Stephen Clarkson, (21 October 1937 – 28 February 2016) was one of Canada’s preeminent political scientists and a professor of
political economy
Political economy is the study of how economic systems (e.g. markets and national economies) and political systems (e.g. law, institutions, government) are linked. Widely studied phenomena within the discipline are systems such as labour ...
at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
.
Life and career
Clarkson's work focused mainly on two areas: the evolution of
North America as a continental state, reinstitutionalized by the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and two decades of
neoconservatism
Neoconservatism is a political movement that began in the United States during the 1960s among liberal hawks who became disenchanted with the increasingly pacifist foreign policy of the Democratic Party and with the growing New Left and ...
; and the impact of
globalization
Globalization, or globalisation (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), see spelling differences), is the process of foreign relation ...
and
trade liberalization
Free trade is a trade policy that does not restrict imports or exports. It can also be understood as the free market idea applied to international trade. In government, free trade is predominantly advocated by political parties that hold econ ...
on the Canadian state. His trilogy on these themes include ''Uncle Sam and Us: Globalization, Neoconservatism and the Canadian State'', published in 2002; ''Does North America Exist?'' (2008) and ''Dependent America? How Canada and Mexico Construct US Power'' (2011); as well as: ''Global Governance and the Semi-peripheral State: The
WTO
The World Trade Organization (WTO) is an intergovernmental organization that regulates and facilitates international trade. With effective cooperation
in the United Nations System, governments use the organization to establish, revise, and e ...
and NAFTA as Canada's External Constitution'' in ''Governing under Stress: Middle Powers and the Challenge of Globalization".
His latest projects looked at Interregionalism in the triangle
Europe
Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a subcontinent of Eurasia and it is located entirel ...
,
North America and
South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere at the northern tip of the continent. It can also be described as the sout ...
and at the Investor-State Dispute Arbitration.
Clarkson had taught and written on
Canadian foreign policy and
federal party politics. Following an unsuccessful campaign as
Liberal
Liberal or liberalism may refer to:
Politics
* a supporter of liberalism
** Liberalism by country
* an adherent of a Liberal Party
* Liberalism (international relations)
* Sexually liberal feminism
* Social liberalism
Arts, entertainment and m ...
candidate for the
mayoralty of Toronto in 1969, Clarkson was active in the Liberal Party for six years. After
Pierre Trudeau’s retirement from politics in 1984, Clarkson spent a decade co-authoring the book, ''Trudeau and Our Times'', with his wife
Christina McCall
Christina McCall (29 January 193527 April 2005) was a Canadian political writer.
Biography
Christina McCall was born on 29 January 1935 in Toronto, Ontario, to Orlie Alma (Freeman) and Christopher Warnock McCall. She studied English language an ...
, which won the
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual List of awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
Th ...
for non-fiction.
Clarkson's knowledge and experience in
Canadian politics
The politics of Canada function within a framework of parliamentary democracy and a federal system of parliamentary government with strong democratic traditions. Canada is a constitutional monarchy, in which the monarch is head of state. In pr ...
led to the commissioning of a history of
federal election campaigns in Canada from 1974 onward. These essays were the basis of his 2005 book, ''The Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics''. Clarkson was renowned for his teaching, receiving many teaching awards in his tenure at the University of Toronto. He was a great encourager of “the engaged” life, taking his students on extra-curricular field studies to
Washington, D.C.
)
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, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
,
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Madrid
Madrid ( , ) is the capital and most populous city of Spain. The city has almost 3.4 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 6.7 million. It is the Largest cities of the Europ ...
and
Lisbon, and urging them to resist the world around them if they felt so inclined. Clarkson was a frequent commentator of Canadian politics, in both English and French. A lover of languages, he was also proficient in Spanish, German, Russian and Italian.
Clarkson earned a B.A. from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
, an M.A. from
New College, Oxford, and a D. de Rech. from the
University of Paris
, image_name = Coat of arms of the University of Paris.svg
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of Arms
, latin_name = Universitas magistrorum et scholarium Parisiensis
, motto = ''Hic et ubique terrarum'' (Latin)
, mottoeng = Here and a ...
. He was a Senior Fellow at
Massey College
Massey College is a graduate residential college at the University of Toronto that was established, built and partially endowed in 1962 by the Massey Foundation and officially opened in 1963, though women were not admitted until 1974. It was mo ...
, a Senior Fellow at the
Centre for International Governance Innovation
The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI, pronounced "see-jee") is an independent, non-partisan think tank on global governance. CIGI supports research, forms networks, advances policy debate and generates ideas for multilateral ...
(CIGI) in
Waterloo, Ontario
Waterloo is a city in the Canadian province of Ontario. It is one of three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo (formerly Waterloo County). Waterloo is situated about west-southwest of Toronto. Due to the close proximity of the ci ...
and, in 2004, was elected as a fellow of the
Royal Society of Canada.
In 2010, he was appointed a Member of the
Order of Canada
The Order of Canada (french: Ordre du Canada; abbreviated as OC) is a Canadian state order and the second-highest honour for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit.
To coincide with the cen ...
.
In 2013 Clarkson was adjudged th
Konrad Adenauer Research Awardof the
Alexander von Humboldt Foundation
The Alexander von Humboldt Foundation (german: Alexander von Humboldt-Stiftung) is a foundation established by the government of the Federal Republic of Germany and funded by the Federal Foreign Office, the Federal Ministry of Education and Rese ...
, in connection with his academic work at the
Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin
The Institute for Advanced Study in Berlin (german: Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin) is an interdisciplinary institute founded in 1981 in Grunewald, Berlin, Germany, dedicated to research projects in the natural and social sciences. It is modeled ...
.
The
tephen Clarkson Scholarship in Political Economy was established in his honor at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...
.
Clarkson's first wife was then broadcaster and future
Governor General of Canada
The governor general of Canada (french: gouverneure générale du Canada) is the federal viceregal representative of the . The is head of state of Canada and the 14 other Commonwealth realms, but resides in oldest and most populous realm, ...
Adrienne Clarkson
Adrienne Louise Clarkson (; ; born February 10, 1939) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian journalist who served from 1999 to 2005 as Governor General of Canada, the 26th since Canadian Confederation.
Clarkson arrived in Canada with her family in 19 ...
. His second wife was the late political writer
Christina McCall
Christina McCall (29 January 193527 April 2005) was a Canadian political writer.
Biography
Christina McCall was born on 29 January 1935 in Toronto, Ontario, to Orlie Alma (Freeman) and Christopher Warnock McCall. She studied English language an ...
.
Clarkson died in Germany of
pneumonia
Pneumonia is an inflammatory condition of the lung primarily affecting the small air sacs known as alveoli. Symptoms typically include some combination of productive or dry cough, chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. The severi ...
which had developed into
sepsis
Sepsis, formerly known as septicemia (septicaemia in British English) or blood poisoning, is a life-threatening condition that arises when the body's response to infection causes injury to its own tissues and organs. This initial stage is follo ...
, while on a research trip with his students.
He is survived by wife Nora Born, whom he married in 2014.
Bibliography
* 1970 ''L'analyse soviétique des problèmes indiens du sous-développement, 1955-1964''
* 1972 ''City lib: parties and reform''
* 1978 ''The Soviet theory of development: India and the Third World in Marxist-Leninist scholarship''
* 1982 ''Canada and the Reagan challenge: crisis in the Canadian-American relationship''
* 1990 ''Trudeau and Our Times: Volume 1: The Magnificent Obsession'' (with Christina McCall)
* 1994 ''Trudeau and Our Times: Volume 2: The Heroic Delusion'' (with Christina McCall)
* 1998 ''Fearful asymmetries: the challenge of analyzing continental systems in a globalizing world''
* 2000 ''"Apples and oranges": prospects for the comparative analysis of the EU and NAFTA as continental systems''
* 2001 ''After the catastrophe: Canada's position in North America''
* 2002 ''Lockstep in the continental ranks: redrawing the American perimeter after September 11th''
* 2002 ''Uncle Sam and Us: Globalization, Neoconservatism, and the Canadian State''
* 2005 ''Big Red Machine: How the Liberal Party Dominates Canadian Politics''
* 2008 ''Does North America Exist?: Governing the Continent after NAFTA and 9/11''
* 2010 ''A Perilous Imbalance: The Globalization of Canadian Law and Governance'' (with Stepan Wood)
* 2011 ''Dependent America? How Canada and Mexico Construct US Power'' (with Matto Mildenberger)
References
External links
Audio interview with THECOMMENTARY.CAStephen Clarkson: Author, teacher was a giant of Canadian political scienceObituary by Gloria Galloway, Globe and Mail Mar. 04, 2016
Remembering Stephen ClarksonRemembering Stephen ClarksonCanadians remember scholar Stephen ClarksonIn Memoriam - Stephen Clarkson
{{DEFAULTSORT:Clarkson, Stephen
1937 births
2016 deaths
Alumni of New College, Oxford
Canadian political scientists
Canadian Rhodes Scholars
Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction writers
Members of the Order of Canada
Trinity College (Canada) alumni
University of Toronto alumni
University of Paris alumni
Upper Canada College alumni
Academic staff of the University of Toronto
Ontario municipal politicians
British emigrants to Canada
Canadian expatriates in France