It is a little-known fact that the first cultural agreement Canada
signed was with Brazil in 1944. The two countries' rapprochement
launched a flurry of activity connecting Montreal to Rio de Janeiro amid
the turbulence of war and its aftermath. Why Brazil? And what could
songs and paintings achieve that traditional diplomacy could not?
Distant Stage examines the neglected histories of Canada-Brazil
relations and the role played by culture in Canada's pursuit of an
international identity. The efforts of French-Canadian artists,
intellectuals, and diplomats are at the heart of both. Eric Fillion
demonstrates how music and the visual arts gave state and non-state
actors new connections to the idea of nation, which in turn informed
their sense of place in the world. Tracing the origins of Canadian
cultural diplomacy to South America, the book underscores the
significance of race and religion in the country's international
history, showing how Brazil served as a distant stage where Canadian
identity politics and aspirations could play out. Both a timely
invitation to think about cultural diplomacy as a critical practice and
a reflection on the interplay between internationalism and nationalism,
Distant Stage draws attention to the ambiguous yet essential roles
played by artists in international and intercultural relations.
