Loewen and Friesen trace the origins of public concern about the adverse influence of immigrants in terms of increased competition for jobs, threats to social cohesion, questioning the loyalties of newcomers at the beginning of the 20th century--issues remarkably similar to the mythology describing immigrants in western societies today. Readers may be tempted to ask,  If the situation in the 1900s is so similar to today\u27s, why read this book?  Not only will readers get a sense of the longevity of these and other myths surrounding migration, they will learn about the creation of ethnic culture in the prairies and leave with a better understanding of immigration in Canada that is germane to comprehending current migrant issues. It is a book that all scholars of Canadian migration history should read

Wilkinson, Lori

English

UNL | Libraries

University of Nebraska - Lincoln
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and
Social Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center for
Spring 2011
Review of Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity
in Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewen
and Gerald Friesen.
Lori Wilkinson
University of Manitoba, lori.wilkinson@umanitoba.ca
Follow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch
Part of the American Studies Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons,
Place and Environment Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Regional Sociology Commons,
and the Rural Sociology Commons
This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. It
has been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator of
DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.
Wilkinson, Lori, "Review of Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewen and Gerald
Friesen." (2011). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1154.
http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/1154
Book Reviews 
periodically altered Kiowa society. Despite changes ow-
ing to the forces of history, Kiowa military societies at 
their core have evolved today into a social mechanism for 
the perpetuation of Kiowa identity and culture. 
Lavishly illustrated with photographs and accompa-
nied by an appendix of society membership since the 
late 1800s, Kiowa Military Societies stands as the most 
in-depth piece of scholarship concerning the evolution of 
military societies in a particular Great Plains tribe. The 
book is a valuable addition, not because it contributes any 
new, revealing insights or provides a theoretical analysis 
of the topic, but because it draws together a mass of 
literature that is meticulously and skillfully integrated. 
It is its comprehensive, synthetic nature that makes it a 
significant work. Gregory R. Campbell, Department of 
Anthropology, University of Montana. 
Immigration and Settlement, 1870-1939. Edited by 
Gregory P. Marchildon. Regina, SK: Canadian Plains Re-
search Center, University of Regina, 2009. vii + 608 pp. 
Maps, photographs, figures, tables, notes, index. $39.95 
cloth. 
This is the second volume in the History of the Prai-
rie West Series, which focuses on the settlement of the 
Canadian Prairies by Ukrainian, German, Welsh, Jew-
ish, Dutch, and other immigrants. The collection brings 
together twenty articles previously published in Prairie 
Forum grouped according to the themes of the early 
"opening" of the West, First Nations during the settle-
ment era, patterns of settlement, and ethnic relations. An 
index greatly aids in finding common themes among the 
diverse topics. 
The collection includes articles that made impor-
tant contributions to settlement history when they first 
appeared in Prairie Forum, such as the 1997 analysis 
of American immigration by Randy Widdis, R. Bruce 
Shepard's 1985 article on the immigration of Blacks from 
Oklahoma, and D.l. Hall's 1977 discussion of politician 
Clifford Sifton's role in Indian Affairs while a cabinet 
minister in the Laurier Liberal government. Other more 
recent articles are stimulating interjections into the con-
versation about the history of the Canadian Prairies. The 
opening article by l.C. Lehr, John Everett, and Simon Ev-
ans suggests the Canadian Prairies were a diverse cultural 
and physical landscape often at odds with "the prevailing 
images of those outside the region." Jason Kovacs's article 
weaves together the colorful personality of Count PaulO. 
d'Esterhazy and the Hungarian settlement of Esterhaz, 
later Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, concluding that although 
121 
he may not have been the figure he made out to be, Ester-
hazy was "an important catalyst for early Hungarian and 
Slavic immigration to Canada." 
The range of time represented when the collection's 
articles were written does mean that research and inter-
pretations have, in many cases, moved on. Unfortunately, 
editor Gregory Marchildon's introduction provides little 
in the way of historiographical context for the essays, 
summarizing and suggesting instead how the articles fit 
into the collection's thematic structure. The time frame 
ofthe selected articles may also aggravate the preponder-
ance of analyses of patterns, policies, and personalities 
and the lack of clearer attention to the stories of women, of 
literary and artistic worlds, and the everyday experience 
of immigrant settlers. With the exception of a few passing 
references, the collection also paints the Canadian West 
as a rural landscape without cities. By 1939, the end date 
for the volume chosen by the editor, cities were ascendant 
and an important feature of the economy and culture of 
the region. 
Certainly the collection fulfills its stated aim ofbring-
ing together in one place the articles from Prairie Forum 
that explored the history of the Northern Great Plains. 
The addition of new photographs, illustrations, and an 
attractive flyleaf will make it a pleasing and useful refer-
ence for students and teachers. Hans Werner, Depart-
ment of History, University of Winnipeg. 
Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in 
Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewen and 
Gerald Friesen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 
2009. viii + 257 pp. Notes, bibliography, index. $60.00 
cloth, $27.95 paper. 
It is remarkable how the adage "the more things 
change, the more they stay the same" still applies. This 
was one of my initial thoughts while reading chapter 1 of 
immigrants in Prairie Cities. Loewen and Friesen trace 
the origins of public concern about the adverse influence 
of immigrants in terms of increased competition for 
jobs, threats to social cohesion, questioning the loyalties 
of newcomers at the beginning of the 20th century-
issues remarkably similar to the mythology describing 
immigrants in western societies today. Readers may be 
tempted to ask, "If the situation in the 1900s is so similar 
to today's, why read this book?" Not only will readers 
get a sense of the longevity of these and other myths sur-
rounding migration, they will learn about the creation 
of ethnic culture in the prairies and leave with a better 
understanding of immigration in Canada that is germane 
© 2011 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
122 
to comprehending current migrant issues. It is a book that 
all scholars of Canadian migration history should read. 
Loewen and Friesen chronicle the growth of ethnic 
diversity in several prairie communities, but focus most 
of their analyses on an in-depth examination of Calgary, 
Edmonton, and Winnipeg, the region's three largest ur-
ban centers. Using the concepts of ethnic webs, hybrid 
cultures, imagined boundary zones, and third spaces, 
popularized by Clifford Geertz, Edward Said, Homi 
Bhabha, Frederick Barth, and others, the authors show 
how new ethnic groups grew and changed the region's 
urban landscapes. Theirs is not a chronological journey 
but a thematic one, examining family experience, rac-
ism, globalization, gender issues, ethnic associations, 
religious institutions, and ethnic identities. 
The chapters are written in an engaging manner, and 
even experts on migration history will gain some valuable 
knowledge. Given Immigrants in Prairie Cities's attention 
to statistical detail, particularly in the early chapters, it 
would have been useful had the authors included thorough 
tables outlining the growth of ethnic populations in each 
center, thereby helping readers understand ethnic contexts 
and visualize the region's great ethnic diversity with great-
er clarity. Although refugees are discussed, there is little 
attempt to examine this group's unique space. Refugees 
to the prairie region make up a significant portion of the 
popUlation, and a more sustained attention to their experi-
ences would have strengthened the book's utility. 
Finally, the authors may overemphasize the Win-
nipeg experience, particularly to the detriment of more 
sustained examinations of Saskatoon, Regina, and even 
Edmonton. I realize that both Loewen and Friesen reside 
in Winnipeg, both have considerable expertise in this 
region, and the city was the region's historical hub, but 
the attention to this city tends to dominate the text. This, 
however, is a minor quibble that ought not to detract 
from the significant contribution their volume makes. 
Lori Wilkinson, Department of Sociology, University of 
Manitoba. 
Environmental City: People, Place, Politics, and the 
Meaning of Modern Austin. By William Scott Swearin-
gen, Jr. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010. x + 273 pp. 
Photographs, appendix, notes, index. $50.00 cloth. 
Two years ago, I was with friends and their dog on Red 
Bud Isle, a small dogpark/island in downtown Austin. As 
Cleo sprinted ahead, unleashed, the bipeds enjoyed the 
cool evening and lush surroundings. Looking around, I 
gained the distinct impression that this community had a 
© 2011 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 
Great Plains Research Vol. 21 No.1, 2011 
deep appreciation for a lifestyle that connected it with the 
natural environment. 
1 am not alone in loving Austin's quirky, exciting, and 
beautiful cultural landscape. But how did it get that way? 
Who were the players involved, and what were the major 
forces that made it the thriving metropolis it is? William 
Scott Swearingen, lr.'s Environmental City is a social his-
tory of how a place like Red Bud Isle and the larger city 
surrounding it could come to exist. 
Swearingen opens with the founding of Austin, and 
takes the reader through the ideals shaping its modern 
era: the battle between the twin paradigms of "growth" 
and "green." At its heart, the book tells the story of the 
success of Austin's green campaign: how "place" was cre-
ated, fought for, and won. Not all battles were victories, 
but Swearingen points to key moments, and unpacks the 
slow process of institutionalizing broad environmental 
concepts into concrete municipal policies. He identifies 
the particular moments (e.g., protests, votes, and elec-
tions) and ideas (e.g., "The Five Minute Walk") that set 
this history in motion. 
Ifthere are concerns about the book, they are in its in-
tellectual heft and contribution. Molotch's concept of the 
growth machine, Goffman's Frame Analysis, and Zukin's 
groundbreaking work on place-making are mentioned, 
but not critically applied or examined, and dropped at the 
conclusion of chapter 1. Lefebvre's name is given, but his 
"trialectics" for analyzing place (that there are mental, 
physical, and social components) is ignored. Because of 
this lack of conceptual and substantive engagement with 
the literature, the book isolates the case of Austin, deny-
ing important comparative touchstones for the reader: 
Does Austin's development differ from other, more stud-
ied cities? How does Austin's "green machine" compare 
with social movements elsewhere? (A few references 
to other urban developments are relegated to footnotes, 
separated from the book's main discussion.) Environmen-
tal City lacks a firm conclusion-a natural place for such 
comparisons and perhaps policy implications-leaving 
the reader to do the work of contextualizing the findings 
within a broader literature. It makes the book, unfortu-
nately, feel parochial. 
Reservations aside, students of Austin, academic or 
otherwise, would benefit from the book's contents, for 
Swearingen does the yeoman's work of identifying just 
how one of the key aspects of Austin's culture came to be. 
Although lacking in comparison, Environmental City is 
a good book for reading about how tensions play out in a 
city other than Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York. There 
is a great expanse between the coasts, and a good deal can 


Review of \u3ci\u3eImmigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in
Twentieth-Century Canada\u3c/i\u3e. By Royden Loewen and
Gerald Friesen.

DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska

University of Nebraska - LincolnDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - LincolnGreat Plains Research: A Journal of Natural andSocial Sciences Great Plains Studies, Center forSpring 2011Review of Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversityin Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewenand Gerald Friesen.Lori WilkinsonUniversity of Manitoba, lori.wilkinson@umanitoba.caFollow this and additional works at: http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearchPart of the American Studies Commons, Demography, Population, and Ecology Commons,Place and Environment Commons, Race and Ethnicity Commons, Regional Sociology Commons,and the Rural Sociology CommonsThis Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Great Plains Studies, Center for at DigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln. Ithas been accepted for inclusion in Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences by an authorized administrator ofDigitalCommons@University of Nebraska - Lincoln.Wilkinson, Lori, "Review of Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewen and GeraldFriesen." (2011). Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences. 1154.http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/greatplainsresearch/1154Book Reviews periodically altered Kiowa society. Despite changes ow-ing to the forces of history, Kiowa military societies at their core have evolved today into a social mechanism for the perpetuation of Kiowa identity and culture. Lavishly illustrated with photographs and accompa-nied by an appendix of society membership since the late 1800s, Kiowa Military Societies stands as the most in-depth piece of scholarship concerning the evolution of military societies in a particular Great Plains tribe. The book is a valuable addition, not because it contributes any new, revealing insights or provides a theoretical analysis of the topic, but because it draws together a mass of literature that is meticulously and skillfully integrated. It is its comprehensive, synthetic nature that makes it a significant work. Gregory R. Campbell, Department of Anthropology, University of Montana. Immigration and Settlement, 1870-1939. Edited by Gregory P. Marchildon. Regina, SK: Canadian Plains Re-search Center, University of Regina, 2009. vii + 608 pp. Maps, photographs, figures, tables, notes, index. $39.95 cloth. This is the second volume in the History of the Prai-rie West Series, which focuses on the settlement of the Canadian Prairies by Ukrainian, German, Welsh, Jew-ish, Dutch, and other immigrants. The collection brings together twenty articles previously published in Prairie Forum grouped according to the themes of the early "opening" of the West, First Nations during the settle-ment era, patterns of settlement, and ethnic relations. An index greatly aids in finding common themes among the diverse topics. The collection includes articles that made impor-tant contributions to settlement history when they first appeared in Prairie Forum, such as the 1997 analysis of American immigration by Randy Widdis, R. Bruce Shepard's 1985 article on the immigration of Blacks from Oklahoma, and D.l. Hall's 1977 discussion of politician Clifford Sifton's role in Indian Affairs while a cabinet minister in the Laurier Liberal government. Other more recent articles are stimulating interjections into the con-versation about the history of the Canadian Prairies. The opening article by l.C. Lehr, John Everett, and Simon Ev-ans suggests the Canadian Prairies were a diverse cultural and physical landscape often at odds with "the prevailing images of those outside the region." Jason Kovacs's article weaves together the colorful personality of Count PaulO. d'Esterhazy and the Hungarian settlement of Esterhaz, later Esterhazy, Saskatchewan, concluding that although 121 he may not have been the figure he made out to be, Ester-hazy was "an important catalyst for early Hungarian and Slavic immigration to Canada." The range of time represented when the collection's articles were written does mean that research and inter-pretations have, in many cases, moved on. Unfortunately, editor Gregory Marchildon's introduction provides little in the way of historiographical context for the essays, summarizing and suggesting instead how the articles fit into the collection's thematic structure. The time frame ofthe selected articles may also aggravate the preponder-ance of analyses of patterns, policies, and personalities and the lack of clearer attention to the stories of women, of literary and artistic worlds, and the everyday experience of immigrant settlers. With the exception of a few passing references, the collection also paints the Canadian West as a rural landscape without cities. By 1939, the end date for the volume chosen by the editor, cities were ascendant and an important feature of the economy and culture of the region. Certainly the collection fulfills its stated aim ofbring-ing together in one place the articles from Prairie Forum that explored the history of the Northern Great Plains. The addition of new photographs, illustrations, and an attractive flyleaf will make it a pleasing and useful refer-ence for students and teachers. Hans Werner, Depart-ment of History, University of Winnipeg. Immigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada. By Royden Loewen and Gerald Friesen. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2009. viii + 257 pp. Notes, bibliography, index. $60.00 cloth, $27.95 paper. It is remarkable how the adage "the more things change, the more they stay the same" still applies. This was one of my initial thoughts while reading chapter 1 of immigrants in Prairie Cities. Loewen and Friesen trace the origins of public concern about the adverse influence of immigrants in terms of increased competition for jobs, threats to social cohesion, questioning the loyalties of newcomers at the beginning of the 20th century-issues remarkably similar to the mythology describing immigrants in western societies today. Readers may be tempted to ask, "If the situation in the 1900s is so similar to today's, why read this book?" Not only will readers get a sense of the longevity of these and other myths sur-rounding migration, they will learn about the creation of ethnic culture in the prairies and leave with a better understanding of immigration in Canada that is germane © 2011 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln 122 to comprehending current migrant issues. It is a book that all scholars of Canadian migration history should read. Loewen and Friesen chronicle the growth of ethnic diversity in several prairie communities, but focus most of their analyses on an in-depth examination of Calgary, Edmonton, and Winnipeg, the region's three largest ur-ban centers. Using the concepts of ethnic webs, hybrid cultures, imagined boundary zones, and third spaces, popularized by Clifford Geertz, Edward Said, Homi Bhabha, Frederick Barth, and others, the authors show how new ethnic groups grew and changed the region's urban landscapes. Theirs is not a chronological journey but a thematic one, examining family experience, rac-ism, globalization, gender issues, ethnic associations, religious institutions, and ethnic identities. The chapters are written in an engaging manner, and even experts on migration history will gain some valuable knowledge. Given Immigrants in Prairie Cities's attention to statistical detail, particularly in the early chapters, it would have been useful had the authors included thorough tables outlining the growth of ethnic populations in each center, thereby helping readers understand ethnic contexts and visualize the region's great ethnic diversity with great-er clarity. Although refugees are discussed, there is little attempt to examine this group's unique space. Refugees to the prairie region make up a significant portion of the popUlation, and a more sustained attention to their experi-ences would have strengthened the book's utility. Finally, the authors may overemphasize the Win-nipeg experience, particularly to the detriment of more sustained examinations of Saskatoon, Regina, and even Edmonton. I realize that both Loewen and Friesen reside in Winnipeg, both have considerable expertise in this region, and the city was the region's historical hub, but the attention to this city tends to dominate the text. This, however, is a minor quibble that ought not to detract from the significant contribution their volume makes. Lori Wilkinson, Department of Sociology, University of Manitoba. Environmental City: People, Place, Politics, and the Meaning of Modern Austin. By William Scott Swearin-gen, Jr. Austin: University of Texas Press, 2010. x + 273 pp. Photographs, appendix, notes, index. $50.00 cloth. Two years ago, I was with friends and their dog on Red Bud Isle, a small dogpark/island in downtown Austin. As Cleo sprinted ahead, unleashed, the bipeds enjoyed the cool evening and lush surroundings. Looking around, I gained the distinct impression that this community had a © 2011 Center for Great Plains Studies, University of Nebraska-Lincoln Great Plains Research Vol. 21 No.1, 2011 deep appreciation for a lifestyle that connected it with the natural environment. 1 am not alone in loving Austin's quirky, exciting, and beautiful cultural landscape. But how did it get that way? Who were the players involved, and what were the major forces that made it the thriving metropolis it is? William Scott Swearingen, lr.'s Environmental City is a social his-tory of how a place like Red Bud Isle and the larger city surrounding it could come to exist. Swearingen opens with the founding of Austin, and takes the reader through the ideals shaping its modern era: the battle between the twin paradigms of "growth" and "green." At its heart, the book tells the story of the success of Austin's green campaign: how "place" was cre-ated, fought for, and won. Not all battles were victories, but Swearingen points to key moments, and unpacks the slow process of institutionalizing broad environmental concepts into concrete municipal policies. He identifies the particular moments (e.g., protests, votes, and elec-tions) and ideas (e.g., "The Five Minute Walk") that set this history in motion. Ifthere are concerns about the book, they are in its in-tellectual heft and contribution. Molotch's concept of the growth machine, Goffman's Frame Analysis, and Zukin's groundbreaking work on place-making are mentioned, but not critically applied or examined, and dropped at the conclusion of chapter 1. Lefebvre's name is given, but his "trialectics" for analyzing place (that there are mental, physical, and social components) is ignored. Because of this lack of conceptual and substantive engagement with the literature, the book isolates the case of Austin, deny-ing important comparative touchstones for the reader: Does Austin's development differ from other, more stud-ied cities? How does Austin's "green machine" compare with social movements elsewhere? (A few references to other urban developments are relegated to footnotes, separated from the book's main discussion.) Environmen-tal City lacks a firm conclusion-a natural place for such comparisons and perhaps policy implications-leaving the reader to do the work of contextualizing the findings within a broader literature. It makes the book, unfortu-nately, feel parochial. Reservations aside, students of Austin, academic or otherwise, would benefit from the book's contents, for Swearingen does the yeoman's work of identifying just how one of the key aspects of Austin's culture came to be. Although lacking in comparison, Environmental City is a good book for reading about how tensions play out in a city other than Los Angeles, Chicago, or New York. There is a great expanse between the coasts, and a good deal can 

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=2155&amp;context=greatplainsresearch

Review of \u3ci\u3eImmigrants in Prairie Cities: Ethnic Diversity in Twentieth-Century Canada\u3c/i\u3e. By Royden Loewen and Gerald Friesen.

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