Canadian Political Economy's Legacy for Sociology

Abstract

Canadian sociology has contributed to and been transformed by the Canadian political economy tradition emerging in the early 1970s. The macrosociological tradition within Canadian sociology readily melded into this new scholarship. This paper reflects upon these mutual influences and ponders the prognosis for sociology's viability in Canada. One of the most significant developments in Canadian sociology during the past thirty years has been the emergence of the Canadian Political Economy tradition. While political economy is multidisciplinary in its influences and effects, its dynamic explanation of society has enriched the Canadian sociological tradition. This paper locates the tradition and its evo- lution within Canadian scholarship. The intent is to profile political economy within the discipline of sociology, rather than give a balanced account of the tradition itself. Such a tour is inherently personal since I have been engaged in a good deal of this recent history and do not feel detached from either the account or trajectory of this way of understanding, explaining and evaluating the world. Prospects are assessed at the end.