Adam Chapnick's Newsletter - December 2020
Thanks for subscribing to this newsletter. Here is what I have been up to over the last few months:
In the Media
I spoke with reporters from the Hill Times and Canadian Military Family Magazine about my book on Canada and the UN Security Council. I also spoke to the Hill Times about a speech by Canadian Ambassador Bob Rae at the United Nations.
Publications
An excerpt from my latest book was published on the Samara Canada website. An article that I wrote a number of years ago was republished as “St-Laurent’s Gray Lecture and Canadian Citizenship in History,” in Patrice Dutil’s much-needed and long-awaited The Unexpected Louis St-Laurent: Politics and Policies for a Modern Canada. I was delighted to be able to write an review essay for the Literary Review of Canada that they called: “Service Records: Changing the Ways We Remember.” The review was about Tim Cook's latest book, The Fight for History. Finally, I contributed a chapter, “Historical Reflections on Canadian Foreign Policy as an Academic Experience,” in a new book by two terrific academics, Brian Bow and my colleague, Andrea Lane, called Canadian Foreign Policy: Reflections on a Field in Transition. If you're any sort of Canadian foreign policy nerd, their book is worth checking out. My chapter is about the awkward divide between historians and political scientists who study Canada's place in the world. We don't talk to one another nearly enough.
Blog
I blogged about the toppling of a statue of Sir John A. Macdonald in Montreal, potential links between bilingualism and national unity, why trying to lead the world on pandemic preparedness was no longer in Canada's best interest, the province of Ontario's disappointing messaging when it closed strips clubs, Canada-China relations, Canada's family unification policy for parents and grandparents, Jagmeet Singh's reponse to the US election, and why following the polls in Canadian foreign policy is rarely a good idea.
Public Speaking
I offered “Some Reflections on Peace and the National Interest” at a special panel hosted by York University (via Zoom) on the United Nations’ International Day of Peace. I spoke to the Probus Club of North York about Canadian foreign policy, and I discussed “Canada, Israel, and the United Nations” as part of the Beth Tzedec Notable Speakers series.
Upcoming Talks
Next month, I will be speaking (virtually) to a local Jewish book group about Canadian foreign policy towards Israel in the aftermath of the US election. In February, I'm scheduled to speak to the Maple Leaf Women's Probus Club about Canada-US relations.
On my reading list
I ordered James M. Lang's Distracted: Why Students Can't Focus and What You Can Do About It when it came out a few months ago and plan to finally set aside some time to read it before classes at the Canadian Forces College resume in January. For the academic nerds, I also just ordered Michael Chibnik's Scholarship, Money, and Prose. Chibnik was the editor of a prestigious academic journal for a number of years, and his book is an inside view of that experience. Thanks to [Alex Usher] and his blog for the recommendation (https://higheredstrategy.com/about/)I ordered James M. Lang's Distracted: Why Students Can't focus and What You Can Do About It when it came out a few months ago and plan to finally set aside some time to read it before classes at the Canadian Forces College resume in January. For the academic nerds, I also just ordered Michael Chibnik's Scholarship, Money, and Prose. Chibnik was the editor of a prestigious academic journal for a number of years, and his book is an inside view of that experience. Thanks to Alex Usher's outstanding blog for the recommendation.
Finally, a shout out to one of my newest colleagues, Professor Rebecca Jensen, who successfully defended her PhD dissertation. In the midst of these distressing times, it's nice to be able to pass along some great news.