Culture, State Formation and the Invention of Tradition: Newfoundland 1832-1855

• Published in: Journal of Canadian Studies
• Main Author: McCann, Phillip
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: University of Toronto Press Inc. (UTPress) 1988
• Subjects: History; Cultural Studies; Newfoundland
• Online Access: http://dx.doi.org/10.3138/jcs.23.1-2.86; https://utpjournals.press/doi/pdf/10.3138/jcs.23.1-2.86

The main theme of this paper is the way in which the governing administration of the British colony of Newfoundland, between the grant of Representative Government in 1832 and the achievement of Responsible Government in 1855, fostered and promoted a nativist culture and patriotic outlook in the population at large. Particular attention is paid to the governorship of Sir John Harvey (1841-46) and his attempt to overcome the religious and political tensions of the 1830s by forming a state based on social harmony and sensé of colonial patriotism. In this process, various social rituals and festivities expressive of nativism, patriotism and local culture were invented. These rapidly came to be seen as "traditional," and together with the institutionalization of denominationalism entered the social consciousness of Newfoundlanders in the succeeding period.