When must a current government attempt to come to terms with the wrongs of governments long past? In A Bare and Impolitic Right Bohdan Kordan and Craig Mahovsky examine the internment of Ukrainian Canadians during the Great War and explore the political, philosophical, and ethical dimensions of redress. Situating the campaign for Ukrainian-Canadian redress within a wider discussion on political leadership and transitional justice, the authors argue that, by reaffirming the values that are central to a rule-based society, symbolic redress might not only play an important role in reconciling the past with present and future generations but also aid the country to reconnect with those foundational traditions that inform Canadian political culture.
Review quotes
"This book makes a fresh contribution to the subject of internment of civilian "enemy aliens" during World War I, forcing readers to grapple with some basic questions that have relevance far beyond history books. The authors' scholarship and methodology is sound, drawing upon the most recent research in the field." Robert Ventresca, department of hstory, King's College, University of Western Ontario
Bohdan Kordan, professor and chair of political studies at St Thomas More College, is the author of Enemy Aliens, Prisoners of War: Internment in Canada during the Great War. Craig Mahovsky, formerly a human rights officer for the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission, is a policy analyst for the government of Alberta.
