Contradictory Impulses: Canada and Japan in the Twentieth Century

Patricia E. Roy is the winner of the 2013 LifetimeAchievement Award, Canadian Historical Association.

Canada’s early participation in the Asia-Pacific region washindered by contradictory impulses shaping its approach.For over half a century, racist restrictions curtailed immigration fromJapan, even as Canadians manoeuvred for access to the fabled wealth ofthe Orient. Canada’s relations with Japan have changed profoundlysince then. In Contradictory Impulses, leading scholars drawupon the most recent archival research to examine an importantbilateral relationship that has matured in fits and starts over thepast century. As they makes clear, the two countries’ political,economic, and diplomatic interests are now more closely aligned thanever before and wrapped up in a web of reinforcing cultural and socialties.

Contradictory Impulses is a comprehensive study of thesocial, political, and economic interactions between Canada and Japanfrom the late nineteenth century until today.