William Edward Christian (born 1945 in

Queen Charlotte Islands Haida Gwaii (; hai, X̱aaydag̱a Gwaay.yaay / , literally "Islands of the Haida people") is an archipelago located between off the northern Pacific coast of Canada. The islands are separated from the mainland to the east by the shallow Heca ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

) was a political scientist at the

University of Guelph , mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities" , established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922) , type = Public university , chancellor ...

. He retired in 2008. Educated at the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...

(BA, MA) and the

London School of Economics , mottoeng = To understand the causes of things , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £240.8 million (2021) , budget = £391.1 millio ...

(PhD), he is best known academically for his research and teaching in Canadian political thought. Beginning in 1970, he taught at

Mount Allison University Mount Allison University (also Mount A or MtA) is a Canadian primarily undergraduate liberal arts university located in Sackville, New Brunswick, founded in 1839. Like other liberal arts colleges in North America, Mount Allison does not parti ...

. He joined the faculty at Guelph in 1978. His publications include biographies of George Grant and Sir George Parkin, George Grant's grandfather, as well as topics ranging from the political and economic history of Canada (i.e. ''The Idea File of Harold Adams Innis''), to a concern for the philosophical roots of the Western tradition (i.e. "Waiting for Grace: Philosophy and Politics in

Plato's Republic The ''Republic'' ( grc-gre, Πολῑτείᾱ, Politeia; ) is a Socratic dialogue, authored by Plato around 375 BCE, concerning justice (), the order and character of the just city-state, and the just man. It is Plato's best-known work, and ...

"). In 1974, along with

Colin Campbell Colin may refer to: * Colin (given name) * Colin (surname) * ''Colin'' (film), a 2008 Cannes film festival zombie movie * Colin (horse) (1905–1932), thoroughbred racehorse * Colin (humpback whale), a humpback whale calf abandoned north of Sydney, ...

, he published the first edition of ''Political Parties and Ideologies in Canada''. The scholarship was an original and valuable contribution, since it emphasized the

ideological An ideology is a set of beliefs or philosophies attributed to a person or group of persons, especially those held for reasons that are not purely epistemic, in which "practical elements are as prominent as theoretical ones." Formerly applied prim ...

roots shaping Canada and its political parties, as opposed to a social science analysis of power relationships. The textbook distinguished the philosophical foundations of each political party by tracing its comparative tradition, policies, and leaders. In 2006, he and Campbell 'Canadianized' a leading American textbook on ideologies. Besides his academic concerns, he has contributed frequently to the Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, the Guelph Mercury and the Waterloo Region Record.

List of works

*''Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal''. (3rd Canadian edition) with Terence Ball and Richard Dagger. Toronto: Pearson, 2013. *''Parkin: Canada's Most Famous Forgotten Man''. Toronto: Blue Butterfly Books, 2008. *"Was George Grant a Red Tory?" ''Athens and Jerusalem: George Grant's Theology, Philosophy, and Politics.'' Angus, Ian, Ronald Dart and Randy Peg Peters (editors). University of Toronto Press, (2006) * ''George Grant: A Biography'' . Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1993 *"Waiting for Grace: Philosophy and Politics in Plato's Republic", ''Canadian Journal of Political Science'', (March 1988). *''Political parties and ideologies in Canada : liberals, conservatives, socialists, nationalists''. 3rd edition Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1990. *"Parties, Leaders, and Ideologies in Canada." Toronto : McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 1996 *''The Idea File of Harold Adams Innis'' introduced and edited by William Christian. Toronto : University of Toronto Press, 1980 *''Innis on Russia : the Russia diary and other writings''edited with a preface by William Christian. -- Toronto : Harold Innis Foundation, 1981.

References

Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal. 3rd edition (2012)

External links

*Christian's blo

*Christian's biography of Sir George Parki
William Edward Christian archival papers
held at th
University of Toronto Archives and Records Management Services
{{DEFAULTSORT:Christian, William 1945 births Living people Canadian Anglicans Canadian political scientists Alumni of the London School of Economics University of Toronto alumni Canadian political philosophers Canadian philosophers