Community Besieged: The Anglophone Minority and the Politics of Quebec by Garth Stevenson (review)

humanities 399 through many papers. The potential for violence within the family and the way this was explained comes into focus in the articles by Angus McLaren and Annalee Golz. Robin Brownlie, Franca Iacovetta, and James W. St. G. Walker examine how race and ethnicity intersected with dominant ideals of masculinity and femininity. The religious focus of the essays by Lynne Marks and Bettina Bradbury adds yet another dimension to understanding individuals, as do the corporal and psychic concerns of Wendy Mitchison's, and Lykke de la Cour and Geoffery Reaume's work on pain and patient's perspectives. The essays in this collection reflect the field of social history in Canada at the turn of the century. Like most social history being produced today, the impact on it of feminism is significant. Moreover, the essays in the volume are predominantly urban, rooted in the twentieth century, overshadowed by work on Ontario, and preoccupied with marginalized populations . The focus is generally on the specific case study rather than offering some grand narrative or interpretation. The typicality of this collection may be its greatest historiographical contribution. On the Case is a useful source for readers wanting to keep abreast of current trends. Unfortunately, it is necessary to note the irony that, as social historians have turned to case records as a fruitful source for historical inquiry, cost cutting, the introduction of archival retention policies, and privacy legislation mean that the same records which have created such an important collection are being destroyed or are in grave danger of the shredder. (SUZANNE MORTON) Garth Stevenson. Community Besieged: The Anglophone Minority and the Politics of Quebec McGillBQueen's University Press. x, 364. $34.95 This book is based on meticulous research; it is written in clear and concise English, and, when it deals with theoretical issues, is free of jargon. In all these respects it is typical of Garth Stevenson's writings on Canadian politics. This is a work for specialists in Canadian politics and history, and immediately earns the status of required reading for them. It is likely to have less appeal for non-specialists in the field, or for the general reader. It is narrowly focused on the political activity, through regular channels, of the English-speaking minority in Quebec since Confederation. The bulk of the book deals with the last thirty years, when language issues came to dominate all others for this minority. The absence of a more general discussion of the social and political context means that the book's readership is likely to be limited. This is regrettable, since books of this 400 letters in canada 1999 quality on Canadian politics are in relatively short supply. The reader who comes to the book with a knowledge of the social structure of Quebec, an understanding of the life of the immigrant groups, and of French-Canadian attitudes to the minorities will appreciate the detailed analysis. While the book touches on all these matters, I doubt if the coverage is substantial enough clearly to establish the context for the descriptive material, or for the appraisal of the analysis by non-specialists. A serious weakness is the paucity of tables and the complete absence of maps. Without these, it is difficult to follow the detailed discussions of demographic change and the evolution of electoral boundaries. Even having maps of Quebec and Montreal open in front of you as you read is not a great help. Electoral boundaries often do not correspond to other political boundaries. The discussion of election results is often detailed, but the failure to present comprehensive basic data in table form makes it hard to follow. I have avoided using the word `community' above, because I have doubts about its utility in this context. Despite its prominence in the title, the author clearly shares some of my concerns. As he points out at several stages in the book, the English-speaking minority is fragmented in a variety of ways. Often he appears to suggest that what we are discussing is a number of communities, combining in a limited way to fight specific battles. Among the English-speaking minority, the sense of common interest and concern leading to a...