Canadian Scholarship on North America

Abstract

Canadian scholars have a long tradition of analysis of Canada's relations with the United States, but recently have they turned their attention to the North American continent as a whole. This article provides an overview of Canadian scholarship on Canada's position in North America. It argues that Canadian authors and policy-makers have for decades been caught up in an economistic debate between nationalist and so-called continentalist positions. These positions have been reinforced in the context of recent calls for deepened integration. Both the nationalist and the continentalist positions are, however, of limited utility for understanding the unique character of economic and political integration on the North American continent. The article reviews some recent contributions by Canadian scholars that attempt to move beyond the nationalist/continentalist dichotomy. It argues that what is currently needed is both more balanced empirical work that documents the changing realities of North American integration and an engagement with new theoretical perspectives.