A unique and innovative study, Roasting Chestnuts seeks to demystify Maritime politics and expose the flimsy basis for many of the region's lasting political stereotypes.
Description
Roasting Chestnuts: The Mythology of Maritime Political Culture is a book about outdated political stereotypes. The Maritime provinces of New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia are often regarded as pre-modern hinterland in which corrupt practices and traditional loyalties continue to predominate. While this depiction of Maritime political life may, at one time, have been largely accurate, this is no longer the case. Employing a variety of indicators, this book argues that a new set of political images is needed to capture Maritime political reality today. What emerges from the analysis is a picture of Maritime politics which no longer differs markedly from that which exists in the rest of Canada.
Reviews
Studies devoted to regional politics in Canada are still scarce, and the Maritimes has often been treated summarily. With this volume, Ian Stewart takes a major remedial step. Many of the chapters have appeared in print already, but their collection under a new theme will be extremely helpful to students of regional politics and comparitive political culture.
- Peter Clancy