Skip to main content

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Before and After the State

Politics, Poetics, and People(s) in the Pacific Northwest

Distributed for University of British Columbia Press

Before and After the State

Politics, Poetics, and People(s) in the Pacific Northwest

The creation of the Canada–US border in the Pacific Northwest is often presented as a tale of two nations, but beyond the macro-political dynamics is the experience of individuals. Before and After the State examines the imposition of a border across a region that already held a vibrant, highly complex society and dynamic trading networks. Allan McDougall, Lisa Philips, and Daniel Boxberger explore fundamental questions of state formation, social transformation, and the (re)construction of identity to expose how the devices and myths of nation building affect people’s lives.

332 pages | © 2018


Table of Contents

Introduction: Hegemonic Transformation and the Imposition of the State in the Pacific Northwest / Lisa Philips and Allan K. McDougall

Part 1: Superimposing a Statist Structure: Setting the Stage

1 Setting the Political Stage in the Pacific Northwest / Allan K. McDougall

2 Identities on the Fringe / Daniel L. Boxberger

3 Eastern Games, Western Lives, 1793–1846 / Allan K. McDougall

4 Superimposing the Statist System / Allan K. McDougall

5 On a Mission: Translocality and Hegemonic Transformation in Nineteenth-Century Oregon / Allan K. McDougall

6 The Impact of Hegemonic Change on Blended Communities / Daniel L. Boxberger

Part 2: Hegemonic Transformation: Roles, Players, and Improvisations

7 Creating a Script: Hegemonic Transformation, Identity, and Translocality / Allan K. McDougall

8 Defining Roles and Constructing the Cast / Lisa Philips

9 Early Improvisations: Ranald MacDonald / Lisa Philips

10 Written out of the Script: Three Generations of McKays / Lisa Philips

11 Later Revisions: (Re)constructing the Cast of US and Canadian Pioneers / Lisa Philips

Conclusion: Epic Scripts / Lisa Philips and Allan K. McDougall

Notes; Index

Be the first to know

Get the latest updates on new releases, special offers, and media highlights when you subscribe to our email lists!

Sign up here for updates about the Press