Changes in an intellectual elite 1960-1990: The Royal Society revisited

Abstract

La Mosaique verticale de John Porter est encore aujourd'hui une reference utile en ce qu'il permet de mesurer les changements qui se sont produits au sein de la societe canadienne depuis sa publication. Cette communication traite plus particulierement des changements survenus a l'interieur de l'elite intellectuelle telle que decrite par Porter, c'est-a-dire, la Section II de la Societe royale. Les principaux resultats empiriques de l'etude sont les suivants: l'Universite de Toronto continue a dominer, l'influence etrangere est plus forte et la domination de l'elite par les membres d'origine britannique a diminue. En meme temps, les donnees ne sont pas sans soulever le spectre de la discrimination selon l'origine ethnique, le sexe et la religion dans les milieux de l'enseignement superieur. L'elite parait plus critique et plus active, certes, mais le gouffre qui separe les Elites intellectuelles anglophone et francophone semble aussi grand que jamais. Porter's Vertical Mosaic remains a convenient benchmark by which to measure change in Canadian society. This paper focuses on changes in Porter's anglophone intellectual elite, i.e. Section II of the Royal Society. The major empirical findings are that the University of Toronto continues to dominate, foreign influence has increased, and that domination of the elite by those of British origin has declined. Nonetheless, the data raise concerns about possible ethnic, gender, and religious discrimination in Canadian academia. While the elite appears to be more critical and more active, the separation between anglophone and francophone intellectual elites appears to be as great as ever. SUMMARY This paper has attempted a partial replication of Porter's study of an anglophone intellectual elite, i.e. Section II of the Royal Society. It has found continuing, albeit reduced, institutional domination by the University of Toronto, along with a notable decline in the role of Oxford. It has also found that foreign influence has increased with possible negative implications for the mobility opportunities of Canadians born in Canada10 and for the elite's performance of its social role of articulating and advancing the interests of Canadian society. While the domination of those of British ancestry has declined, the elite remains unrepresentative in terms of many of its ascribed social characteristics. In particular, a seemingly low representation of females, Jewish people, and Canadians born in Canada is evident. While Canadian intellectuals are now much more critical of the status quo than they were when Porter wrote, the separation between anglophone and francophone intellectuals appears to be as great as ever. All this may help to explain a number of the weaknesses which characterize Canadian society.