The Elections of 2000: Politics, Culture, and Economics in North America

Preface

Preface THE ESSAYS IN THIS COLLECTION are the product of a conversation among scholars, spanning national borders and disciplinary boundaries, about the increasing integration of Canada, Mexico, and the United States and the development of a “continental perspective.” This conversation has been underway for some time, reflecting the causes, challenges, and consequences of economic, cultural, and political integration in North America. The conjunction of national elections in all three of the great North American democracies in 2000 offered us the opportunity to deepen this conversation and engage in scholarly discourse from a “continental perspective.” A teleconference entitled “The Political, Economic, and Cultural Impacts of the Recent Elections in Canada, Mexico, and the United States: Perspectives from Three Nations,” held April 12, 2002, embodied this new approach. The event was coordinated at the University of Akron, in the United States, with teleconference links to University of Windsor, Canada, and Universidad de las Americas-Puebla, Mexico. The video transcript of this unusual conference is available on CD-ROM from the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron. Earlier drafts of some of the chapters in this collection were delivered at the teleconference, but other materials appear only in the transcript or in this book. Thus, these two sources are separate and complementary products of our conversation. xi This project was co-sponsored by the Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics at the University of Akron and the Ohio Canadian Studies Roundtable, a joint project of the Canadian Studies Programs at the University of Akron and Bowling Green State University, Ohio. At the University of Akron, Kim Haverkamp, Tom Kemp, and Michelle Daley made important contributions. The Ohio Canadian Studies Roundtable provided invaluable assistance with the able efforts of Sonia Dial. We also owe a special thanks to our colleagues at the University of Windsor, Stephen Brooks, and at the Universidad de las Americas–Puebla, José Garcia Aguilar. The project was partially funded with grants awarded by the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade of the Government of Canada. Special thanks go to M. Jean Labrie, Head of the Canadian Studies International Academic Relations Division, Ottawa; Dr. Daniel Abele, Academic Relations Officer, Canadian Embassy, Washington, D.C.; and Mr. Dennis Moore, Public Affairs Officer, Consulate General of Canada, Detroit, Michigan. Janet Bolois of the Bliss Institute and Waubgeshig Rice, a Canadian intern, who came to the University of Akron through the auspices of the International Council of Canadian Studies, deserve recognition for their work on the manuscript, and we are deeply appreciative of the efforts of Michael J. Carley and his colleagues at the University of Akron Press. We were privileged to participate in this conversation, and we hope our modest efforts will encourage its extension and deepening in the future. Mary K. Kirtz Mark J. Kasoff Rick Farmer John C. Green P R E F A C E xii ...