Race and Identity, Interests, and Interactions in Canada's International History
Over the last twenty years, the field of diplomatic history has undergone an intellectual overhaul and a methodological transformation. Diplomatic history is no longer defined by studies of the pursuit of power by great men in hegemonic states in the 20th century. Transnational, global, and international approaches have reconfigured the shape, constituencies and flow of international relations. Focusing on culture, gender, the environment and religion has broadened our understanding of the elements of international contact. The questions that drive historical inquiry are changing; the answers bring new understanding. This workshop will focus on one critical element of the new diplomatic history—the role of race—and examine how it has affected the ways in which Canada and Canadians have interacted with other countries and peoples. The purpose of the workshop is to define and explore ideas of race in Canada and to contextualize and explain their impact on Canada’s international policies, practices, norms, and relations in the 20th century. This workshop will open up Canada’s international history, generating new questions and articulating narratives that challenge and complement the prevailing interest of historians in Canada’s influence and independence in international affairs.