The New North American Studies Reader: Culture, Writing, and the Politics of Re/Cognition (review)

This book is an important contribution to the field of multicultural studies in North America. Siemerling tackles a range of theories and theorists relevant to multiculturalism not just in the United States, but also in Canada. He makes the case for a North American study of multiculturalism. The author presents a useful and authoritative survey of the major theorists who have had an impact on the development of North American cultural studies and the creation of a North American identity, theorists like Charles Taylor, the place of aboriginal and First Nations in the multicultural fabric of Canada, as well as issues like double consciousness (Du Bois) and the African American tradition and perspective.

This book can be a useful addition to any graduate level class in multiculturalism whether in a literature program or in other disciplines such as communication studies (intercultural and cross cultural communication), as well as sociology and related social sciences.

The range of theorists surveyed would be of interest to specialists in the field of post-colonial and other literary studies, but it also has a broad appeal to others looking at cultural and multicultural studies from a variety of disciplines.

In the introduction, the author places the book in an interdisciplinary comparative and transnational framework. Siemerling makes the case for an inclusive look at the whole of North America. He talks about the New World, tracing the history and trajectory of the discovery and development of North America; in addition, he also lays the basis for an approach that cuts across postcolonial studies, comparative literature, and embraces various traditions in North American studies, such as oral traditions.

Chapter 2 focuses on cultural theorists Sacvan Bercovitch, E. D. Blodgett, and Pierre Nepveu. It also argues for a comparison among the United States, French Canada (and Quebecois culture), and Anglophone Canada. The different tensions and problems and opportunities created by these varied cultural regions within Canada and the United States are brought into focus very clearly.

In chapter 3, Siemerling examines both Hegel and Du Bois, in particular Du Bois' concept of double consciousness, and the importance of this discussion to the concepts of alterity and the study of identity are explored. Concepts central to any discussion of identity and multiculturalism, such as assimilation, and recognition, are very expertly examined in relation to the ideas of Hegel and Du Bois. This would be of interest to readers engaged in a study of identity and identity construction especially in the North American context.

Chapter 4 examines the contribution of African American works in the context of North American cultural studies, in particular Henry Louis Gates and Houston Baker. The discussion of identity, double consciousness, and race and Blackness are framed and explained in this tradition, while also acknowledging the importance of oral traditions.

In chapter 5, orality is examined in the context of Native American and First Nations traditions. This chapter is useful in examining the relevance of a very important facet of North American culture, namely native traditions and native cultural artifacts. In particular, two Native American cultural writers, Thomas King and Gerald Vizenor, are examined, also with reference to the concepts of double consciousness and identity.

Chapter 6 concludes the book with an examination of the concept of multiculturalism, putting it all in the context of North America as a whole. I think this chapter is the most engaging and compelling, and it will appeal to all scholars and persons engaged in a discussion of multiculturalism, as well as students and anyone interested in this area. It captures the subtleties and nuances of the relationship between French and English Canada, as well as tieing them in with ideas about multiculturalism, as well as transculturalism and plurality. Drawing from Fanon, Appiah, Sartre, and Charles Taylor and putting ideas from all these theorists together in a framework that makes sense and poses interesting and meaningful questions about bilingualism and...