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Political science

  • Auteur:
    Malleson, Tom, Wachsmuth, David
    Sommaire:

    In June 2010 activists opposing the G20 meeting held in Toronto were greeted with arbitrary state violence on a scale never before seen in Canada. Whose Streets? is a combination of testimonials from the front lines and analyses of the broader context, an account that both reflects critically on what occurred in Toronto and looks ahead to further building our capacity for resistance. Featuring reflections from activists who helped organize the mobilizations, demonstrators and passersby who were arbitrarily arrested and detained, and scholars committed to the theory and practice of confronting neoliberal capitalism, the collection balances critical perspective with on-the-street intensity. It offers vital insight for activists on how local organizing and global activism can come together.

  • Auteur:
    Kinsman, Gary, Buse, Dieter K., Steedman, Mercedes
    Sommaire:

    Would you believe that RCMP operatives used to spy on Tupperware parties? In the 1950s and ’60s they did. They also monitored high school students, gays and lesbians, trade unionists, left-wing political groups, feminists, consumer's associations, Black activists, First Nations people, and Quebec sovereignists. The establishment of a tenacious Canadian security state came as no accident. On the contrary, the highest levels of government and the police, along with non-governmental interests and institutions, were involved in a concerted campaign. The security state grouped ordinary Canadians into dozens of political stereotypes and labelled them as threats. Whose National Security? probes the security state's ideologies and hidden agendas, and sheds light on threats to democracy that persist to the present day. The contributors varied approaches open up avenues for reconceptualizing the nature of spying.

  • Auteur:
    Graham, John W., Bothwell, Robert
    Sommaire:

    In Whose Man in Havana? the author offers an unconventional, often dark, but more often hilarious view of diplomacy in settings as varied as Haiti, London, the Dominican Republic, the Balkans, Palestine, Paraguay, Guyana, and Kyrgyzstan, including covert monitoring of Soviet military operations in Cuba on behalf of the CIA with the blessing of President Kennedy and Prime Minister Pearson. In a career that spans the Canadian foreign service and international organizations, he was fortunate to be in the right place at interesting, if turbulent, times. Throughout the book he has focussed on the lighter side of people and places, but almost everywhere the dark side intrudes. Graham makes plain that the intersection of the two is frequently black comedy. "Brilliant...from one of the foreign service's best raconteurs." James Bartleman, author of Roller Coaster and Out of Muskoka, former ambassador and former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. "Splendidly written and marvellously funny." Robert Bothwell, University of Toronto, co-author of Pirouette and the Penguin History of Canada. "A rollicking, engaging memoir ... a feast of colourful tales that don't quite obscure a serious piece of work on the diplomacy of the period... writing of the highest order." Paul Durand, former ambassador and international mediator.

  • Auteur:
    Graham, John W.
    Sommaire:

    In Whose Man in Havana? the author offers an unconventional, often dark, but more often hilarious view of diplomacy in settings as varied as Haiti, London, the Dominican Republic, the Balkans, Palestine, Paraguay, Guyana, and Kyrgyzstan, including covert monitoring of Soviet military operations in Cuba on behalf of the CIA with the blessing of President Kennedy and Prime Minister Pearson. In a career that spans the Canadian foreign service and international organizations, he was fortunate to be in the right place at interesting, if turbulent, times. Throughout the book he has focussed on the lighter side of people and places, but almost everywhere the dark side intrudes. Graham makes plain that the intersection of the two is frequently black comedy. "Brilliant...from one of the foreign service's best raconteurs." James Bartleman, author of Roller Coaster and Out of Muskoka, former ambassador and former Lieutenant-Governor of Ontario. "Splendidly written and marvellously funny." Robert Bothwell, University of Toronto, co-author of Pirouette and the Penguin History of Canada. "A rollicking, engaging memoir ... a feast of colourful tales that don't quite obscure a serious piece of work on the diplomacy of the period... writing of the highest order." Paul Durand, former ambassador and international mediator.

  • Auteur:
    Jalalzai, Musa Khan, Durrani, Asad
    Sommaire:

    As Western troops withdraw from Afghanistan, the Afghan National Army (A.N.A.), such as it is, has been tasked with securing the country. Yet the A.N.A. arose under foreign  tutelage and will remain dependent upon foreign support for the  foreseeable future. Thus it can only be seen by the majority of Afghans as a legacy of the occupation and not a "national'" institution. The focus is set primarily on the A.N.A.'s ability to carry out the  task it has been assigned: "ensuring security in Afghanistan." Along the way, the author covers a wide spectrum of topics: the current state of the Afghan National Army (A.N.A.), Taliban infiltration, intelligence failures, the "intelligence war" among various nations and alliances (N.A.T.O., U.S., U.K., I.S.A.F.), green on blue attacks and the rise of war criminals heading private militias that present the biggest challenge to the reorganization of State institutions.

  • Auteur:
    May, Elizabeth
    Sommaire:

    In this marriage of memoir and manifesto, Elizabeth May reflects on her extraordinary life and the people and experiences that have formed her and informed her beliefs about democracy, climate change, and other crucial issues facing Canadians. The book traces her development from child activist who warned other children not to eat snow because it contained Strontium 90 to waitress and cook on Cape Breton Island to law student, lawyer, and environmentalist and finally to leader of the Green Party and first elected Green Party Member of Parliament.
    As a result of these disparate experiences, May has come to believe that Canada must strengthen its weakened democracy, return to its role as a world leader, develop a green economy, and take drastic action to address climate change. Who We Are also sets out how these goals might be accomplished, incorporating the thoughts of such leaders and thinkers as Rachel Carson, Jim MacNeill, Joe Clark, Chris Turner, Andrew Nikiforuk, and Robert F. Kennedy. The result is a fascinating portrait of a remarkable woman and an urgent call to action.

  • Auteur:
    Kennedy, Liam
    Sommaire:

    The Troubles claimed the lives of almost four thousand people in Northern Ireland, most of them civilians; forty-five thousand were injured in bombings and shootings. Relative to population size this was the most intense conflict experienced in Western Europe since the end of the Second World War. The central question posed in this book is fundamental, yet it is one that has rarely been asked: Who was primarily responsible for the prosecution of the Troubles and their attendant toll of the dead, the injured, and the emotionally traumatized? Liam Kennedy, who lived in Belfast throughout most of the conflict, was long afraid to raise the question and its implications. After years of reflection and research on the matter he has brought together elements of history, politics, sociology, and social psychology to identify the collective actors who drove the conflict onwards for more than three decades, from the days of the civil rights movement in the late 1960s to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. The Troubles in Northern Ireland are a world-class problem in miniature. The combustible mix of national, ethnic, and sectarian passions that went into the making of the conflict has its parallels today in other parts of the world. Who Was Responsible for the Troubles? is an original and controversial work that captures the terror and the pain but also the hope of life and the pursuit of happiness in a deeply divided society.

  • Auteur:
    Belviso, Meg.
    Sommaire:

    As a child he dreamt of changing South Africa; as a man he changed the world. Nelson Mandela spent his life battling apartheid and championing a peaceful revolution. He spent twenty-seven years in prison and emerged as the inspiring leader of the new South Africa. He became the country's first black president and went on to live his dream of change. This is an important and exciting addition to the Who Was ... ? series.

  • Auteur:
    Grinapol, Corinne A.
    Sommaire:

    Although he started out as a teacher without aspirations to be an activist or politician, Harvey Milk found himself captivated by the history-making movements of the 1960s. He would eventually make history of his own by becoming the first openly gay elected politician in California. While in office, Harvey Milk advocated for equal rights for the gay community. Even though his life and career were cut short, Harvey is still seen by many as one of the most famous and most significantly open LGBT officials ever elected in the United States. His life and legacy continue to inspire and unite the community.

  • Auteur:
    Rau, Dana Meachen
    Sommaire:

    Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in British-occupied India. Though he studied law in London and spent his early adulthood in South Africa, he remained devoted to his homeland and spent the later part of his life working to make India an independent nation. Calling for non-violent civil disobedience, Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights around the world. Gandhi is recognized internationally as a symbol of hope, peace, and freedom.

  • Auteur:
    Heaman, E.A., Tough, David
    Sommaire:

    Canadians can never not argue about taxes. From the Chinese head tax to the Panama Papers, from the National Policy to the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, tax grievances always inspire private resentments and public debates. But if resentment and debate persist, the terms of the debate have continually altered and adapted to reflect changing social, economic, and political conditions in Canada and the wider world. The centenary of income tax is the occasion for Canadian scholars to wrestle with past and present debates about tax equity, efficiency, and justice. Who Pays for Canada? explores the different ways governments can and should tax their peoples and evaluates how well Canada has done so. It brings together a diverse group of perspectives from academia - law, economics, political science, history, geography, philosophy, and accountancy - and from the wider world of activists and public servants. It asks how Canada compares to other countries and how other countries - especially the United States - influence Canadian tax policies. It also surveys internal tax tensions and politics, through the lenses of region and jurisdiction, as well as race, class, and gender. Reasoning from tax perplexities and reforms in the past and the present, it argues that fair taxation requires an informed populace and a democratically inclined public will. Above all, this book serves as a reminder that it is not only what counts as fair that is important, but how fairness is evaluated. Revealing how closely tax policy is tied to mainstream politics, human rights, and morality, Who Pays for Canada? represents new perspectives on a matter of tremendous national urgency.

  • Auteur:
    Brown, Dinah
    Sommaire:

    Malala Yousafzai was a girl who loved to learn but was told that girls would no longer be allowed to go to school. She wrote a blog that called attention to what was happening in her beautiful corner of Pakistan and realized that words can bring about change. She has continued to speak out for the right of all children to have an education. In 2014 she won the Nobel Peace Prize.

  • Auteur:
    Moses, Shelia P.
    Sommaire:

    Discover how a young girl who was the star of her school's debate team became a federal jurist and the first Black woman to sit on the United States Supreme Court. Presenting Who HQ Now: an exciting addition to the #1 New York Times Best-Selling Who Was? series! Born in Washington, DC, in 1970, and raised in Miami, Florida, Ketanji Brown Jackson developed an interest in law and politics at an early age. As a preschooler, she sat with her father and watched him complete his law school assignments. And even though some people, including a school guidance counselor, discouraged Ketanji from aiming high, she proved them wrong and graduated with honors from Harvard Law School. She went on to serve on the U.S. District Court in 2013 and the United States Court of Appeals in 2021 before making history and becoming the first Black woman to be confirmed to the United States Supreme Court in 2022. Learn more about Ketanji Brown Jackson's story in this addition to the New York Times bestselling series.

  • Auteur:
    Fletcher, Raquel
    Sommaire:

    What does diversity mean for the Quebec identity? Who gets to consider themselves a Quebecer? The author, a young journalist who moved to Quebec City from Saskatchewan, has some critical questions for the adopted province she loves. Are Quebecers less tolerant than other Canadians? Ongoing debate about secularism and religious symbols has led many observers to ask that very question. Premier François Legault denies that racism or Islamophobia exists, even after gunman Alexandre Bissonnette opened fire in a Quebec City mosque in 2017, killing six people and wounding 19 others. The Quebec government has now established a religious symbols ban for some public employees. The increasingly diverse new reality is sometimes embraced and sometimes met with anti-immigrant sentiment if not outright hostility from alt-right groups.

  • Auteur:
    Kryzhanovsky, Mikhail
    Sommaire:

    Here is the book that guides the president of the United States from the first day in the Oval Office to the day he or she walks out for the last time. In fact, the strategies and mindset recommended in these pages are essential tools for capturing the presidency as much as wielding it. The international scene today is either a madhouse or the product of extraordinarily cynical techniques such as these, applied with cold cunning, by our nations leaders. This manual outlines some of the resources, strategies and mechanisms at their disposal and some of the concerns and countervailing concerns that the Commander-in-chief needs to have in mind. This handbook provides a comparison of the world's premier intelligence agencies, discusses tactics of surveillance,  war and public persuasion; and it gives practical advice on political maneuvering at the local, national and international levels. A rational, results-based handbook, it is destined to be a secret favorite of politicians, agents of the special services, C.E.O.s and corporate boards and everyone else who needs to be "ready to lead." And for the many other ambitious contenders in the world of winner-take-all bare-knuckles capitalism. The author, who cites decades of insider knowledge at both the K.G.B. and the C.I.A., says he originally compiled this book upon a request from Washington anonymous, of course.

  • Auteur:
    Atcheson, Beth, Marsden, Lorna
    Sommaire:

    During the 1970s and 1980s, after the Royal Commission on the Status of Women made its far-reaching recommendations, the volunteer Ontario Committee on the Status of Women went head-to-head with the Ontario government of Premier William Davis to fully implement equality for women in Ontario. Areas of concern were in employment, pay and benefits, child care and reproduction rights, education and training, family law, pensions, politics and the civil service, and human rights generally. Members of this committed organization tell the stories of how they came together, how they organized and lobbied for change, how they collaborated with other groups, how the issues changed, and what the work means for women in Ontario today.

  • Auteur:
    Dickerson, John
    Sommaire:

    Presidential campaigns are a battle for control of power. Whistlestop tells the stories reporters and campaign aides rehash at the bar, each one adding an unknown tidbit. These are human stories full of drama and switchbacks, failures of will, and the crack up of long-planned stratagems.

  • Auteur:
    Marland, Alex
    Sommaire:

    Canadians often see politicians as trained seals who vote on command and repeat robotic talking points. Politicians are torn by dilemmas of loyalty to party versus loyalty to voters. Whipped: Party Discipline in Canada examines the hidden ways that political parties exert control over elected members of legislatures. Drawing on extensive interviews with politicians and staffers across Canada, award-winning author Alex Marland explains why Members of Parliament toe the party line. This book exposes how democracy works in our age of instant communication and increasing polarization. Whipped is a must-read for anyone interested in the real world of Canadian politics.

  • Auteur:
    Sanders, Bernie
    Sommaire:

    Senator Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign was a beginning, not an end. In his new audiobook, America's most popular political figure speaks about what he's been doing to oppose the Trump agenda and strengthen the progressive movement and how we go forward as a nation. "Senator Sanders's gravelly voice and dramatic presentation are surely familiar to listeners. He reads with the same sincerity and earnestness he brought to audiences throughout his extraordinary primary campaign for president of the United States. A seasoned orator, he's particularly good at changing speed and intonation to emphasize the points he wants you to understand and absorb."-Publishers Weekly on Our Revolution

  • Auteur:
    Dokis, Carly A.
    Sommaire:

    Oil and gas companies now recognize that industrial projects in the Canadian North can only succeed if Aboriginal communities are involved in decision-making processes. Where the Rivers Meet is an ethnographic account of Sahtu Dene involvement in the environmental assessment of the Mackenzie Gas Project, a massive pipeline that, if completed, would have unprecedented effects on Aboriginal communities in the North. The book reveals that while there has been some progress in establishing avenues for Dene participation in decision making, the ultimate assessment of such projects remains rooted in non-local beliefs about the nature of the environment, the commodification of land, and the inevitability of a hydrocarbon-based economy.

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