The West Beyond the West: A History of British Columbia

By Jean Barman

Book Overview

British Columbia is regularly described in superlatives both positive and negative - most spectacular scenery, strangest politics, greatest environmental sensitivity, richest Aboriginal cultures, most aggressive resource exploitation, closest ties to Asia. Jean Barman's The West beyond the West presents the history of the province in all its diversity and apparent contradictions. This critically acclaimed work is the premiere book on British Columbian history, with a narrative beginning at the point of contact between Native peoples and Europeans and continuing into the twenty-first century. Barman tells the story by focusing not only on the history made by leaders in government but also on the roles of women, immigrants, and Aboriginal peoples in the development of the province. She incorporates new perspectives and expands discussions on important topics such as the province's relationship to Canada as a nation, its involvement in the two world wars, the perspectives of non-mainstream British Columbians, and its participation in recreation and sports including Olympics. First published in 1991 and revised in 1996, this third edition of The West beyond the West has been supplemented by statistical tables incorporating the 2001 census, two more extensive illustration sections portraying British Columbia's history in images, and other new material bringing the book up to date. Barman's deft scholarship is readily apparent and the book demands to be on the shelf of anyone with an interest in British Columbian or Canadian history.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0802094953
• ISBN13: 9780802094957
• Release Date: August 2007
• Publisher: University of Toronto Press
• Length: 449 Pages
• Weight: 2.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.4" x 6.6" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Great Reading

Up until I read this book I did not understand BC politics or Native issues. The early workings of the political parties are uncovered along with their philosophies. Barman graphically describes British Columbia over the century capturing the spirit of what it means to be a British Columbian.

Just a few points to add

I would just add a few more points to the review that was already written on this book. Most books that attempt to portray a history of British Columbia will undoubtedly be contrasted against Margaret Ormsby's 1958 "B.C.: A History". Barman's book is no different. I agree that it does provide an excellent regional history of this province (thus making it a staple textbook for many university classes), yet it can also be viewed in the context of the changing historiography of British Columbia. Barman has chosen to focus on the many social aspects of B.C.'s history that may have been neglected in past works. The previously mentioned work by Ormsby would be a case in point - "B.C.: A History" spent a disproportionate ammount of time on BC's pre-confederation, colonial past. Where Ormsby's emphasis was put on individual accomplishment - usually by white men - to the detriment of other facets of society (such as Natives, Women, Immigrants, etc. . . ), Barman, and the new generation of historians since the 1950s, have sought to write a more inculsive history. And this is what "The West Beyond The West" is. Unfortunately, I believe it has gone to far.This is a similar point that has been made by Robin Fischer (another BC historian) on a variety of other occasions; that the emphasis on "social" history in this province has come at the expense of a greater understanding of "political" history. If you are thus going to be reading "The West Beyond The West" to try and find a deeper understanding of BC's political tradition you are going to be hard pressed to find it in this book.

Brian Wayne Wells, reviews "The West Beyond the the West"

This is one of the best regional histories that this reviewer has ever read. The book imparts a real flavor of the overall history of the Province of British Columbia. British Columbia, Canada's most western province, is part of the Pacific rim with Chile, Peru, California, Oregon, Washington, Alaska, Japan, China, South East Asia and Indonesia. As such, British Columbia tends to share with more history with those areas that it does with the more easterly parts of Canada and the United States. Until recently the western regions of the United States and Canada have suffered from a lack of adequate regional histories. Barman's book neatly fills this void in regards to British Columbia and brings the reader right up to the present with the resignation of Michael Harcourt as the premier of the New Democratic Party government in 1996. The charts in the Appendix of the book add a great deal to the historian's appreciation of this book.