Series 22 - Political and Social Activism

2.0 m of textual records

This series documents Clarkson’s involvement in several progressive and intellectual groups that were focused on Canadian nationalism and social activism. He was on the editorially board of the historically influential Canadian Forum magazine through much of the 1970s when it struggled financially. Along with many other University faculty he was a member of Praxis, and the University League for Social Reform. Both groups were not affiliated with the University but sought to discuss and publish on important social, cultural and political issues. In 1968, the ULSR published a volume on Foreign Policy which was edited by Clarkson (See Series 7). While ULSR, established in 1962, was academic in nature, Praxis, a short lived experiment, was more freewheeling and supported projects that unified academic theory with practice. Clarkson’s involvement in both groups is extensively documented.

There is also extensive documentation on his involvement in the Committee for an Independent Canada, a group formed in 1970 by Peter Newman, Walter Gordon and Abe Rotstein to promote economic nationalism. Records include not only minutes, agenda and memos but also copies of the groups magazine, information on conferences and other publications. There are a small amount of records documenting his time on the Social Planning Council of Toronto. Finally, placed at the end of this series are files that document Clarkson’s social and political activities with other groups, movements, publications, conferences and campaigns.

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File list available in PDF finding aid - see Appendix 23