A National Awakening Robin Mathews & the Struggle for Canadian Identity

Discover the legacy of Robin Mathews, an influential rabble-rouser, provocateur, and patriot who challenged Canada's elites and inspired a distinct Canadian identity. In this collection of eight original essays, contributors such as Daniel Drache, Pat Smart, Duncan Cameron, and Susan Crean delve into Mathews' profound impact on Canadian politics and culture from the late 1960s to the early 1990s. Mathews passionately debated corporate takeovers, foreign control of trade unions, media ownership, and cultural sovereignty. His charismatic presence and relentless energy galvanized students, professors, politicians, and artists across the country. This collection captures his tireless efforts to promote cultural literacy and economic independence, contributing to the growth of Canadian studies, the Canadian trade union movement, and the Great Canadian Theatre Company. Explore Mathews' enduring influence through insightful essays that celebrate his contributions to Canada's national identity and cultural landscape.

JOYCE WAYNE, the editor of this collection, studied with Robin Mathews in the English Department at Carleton University during the 1970s. She went on to become the editor of Quill & Quire, Editorial Director of non-fiction at McClelland & Stewart Publishers and a professor of journalism at Sheridan College. Her novels, The Cook’ s Temptation and Last Night of the World were published by Mosaic Press. Recently, she has written a series of essays published in The Literary Review of Canada including “ All the Kremlin’ s Men,” which was chosen for Best Canadian Essays 2021.