Regions Apart: The Four Societies of Canada and the United States

by James E. Curtis, Edward Grabb, James Curtis

Overview

Regions Apart provides an invaluable social, cultural, and political comparison of the two countries that share the world's longest undefended border—Canada and the United States. General readers and students alike will find this book an insightful analysis of how and why Americans and Canadians differ, not only from each other but from region to region within each country.

Recognizing the inevitability of the comparison, the authors explore the myths about the historical development of the two nations and provide their own thought-provoking interpretation. They argue that the original American colonies and English Canada were very similar societies and that the differences that emerged as the countries developed resulted not simply because of the rupture caused by the American Revolution, but because of internal divisions in each country—between English and French Canada and between the American North and South—that set the two nations on different paths.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195438307
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	06/15/2010
Series:	Wynford Books
Edition description:	Wynford ed.
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Edward Grabb is Professor and Senior Scholar in Residence at the Department of Sociology at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Most of his research centers on social inequality, political sociology, and comparative social structure. His articles have appeared in such journals as the American Sociological Review and Social Forces. His other books include Social Inequality in Canada (co-edited with Neil Guppy) and Theories of Social Inequality.

The late James Curtis was a Professor in the Department of Sociology at the University of Waterloo in Canada. His primary scholarly interests included social inequality, associational and political behavior, the sociology of knowledge, and the sociology of physical activity and sport.

Table of Contents

Preface xi

1 Introduction 1

Plan of the Book 5

Part I Canada and the United States: Theoretical Perspectives 9

Introduction 9

2 Previous Perspectives: Founding Fragments and Revolutionary Origins 11

Hartz's Theory of European Founding Fragments 11

Lipset's Origins Thesis: The Defining Moment of the American Revolution 20

Summary 25

3 An Alternative Perspective: Deep Structures and the Four Sub-societies of Canada and the United States 26

The Concept of Deep Structures 27

Deep Structures and the English Heritage 31

Identifying the Deep Structures of the English Societies 46

Canada and the United States as Four Sub-societies 53

Summary and Conclusion to Part I 57

Part II Historical Myths and Historical Evidence 59

Introduction 59

4 Liberty, Liberalism, and the Myth of American Individualism 61

The Concept of Liberty in Pre-revolutionary America 61

The Myth of American Individualism 65

Summary 73

5 English Canada and the Loyalist Myth 74

The Loyalist Migration and Canadian Toryism 74

Counting the Loyalists 76

How Loyal Were the Loyalists" 77

Were the English-Canadian Colonists 'Americans'" 81

Tory Values: Comparing the Elite and the Larger Population 83

Summary 86

6 Canadians and Americans: Historical Comparisons 87

Class Structure and Economic Background 88

Ethnic Composition and Sources of Immigration 89

Religion in Canada and the United States 111

Patterns of Urbanization 116

Political Culture and Organization 118

Summary 127

Conclusion to Part II 129

Part III Enduring Myths and Contemporary Realities 135

Introduction 135

Samples and Data Sources 136

Research Questions 138

7 Moral Issues: Religion, Family Values, and Crime 140

Religion and Religiosity 140

Family and Sexual Values 147

Crime and the Law 153

Summary 165

8 Individualism, Collectivism, and the State 166

Collectivism and the Role of the State 168

Attitudes about Individualism, Statism, and Collectivism 180

Summary 192

9 Social Inclusion and Tolerance toward Minorities 193

Mosaic and Melting Pot 195

Patterns of Immigration and Racial Composition 197

Socioeconomic Attainments of Immigrants and Ethnic Minorities 200

Comparative Research on Attitudes toward Minorities 205

Summary 214

10 Political Attitudes and Political Action 216

Political Interest and Political Behaviour 219

Political Trust and Confidence in Government 228

Feelings of Interpersonal Trust and National Pride 230

Summary 232

11 Voluntary-Association Involvement and Activity 234

Previous Research 234

Results from the World Values Surveys 238

Summary 241

Conclusion to Part III 242

12 Conclusion 247

Deep Structures Revisited 248

How Many 'Nations' Are There" 255

Elites and Masses 259

National Differences: Comparing the Extremes 262

Past, Present, and Future: Convergence, Divergence, or Both" 266

Appendix I 275

Appendix II 281

Appendix III 284

References 287

Index 315