that gives rise to
counter-questions. What is the ultimate effect of this funding on the
government itself? How does it affect the tenor of Canadian political
debate?

The book is divided into four parts. Part 1 establishes the theoretical
framework for the study, while Part 2 provides the historical context.
Part 3 analyzes the administration of the programs, and Part 4 offers
some reflections on the nature of the Canadian state, as well as
contemporary discussions of collective identity, which is the
substantive issue behind these organizations and programs.

Part 1 is the weak link. The author, who admits that “the existing
literature is less than helpful,” would have profited from an
examination of the research that has been done in political sociology.
The strongest section is Part 3, which delves into the more substantive
issues associated with minority groups, multiculturalism, and the
women’s program. Social scientists will find Pal’s book extremely
useful in its coverage of these.