The global in Canada
| Author | Srdjan Vucetic |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702017709263 |
| Date | 01 June 2017 |
| Published date | 01 June 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Scholarly Essays |
Scholarly Essay
The global in Canada
Srdjan Vucetic
University of Ottawa
Abstract
Whatever their inherent shortcomings, self-narratives are a usable method for produ-
cing sociologies of knowledge. Focusing on my undergraduate and graduate student
days, I look back at my socialization into the field of Canadian Foreign Policy. I then
proceed to offer some thoughts about the future of the field.
Keywords
Canadian Foreign Policy, constructivism, hierarchy, International Relations
Canadian Foreign Policy (CFP) is a partially autonomous, multi- and inter-
disciplinary field of study that produces convincing knowledge about, and critiques
of, Canada’s foreign policy or, more broadly, Canada’s position in global affairs.
As such, CFP is also an exclusive club that commands a degree of cultural power in
society. What follows is a narrative account of how I ended up in this club and
therefore in this themed issue. My goal is to address two binaries put forward by
the editors. One is ‘‘inside/outside’’—a prompt for reflection about the intellectual,
social, cultural, and other dynamics that shape our ideas, scholarly and otherwise,
about Canada’s foreign policy. The other is ‘‘pessimism/optimism’’—a prompt for
reflection on the future of the field. I address the first binary in sections entitled
‘‘Toronto,’’ ‘‘York,’’ ‘‘Ohio State,’’ and ‘‘Ottawa,’’ four toponyms that categorize
my academic progression thus far. I address the second binary in the last section,
‘‘Game Over?’’
Following Pierre Bourdieu, I take it as a given that academics, like all social
actors, cannot help but strategically position themselves relative to other actors,
both individual and institutional. While this occurs daily in every aspect of
social life, it is especially pervasive within one’s primary academic field of fields.
1
International Journal
2017, Vol. 72(2) 217–229
!The Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702017709263
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Corresponding author:
Srdjan Vucetic, University of Ottawa, 120 University FSS6020, Ottawa, ON K1N 6N5, Canada.
Email: Srdjan.Vucetic@uottawa.ca
1. Pierre Bourdieu, ‘‘The specificity of the scientific field and the social conditions of the progress of
reason,’’ trans. Richard Nice, Social Science Information 14, no. 6 (1975): 19–47. The workshop
version of this essay, which is accessible on my website, https://srdjanvucetic.wordpress.com, con-
tains many more references to Bourdieu and the work of CFP scholars.
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