Title
The New Politics of Western Canada: Contested Histories, Uncertain Futures
Abstract
The Canadian West: an economic engine with a history of grievance against federal power emanating from the east. The New Politics of Western Canada grapples with the West’s complex, multifaceted past to promote a better understanding of this vast region’s political realities and the challenges that lie ahead. Contributors re-examine the historical and contemporary meanings attached to “the West” as a form of identity, through themes such as colonialism, gender, and class. They develop a nuanced analysis of Western political ideology, from resentment-based populism to the regional left. And they explore pressing Western economic and policy concerns, such as labour, health care, and Indigenous democratic participation and protest. Together, these themes provide intelligent new ways of interpreting underexplored aspects of Western Canadian politics, adding depth to earlier attempts to explain the region as a political, economic, or sociological space. -- Publisher's description
# of Pages
352 pages: illustrations
Notes
Contents: Indigenous Futures and Reconciliation in a Colonized West / Priscilla Settee -- What Does “Western Political Culture” Mean in the Twenty-First Century? / Tracy Summerville and J.R. Lacharite -- Women Challenging Political Power in the West / Melanee Thomas -- Western Settlement as a Masculine Class Project / K. Murray Knuttila -- Western Conservativism and the Challenges of Wexit and Resentment-Based Populism / Clark Banack -- The West’s Divided and Fragmented Left / Nelson Wiseman and Benjamin Isitt -- Struggles over Democracy in the West / Dennis Pilon -- Western Canadian Capitalism(s) and the “Alberta Advantage” / Paul Kellogg -- Workers and the Impasse of Working-Class Politicsin the West / Charles Smith -- Reimagining and Decolonizing Health for a More Equitable West / Tom McIntosh -- Considering Encampments as Indigenous Radical Democratic Politics in the West’s Past, Present, and Future / Kathy Walker.
Citation
Smith, C. W., & McIntosh, T. A. (Eds.). (2026). The New Politics of Western Canada: Contested Histories, Uncertain Futures. UBC Press. https://www.ubcpress.ca/the-new-politics-of-western-canada