The Empire Within
Postcolonial Thought and Political Activism in Sixties Montreal
A compelling study of the global dimensions and local particularities of political activism in Sixties Montreal.
La description
In a brilliant history of a turbulent time and place, Mills pulls back the curtain on the decade’s activists and intellectuals, showing their engagement both with each other and with people from around the world. He demonstrates how activists of different backgrounds and with different political aims drew on ideas of decolonization to rethink the meanings attached to the politics of sex, race, and class and to imagine themselves as part of a broad transnational movement of anti-colonial and anti-imperialist resistance. The temporary unity forged around ideas of decolonization came undone in the 1970s, however, as many were forced to come to terms with the contradictions and ambiguities of applying ideas of decolonization in Quebec. From linguistic debates to labour unions, and from the political activities of citizens in the city’s poorest neighbourhoods to its Caribbean intellectuals, The Empire Within is a political tour of Montreal that reconsiders the meaning and legacy of the city’s dissident traditions. It is also a fascinating chapter in the history of postcolonial thought.
Reviews
“It seems that I have been waiting for this book my entire adult life - there is nothing like it. The Empire Within is a remarkable study that explodes our old understanding of 1960s Quebec and Canadian history. By revealing the extent to which global decolonization theory informed radical Montreal activists of the time, Sean Mills takes us beyond the scene's usual Anglophone-Francophone divide. This book is a refreshing change and will prove to be a compelling read for all. Activists, take note!” Steven High, Canada Research Chair in Public History, Concordia University
“... a considerable achievement. [The Empire Within] is a book that all involved and interested in the Left will want to read seriously and think rigorously about, precisely because it resonates so well with the issues of current times.” Canadian Dimension
“Mills writes engagingly, and he sees past the English-French divisions that too often overshadow Montreal's vibrant diversity.” Bookforum
“...cet ouvrage... il contribue a une meilleure comprehension des debats politiques et sociaux actuels qui sont domines par les questions des droits linguistiques et de l'integration des nouveaux immigrants dans la societe quebecoise... La question de l'heritage des mouvements des annees 1960s doit etre approfondie et debattue, et l'ouvrage de M. Mills nous offre un point de depart des plus pertinents pour le faire.” Éric Shragge, Université Concordia
“In this path-breaking book, Montreal assumes its rightful place as a central site of North American radicalism during the long Sixties. It is essential reading for US historians seeking to break free from the shell of 'national' history and posit New Leftism as an Atlantic and hemispheric phenomenon.” Van Gosse, professor of history, Franklin & Marshall College, and the author of Rethinking the New Left: An Interpretative History
“For moving beyond an exceptional Quebec in this transnational approach, rising above a historiography focused on the radicals behind the October Crisis, and providing an excellent readable history of a fascinating period of Quebec, Mills' work is a necessary addition to the literature of the period.” Dustbin Epitaph
“...makes an immense contribution to an emerging subfield in Canadian and Québécois historiography” Socialist Studies
“The Empire Within should be required reading for anyone who wants to understand Montreal and Quebec society.” Montreal Review of Books
“Mills' book meets the expectations of those who participated in the movements of 1960s and 70s; it could well be a companion to Jean-Phillipe Warren's Ils voulaient changer le monde. Le militantisme Marxiste-Léniniste au Québec.” William Dere and Daya Varma, rabble.ca
“Il s'agit d'un livre à mettre entre toutes les mains, fussent-elles celles d'étudiants, de professeurs ou de lecteurs anglophones curieux de notre histoire.” Magali Deleuze, Collège militaire royal du Canada
“The Empire Within is a fascinating glimpse into a decade of political upheaval whose effects are still being felt today.” Journal of Postcolonial Theory and Theology