The Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada (Studies in the Structure of Power: Decision-Making in Canada, 2) - Softcover

Porter, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0802060552 ISBN 13: 9780802060556

Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division, 1965

Synopsis

This book looks at two important aspects in Canadian society: its class structure and the composition of its elites or power holding groups. A recurring theme in the analysis of both class and elite groups is that Canada has found itself in the middle of the twentieth century with inadequate institutional arrangements for the industrial society it has become. Its educational systems have failed to provide the necessary skills which in large measure have been recruited through immigration. Its elites have been drawn largely from middle and upper class "British charter groups." The author further submits that the strong emphasis in the Canadian value system on regionalism and ethnic differentiation has resulted in the fragmentation of the society, particularly at the political level, and lef tit incapable of dealing with some of its major problems as an industrial society.

Although this is a sociological study in which evidence in related to social theory, the author has tried to avoid technical terms, and this, together with the particular relevance at the present time of a discussion of the nature of Canadian society, will make this book interesting to laymen as well as specialists.

About this title

About the Author

John Porter is Professor of Sociology and Director of the Social Sciences Division, Faculty of Arts, in Carleton University, Ottawa.

From the Inside Flap

'[This] admirable antidote to the formalistic obsession of Canadian academicians probes behind the mask of formal institutions to the source of power inherent in the structure of society. The result is an important and original work, packed with factual detail and striking formulations, which effectively destroys some of the pet notions of the political mythologists... The Vertical Mosaic is a milestone in Canadian intellectual history. Both academics and the general reading public have waited a long time for this study to appear. They have not been disappointed. In both richness of detail and rigour of analysis, it has few rivals.'

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division
• Publication date: 1965
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0802060552
• ISBN 13: 9780802060556
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 626