Feminisms and nationalisms in English Canada

The author explores the changing relationships between women's movements an d majority-culture nationalisms in British and English Canada in four perio ds. Rejecting any essential relationship between "feminism" and "nationalis m," she argues that it is the context of a relationship that shapes its cha racter. Her analysis begins with the links between maternal feminists and B ritish-Canadian nationalisms. She then explores links between feminisms and Canadian nationalisms at three points since the 1960s, demonstrating that the relationships vary over time because both feminism and nationalism chan ged. The author concludes that the positive link English-Canadian women enj oyed with nation-building is a thing of the past, since there is little pol itical space in current reactionary Canadian nationalisms for women or femi nist goals.