Lana Wylie - Böcker

Penned during the transition of power from Fidel Castro to Raúl Castro, Our Place in the Sun explores the Canadian-Cuban relationship from 1959 to the present day. The essays in this volume reflect upon the past but also explore the internal issues and external forces that will continue to influence the Canada-Cuba association in the years to come.Many of this volume's contributors draw upon newly declassified sources and original interviews, providing unique insight into the historical, economic, and political realities affecting the Canada-Cuba connection. Featuring twelve original essays by a variety of scholars as well as a short memoir by former Canadian Ambassador to Cuba, Mark Entwistle, this important interdisciplinary collection calls into question past understandings of the Canadian-Cuban relationship. It is a must-read for anyone interested in Canadian and Cuban history of the last half-century, and the dynamics of North American politics more broadly.

In 1976, with the US trade embargo against Cuba underway, Canada's Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau visited the island nation, befriended his counterpart, and exclaimed publicly "Long live Prime Minister Fidel Castro!" During the past half-century of communist rule in Cuba, Canada's policy of engagement with the country has contrasted sharply with the United States' policy of isolation. Based on a series of interviews conducted in Havana, Washington, and Ottawa, Perceptions of Cuba moves beyond traditional economic and political analyses to show that national identities distinct to each country contributed to the formation of their dissimilar foreign policies.Lana Wylie argues that Canadians and Americans perceive Cuba through different lenses rooted in their respective identities: American exceptionalism made Cuba the polar opposite of the United States, while Canada's self-image as a good international citizen and as 'not American' has allowed the country to engage with the Cuban government. By acknowledging that competing national identities, perceptions, and ideas play a major role in foreign policies, Perceptions of Cuba makes a significant contribution to our understanding of international relations.

Other Diplomacies, Other Ties explores Cuba-Canada relations following the revolution of 1959 and the major geopolitical and economic transformations that have occurred in recent years. Through the conceptual lens of "other diplomacies," which emphasizes interactions among non-state actors, the contributors challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the actions of diplomats, politicians, journalists, spies, and émigrés. Featuring both Cuban and Canadian contributors, the volume offers a diverse range of research methodologies including ethnography, archival work, and policy analysis to encourage critical examination about the problems, possibilities, and promise of the longstanding relationship between Canada and Cuba. All decades of the post-1959 relationship – from the dramatic early years during which the diplomatic and political relationship was negotiated through to contemporary education exchanges and the gradual formation of Cuban-Canadian diasporas, are critically reappraised. Other Diplomacies, Other Ties is a nuanced and unique volume that crucially gives voice to Cuban scholars' perspectives on the Canada-Cuba relationship.

Other Diplomacies, Other Ties explores Cuba-Canada relations following the revolution of 1959 and the major geopolitical and economic transformations that have occurred in recent years. Through the conceptual lens of "other diplomacies," which emphasizes interactions among non-state actors, the contributors challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the actions of diplomats, politicians, journalists, spies, and émigrés. Featuring both Cuban and Canadian contributors, the volume offers a diverse range of research methodologies including ethnography, archival work, and policy analysis to encourage critical examination about the problems, possibilities, and promise of the longstanding relationship between Canada and Cuba. All decades of the post-1959 relationship – from the dramatic early years during which the diplomatic and political relationship was negotiated through to contemporary education exchanges and the gradual formation of Cuban-Canadian diasporas, are critically reappraised. Other Diplomacies, Other Ties is a nuanced and unique volume that crucially gives voice to Cuban scholars' perspectives on the Canada-Cuba relationship.

Other Diplomacies and Canada: Representations and Connections Beyond the State offers a comprehensive exploration of the diverse diplomatic roles played by Canadian-linked non-state actors. Moving beyond traditional, state-centric views of diplomacy, this book presents rich case studies spanning language activism, climate change, tourism, childhood, migration and diaspora, humanitarian work, international development volunteering, Indigenous diplomacy, and solidarity activism.By examining these varied forms of “other diplomacies,” the book seeks to expand our understanding of diplomacy as a practice embedded in social relations and spaces far beyond official state channels. Chapters on Indigenous diplomacy, the diplomacies of childhood, and anthropocentric approaches challenge conventional, political, and ethical assumptions in mainstream and critical diplomatic studies. Through detailed analysis, this volume reveals when, how, and why non-state actors connected to Canada engage in diplomatic practices, and explores the power dynamics shaped by class, gender, ethnicity, race, nation, and age within these encounters. It demonstrates that non-state actors are not only diplomatic agents in their own right but can also serve as collaborators or instruments of the state in official diplomacy.Essential reading for scholars of international relations, Canadian foreign policy, critical diplomatic studies, and transnationalism, this book sheds light on the complex, contested, and often overlooked forms of diplomacy that shape Canada’s global presence today.