• Christine Dallaire - Introduction




• Courtney W. Mason - The Glengarry Highland Games, 1948-2003: Problematizing the Role of Tourism, Scottish Cultural Institutions, and the Cultivation of Nostalgia in the Construction of Identities




Abstract:

In the midst of dynamic socio-economic and cultural conditions, the Glengarry Highland Games were revived in a rural community of Eastern Ontario in 1948. Throughout the second half of the 20th century, this festival became the lifeblood of a movement perpetuating Scottish Highland cultural practices and (re)producing “Scottishness” as the dominant cultural currency in an ethnically diverse county. Using primary evidence in the forms of oral histories, newspapers, and archives, this paper examines how the expansion of spaces and opportunities to celebrate Scottish cultural practices has influenced the social construction of regional and cultural identities in Glengarry County from 1948 to the 21st century.
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• Heather Mair - Curling in Canada: From Gathering Place to International Spectacle




Abstract:

Curling is a central part of winter life for many Canadians and our curlers dominate the world stage. Yet the topic remains dramatically under-studied. Building on the limited writing in this area and presenting research undertaken in curling clubs across western Canada, the author seeks to help fill this gap by exploring the changing role of curling in the construction of social identities at the local community and national level. It is argued that while curling plays an undeniable, if muted, role in the construction of Canada’s image, this identity is being increasingly subjected to a number of internal and external pressures that have the potential to lead to great change.
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• Russell Field - Manufacturing Memories and Directing Dreams: Commemoration, Community, and the Closing of Maple Leaf Gardens




Abstract:

In February 1999, the Toronto Maple Leafs moved from Maple Leaf Gardens (MLG) to a modern new arena, Air Canada Centre (ACC), events that were telecast live in conjunction with “Hockey Night in Canada.” These were produced shows intended to highlight certain narratives, communicate certain messages, and select for viewing certain elements. An analysis of them reveals important meanings in the confluence of sport, place, and representation, as well as iconographic messages about Canadian identity. In commemorating one arena and inaugurating another, these telecasts operationalized a “discourse of tradition,” which produced subjects who shared the preferred memories of MLG that were being celebrated and transferred to ACC.
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• Janice Forsyth - The Indian Act and the (Re)Shaping of Canadian Aboriginal Sport Practices




Abstract:

This paper examines how the Indian Act shaped the types of sporting opportunities that were made available for Aboriginal people in the late 19th to the mid-20th centuries. The Indian Act was (and still is) a significant piece of legislation in terms of Aboriginal sport history in that it structured the possibilities for Aboriginal participation in sport in Canada and legitimized Euro-Canadian ways of playing as the most appropriate forms of play.
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• Dawn E. Trussell - Children’s Sport Participation in Canada: Is it a Level Playing Field?




Abstract:

In this article a study of children’s sport participation in Canada is presented, examining both children’s participation in organized sport (with a coach or instructor) and informal sport (without a coach or instructor). This was done using a national sample survey. The results indicate that, for participation in organized sport, household income was the strongest predictor variable, followed by parent’s education, gender, regional differences, and age of the child. In informal sport, gender was the strongest predictor variable, followed by regional differences, household income, age of the child, and parent’s education. The findings are discussed in terms of the implications these factors may have on the development and reproduction of social division between children who are able to access sporting activities and those who cannot.
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• P. David Howe - Integration of Paralympic Athletes into Athletics Canada




Abstract:

This paper explores the integration of Paralympic athletes into Athletics Canada. Highlighting the charitable foundation of sport for the disabled as well as the issue of classification, this paper offers insight into the habitus of Paralympic athletics as a key factor influencing this integration process. Integration is conceptualized on a continuum of compliance where true integration is the goal and segregation is frowned upon. Using ethnographic data collected in participant observation roles as an athlete, administrator, and journalist, the paper illuminates the success of the Paralympics in capturing the imagination of the Canadian public. At the same time, the process of integration within Athletics Canada has been less than successful because the achievement of athletes with disabilities is not as valued, by those who administer the sport, as those of their “able” counterparts. To this end the integration process within Athletic Canada appears to be stuck at the uncomfortable point of accommodation, which means that a truly integrated sport system is still a goal to be achieved.
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• Judy Davidson - Homophobia, Fundamentalism, and Canadian Tolerance: Enabling Gay Games III in Vancouver




Abstract:

Gay Games III were held in Vancouver in August 1990. This paper analyzes the effects of three different moments of homophobic backlash faced by organizers of that event. While quiet institutional homophobia might have been tolerated, public representations of blatant homophobia could be mobilized by the organizers of Gay Games III to their advantage. The effects of a hateful campaign paradoxically functioned as an interesting condition of possibility for Gay Games’ credibility. I then suggest that the limitations of these liberal strategies were shown up by the fractures within local lesbian and gay communities, demonstrating the weaknesses of accepting tolerance as a limit to the possible.
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• William Bridel - Considering Gender in Canadian Sport and Physical Activity




• Jack Jedwabv - Giving Hockey’s Past a Future: When Identity Meets Demography in Canadian Sports




• Trevor W. Harrison - Anti-Canadianism: Explaining the Deep Roots of a Shallow Phenomenon




Abstract:

Anti-Americanism is often said to be a central element of Canadian identity. Recently, however, its counterpart – anti-Canadianism – emerged in the United States. This article examines these expressions of anti-Canadianism, situating the phenomenon within the two countries’ historical, ideological-discursive, and political relationships. The paper suggests anti-Canadianism in the United States stems from a mix of anti-French sentiment, a refusal to accept the distinctiveness of English-speaking Canada, and a growing divergence of value orientations between the two countries. The paper argues further that anti-Canadianism must be viewed (like its counterpart) according to its political uses on both sides of the border.
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