Book Review: Socialist Yugoslavia and the Non-Aligned Movement: Social, Cultural, Political, and Economic Imaginaries

Abstract

initiative when cautionary flags are raised at both the political and bureaucratic levels. Second, Ryan Touhey’s piece on former practitioner John Hadwen, “A Journey Without Maps: John Hadwen in India 1979–83,” assesses the policy impact of a foreign service officer who through an illustrious career became high commissioner to India at a time when improved relations with the world’s largest democracy mattered and access to the top was key. Hadwen recognized the importance of commercial relations, the need to get beyond India’s weaponization of Canadian nuclear technology for its own ends, and used his impressive access to Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to great effect, even when Ottawa seemed to drop the ball. Yet in this volume, P.E. Bryden and P. Whitney Lackenbauer bring out the humanity that can both characterize and take biography to a new, expanded level of which John English would be proud. In their respective contributions on “Scandal and the Decentring of Canadian Biography: The Case of Gerda Munsinger” and “Competing Biographies: How James Gladstone became Canada’s First Indigenous Senator,” both tell complex and interesting stories of their protagonists. Bryden sets out the compelling story of an immigrant who found herself in the centre of an early 1960s political sex scandal that in the end had no great national security implications but served to titillate the ruling class in Ottawa and those paying attention across the country. It simply and compellingly offers biography as a window into an ordinary life. Lackenbauer describes a story dear to me as I pass by James Gladstone’s bust every day as I enter the Senate. His analysis of how Gladstone came to be chosen over other leading indigenous personalities by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker is a story of noble intentions, the difficulty of a selection process, regional politics, testing the public pulse, and dignity for Indigenous peoples. It is a fascinating read. In his conclusion, John Milloy refers to biography as being “relatable, respectful, realistic, and relevant.” The authors of the essays in this interesting and very readable volume achieve this. They readily demonstrate that modern Canadian biography can easily follow these guidelines and can move into newer analytical paradigms. In many ways, John English has blazed a trail for others to follow, encouraging their own passion for reason in the treatment of their subjects.