Canadian Literature (journal)

Canadian Literature (journal)
Title	Canadian Literature
Discipline	Literary studies
Language	English
Abbreviation	Can. Lit.
Publisher	University of British Columbia (initial), later independent association
Country	Canada
Frequency	Triannual (historically varied)
Established	1959

Canadian Literature (journal) is a peer-reviewed scholarly periodical devoted to the study of Canadian letters, Indigenous narratives, regional writing, bilingual and diasporic literatures. Founded in 1959, it has published criticism, archival recovery, bibliographies, interviews and creative writing that connect to major figures, institutions, and cultural debates across Canada, the United Kingdom, the United States, France, Australia, and other literatures in close conversation.

History

The journal was established in 1959 during a period of institutional growth involving the University of British Columbia, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, and emerging departments such as the University of Toronto English Department, the University of Alberta Faculty of Arts, and the McGill University School of Continuing Studies. Early editorial networks included scholars associated with the Canadian Authors Association, the Association of Canadian University Teachers of English, and literary critics who had links to journals like The Canadian Forum and Queen's Quarterly. Over successive decades editors collaborated with archives and libraries such as Library and Archives Canada, the Public Archives of Canada, the Bodleian Library, and the National Library of Scotland to publish recovered texts and manuscript studies. The journal responded to movements exemplified by the Quiet Revolution, the rise of Canadian nationalism (1960s), Indigenous activism around events such as the Calder case, and debates prompted by legal milestones like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Its editorial evolution mirrored institutional shifts at centres including the University of British Columbia, the University of Victoria, and the University of Ottawa.

Scope and Content

Content spans literary criticism concerning authors like Margaret Laurence, Alice Munro, Mordecai Richler, Leonard Cohen, W. O. Mitchell, Michael Ondaatje, Rohinton Mistry, Nino Ricci, Esi Edugyan, Anne Hébert, Dionne Brand, Wayde Compton, Thomas King, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, E. Pauline Johnson, and Gabrielle Roy. The journal has published work on period-specific movements including Confederation Poets, Group of Seven cultural contexts, Harold Innis-era communications scholarship, postwar modernisms, and diasporic connections to South Asian Canadians, Caribbean Canadians, Chinese Canadians, and Ukrainian Canadians. It engages with texts such as The Stone Angel, Lives of Girls and Women, The English Patient, A Fine Balance, The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, and The Orenda. Articles juxtapose primary sources from archives like the Lillian H. Smith Collection with theoretical frameworks drawn from scholarship associated with figures such as Fredric Jameson, Edward Said, Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak, Homi K. Bhabha, and historians including Harold Innis and Marshall McLuhan.

Editorial Structure and Publication Details

The journal operates under an editorial board model including an editor-in-chief, associate editors, and an advisory board drawn from institutions like University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, McMaster University, York University, Simon Fraser University, Queen's University, and Dalhousie University. Peer review involves external referees from networks including the Modern Language Association, the Association for Canadian Studies, and specialized research groups such as the Canadian Association for Commonwealth Literature and Language Studies. Publication frequency has varied from quarterly to triannual; formats have included thematic special issues, general issues, and occasional bilingual editions featuring translations into French. Production and distribution have involved partnerships with university presses and scholarly societies, and the journal has collaborated on conferences at venues such as the Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences and the Modern Language Association Annual Convention.

Notable Contributors and Special Issues

Contributors include critics and writers like Northrop Frye-influenced scholars, essayists such as George Woodcock, historians like Carl Berger, and contemporary theorists including Ann-Marie MacDonald and Margaret Atwood-related scholarship. Special issues have focused on topics including Indigenous literatures in dialogue with authors like Tomson Highway and Richard Wagamese, francophone literatures with pieces on Michel Tremblay and Marie-Claire Blais, regional studies of the Prairies and the Maritimes with attention to writers such as Alistair MacLeod and Al Purdy, and thematic dossiers on migration, settler colonialism, translation, and the archive. The journal has published rediscovered texts from figures like E. Pauline Johnson alongside critical assessments of award-winning works recognized by the Governor General's Awards, the Scotiabank Giller Prize, and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize.

Reception and Influence

Scholars in departments at Harvard University, Princeton University, University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, and Canadian universities have cited the journal in monographs and syllabi. Its influence extends to curriculum development for courses on Canadian fiction, Indigenous studies, postcolonial studies, and translation studies at institutions such as McGill University, University of Alberta, University of Saskatchewan, and Concordia University. Reviews in periodicals like The Literary Review of Canada, Canadian Review of Studies in Nationalism, and Studies in Canadian Literature have traced its contribution to debates stimulated by events such as the October Crisis and policy shifts around multiculturalism under administrations including that of Pierre Trudeau. The journal has been recognized in award citations and bibliographies compiled by bodies like the Canadian Historical Association.

Indexing and Availability

The journal is indexed in major bibliographic services including MLA International Bibliography, Project MUSE collections, and subject indexes used by libraries such as the British Library, Library and Archives Canada, and university consortia. Back issues are held in institutional repositories at universities including University of British Columbia Library, University of Toronto Library, and digital archives cooperating with platforms similar to JSTOR and national aggregators; microform and print runs remain accessible in special collections such as the Bodleian Library and the Public Library Archives.

Category:Literary magazines published in Canada Category:Academic journals established in 1959