Unmasking Cultural Protectionism: An Analysis of the Relationship Between the Nation State and Culture in Contemporary Canada Heather C. Murchison London School of Economics and Political Science Department of Government PhD 2008 UMI Number: U506502 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. Dissertation Publishing UMI U506502 Published by ProQuest LLC 2014. Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 |I4-55<c?& The work presented in this thesis is my own. (a) The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. Quotation from it is permitted, provided that full acknowledgement is made. This thesis may not be reproduced without prior written consent of the author. (b) I warrant that this authorisation does not, to the best of my belief, infringe the rights of any third party. (c) I understand that in the event of my thesis not being approved by the examiners, this declaration will become void. Signed: Heather C. Murchison Heather C Murchison 2 London School of Economics Department of Government Abstract: Previous studies of contemporary cultural policy have focused primarily on the impact of foreign popular cultural goods on national cultures. While these studies evaluate the effectiveness of the policies, the motivations driving the original legislation are largely overlooked. This dissertation marks a departure from this approach by assessing contemporary Canadian cultural policy from a motivational perspective by questioning the factors driving protectionist cultural policy in an era of trade liberalization. In addition to qualitative and quantitative research, this analysis relies on documents received from the Canadian government through Access to Information Requests to provide an understanding of the influencing factors driving the development of protectionist cultural policy in Canada in response to the split- run magazine dispute of the 1990s. This thesis begins with an examination of the perceived role of popular culture in nation building and the presumed role of foreign culture in eroding national identity as the foundation of protectionist cultural policy in Canada. After establishing this foundation, three hypotheses regarding potential alternative motivations driving the development of contemporary protectionist cultural policy in Canada are tested through an in-depth examination of the split-run magazine dispute. The first hypothesis is that protectionist cultural policy in Canada is motivated by economic forces. The second hypothesis is that private interests of industry and political stakeholders drive protectionist cultural policy in Canada. The final hypothesis is that cultural protectionism in Canada serves a broader political agenda in a globalizing context. Analysis revealed that the legislation developed throughout the split-run dispute was not designed to meet the government’s stated objective of fostering a greater sense of national identity through the provision of Canadian content to Canadians. Likewise, while economics and a broader political agenda both appeared to factor into the policy development to some extent, neither can be determined as the primary motivator driving Canadian protectionist cultural policy. Instead, this dissertation reveals contemporary Canadian cultural policy is driven by political elites purporting to protect national identity while shaping legislation to promote stakeholder interests. In doing so, it substantiates allegations that Canadian cultural policy is shaped by elites promoting their own objectives. This dissertation provides the foundation for further analysis of the role and influence of stakeholders in cultural nationalism. Heather C Murchison 3 London School of Economics Department of Government Table of Contents Abbreviations......................................................................................................................................... 6 Chapter 1: Introduction .........................................................................................................................7 1.1 Methodology............................................................................................................................. 17 1.1.1 Qualitative Analysis......................................................................................................... 19 1.1.2 Quantitative Analysis......................................................................................................22 1.1.3 Presentation of Sources ................................................................................................. 23 1.2 Framework................................................................................................................................ 24 Chapter 2: The Theoretical Link Between Cultural Goods and Nation.......................................28 2.1 The Nation................................................................................................................................ 28 2.2 Culture in a Nationalist Context.............................................................................................30 2.2.1 The Role of Culture in National Unification................................................................. 31 2.2.2 The Role of Culture in National Legitimacy................................................................ 33 2.2.3 The Role of Culture in National Continuity.................................................................. 35 2.3 Folk Culture.............................................................................................................................. 37 2.4 Banal Nationalism................................................................................................................... 38 2.5 The Impact of Globalisation on Cultural Nationalism........................................................ 42 2.6 Is the Influence of Imported Popular Culture Overestimated? .........................................44 2.7 Summary.................................................................................................................................. 47 Chapter 3: Culture and National Identity in Canada......................................................................49 3.1 The Canadian Nation State................................................................................................... 49 3.2 The Role of Canadian Cultural Policy at the Federal Level............................................. 58 3.2.1 Projecting Canada to Canadians: Uniting a Fragmented Population.....................62 3.2.2 Resisting American Cultural Imperialism.....................................................................66 3.2.3 Projecting Canada to the World .................................................................................... 71 3.3 Periodical Policy as a tool of Nation Building in Canada...................................................74 3.3.1 The Role of Periodicals in Canada...............................................................................74 3.3.2 Periodical Policy in Canada: An Overview .................................................................. 76 3.4 Summary...................................................................................................................................79 Chapter 4: The Split-Run Magazine Dispute..................................................................................82 4.1 Overview of the Split-Run Magazine Debate......................................................................82 4.2 The Canadian Response........................................................................................................88 4.2.1 The Publications Assistance Program .........................................................................89 4.2.2 Bill C-55............................................................................................................................. 90 4.2.3 The Canadian Magazine Fund...................................................................................... 96 4.2.4 The International Network on Cultural Policy..............................................................98 4.3 The Role of Cultural Nationalism throughout the Split-Run Dispute.............................101 4.3.1 The Government’s Stance ...........................................................................................102 4.3.2 The Publishers & Other Periodical Representatives ................................................107 4.3.3 The SAGIT..................................................................................................................... 109 4.4 Summary.................................................................................................................................110 Chapter 5: Economic Protectionism as the Impetus of Protectionist Cultural Policy ............111 5.1 The Economics of the Split-Run Dispute .......................................................................... 111 5.2 Value of Canadian Culture Industries................................................................................120