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Charles Taylor, recognition and agrarian identity in Western Canada Banack, Clark
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to highlight the manner by which current financial challenges facing small-scale fanning operations throughout rural Western Canada represent a significant threat to a distinct cultural community and thus requires an immediate response from both levels of government designed to stem this threat and preserve this community. The theoretical framework of this study is provided by the philosophy of Charles Taylor. Specifically, I focus on his work regarding the intrinsic nature of the community in relation to the individual and the subsequent commitment to preserve local or cultural communities in the face of market driven policies within the public sphere. This commitment is founded upon Taylor's specific argument regarding the ontology of the human subject, an argument which makes clear the foundational role the cultural community plays with regard to the identity formation of the individual. Furthermore, it is this foundational role played by the cultural community which often requires recognition from the larger, national community in order to maintain the allegiance of the individual. This is an assertion that clearly has implications for a pluralistic society such as Canada and is often referred to by those, like Taylor, who argue for the need to recognize the distinct cultural communities which make-up Canada, such as the Quebecois, the First Nations and more recently, the various immigrant groups which are dispersed throughout this country. It is through this angle, this commitment to recognize local cultural communities, that I engage Taylor's work and introduce a collective identity not often mentioned within Canadian "recognition" discourse, that of the rural agricultural West. It is my contention that there does exist a distinct agrarian collective identity in Western Canada, and further, such a community is facing economic challenges which are threatening its persistence, perhaps even existence. Not only does the contemporary decline of small-scale rural agriculture represent a significant threat to the foundational community of agrarian individuals, it also highlights the need for this group to be "recognized" in a way that promotes a strengthened attachment to Canada as a whole.
Item Metadata
Title |
Charles Taylor, recognition and agrarian identity in Western Canada
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Creator | |
Publisher |
University of British Columbia
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Date Issued |
2005
|
Description |
The purpose of this study is to highlight the manner by which current financial
challenges facing small-scale fanning operations throughout rural Western Canada
represent a significant threat to a distinct cultural community and thus requires an
immediate response from both levels of government designed to stem this threat and
preserve this community. The theoretical framework of this study is provided by the
philosophy of Charles Taylor. Specifically, I focus on his work regarding the intrinsic
nature of the community in relation to the individual and the subsequent commitment to
preserve local or cultural communities in the face of market driven policies within the
public sphere. This commitment is founded upon Taylor's specific argument regarding
the ontology of the human subject, an argument which makes clear the foundational role
the cultural community plays with regard to the identity formation of the individual.
Furthermore, it is this foundational role played by the cultural community which often
requires recognition from the larger, national community in order to maintain the
allegiance of the individual. This is an assertion that clearly has implications for a
pluralistic society such as Canada and is often referred to by those, like Taylor, who
argue for the need to recognize the distinct cultural communities which make-up Canada,
such as the Quebecois, the First Nations and more recently, the various immigrant groups
which are dispersed throughout this country. It is through this angle, this commitment to
recognize local cultural communities, that I engage Taylor's work and introduce a
collective identity not often mentioned within Canadian "recognition" discourse, that of
the rural agricultural West. It is my contention that there does exist a distinct agrarian
collective identity in Western Canada, and further, such a community is facing economic
challenges which are threatening its persistence, perhaps even existence. Not only does
the contemporary decline of small-scale rural agriculture represent a significant threat to
the foundational community of agrarian individuals, it also highlights the need for this
group to be "recognized" in a way that promotes a strengthened attachment to Canada as
a whole.
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Genre | |
Type | |
Language |
eng
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Date Available |
2010-01-05
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Provider |
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
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Rights |
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.
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DOI |
10.14288/1.0092451
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URI | |
Degree | |
Program | |
Affiliation | |
Degree Grantor |
University of British Columbia
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Graduation Date |
2006-05
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Campus | |
Scholarly Level |
Graduate
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Aggregated Source Repository |
DSpace
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Item Media
Item Citations and Data
Rights
For non-commercial purposes only, such as research, private study and education. Additional conditions apply, see Terms of Use https://open.library.ubc.ca/terms_of_use.