Newfoundland in the North Atlantic History: An analysis on unsuccessful and successful Confederation negotiations from 1860s to 1940s

2021 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 17K03181
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: History of Europe and America
• Research Institution: Kagoshima University
• Principal Investigator: HOSOKAWA Michihisa 鹿児島大学, 法文教育学域法文学系, 教授 (20209240)
• Project Period (FY): 2017-04-01 – 2022-03-31
• Keywords: カナダ / ニューファンドランド / 連邦結成 / 連邦編入 / コンフェデレーション / 北大西洋世界 / グローバルヒストリー

Outline of Final Research Achievements

This research traces Newfoundland’s rocky road towards Confederation from the 1860s to the 1940s by examining the changing situation in the North Atlantic world. Ever since Newfoundland postponed adopting the Quebec Resolutions, several unsuccessful attempts had been made, such as the rejection of the Terms of Union in 1869 and the abortive negotiations with Canada in 1895. Newfoundland’s separate identity from Canada’s and its long-time imperial ties had prevented it from joining with Canada, but with perennial deficit and failing governance especially after the Great Depression, Newfoundlanders gradually find it relevant to unite with Canada, and the World War Two enhanced Newfoundland’s strategic position in the North Atlantic. Then post-war Britain and Canada, which wanted to keep out American influence from the northern part of the continent, maneuvered to obtain the support of Newfoundlanders, who after fierce debates, finally decided their entry into Confederation in 1949.

Free Research Field

カナダ史　イギリス帝国史　グローバルヒストリー

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

北大西洋島嶼地域のニューファンドランドが大陸部のカナダと統合するまでの約1世紀の歩みを，両者の関係だけでなく，イギリスやアメリカ合衆国の動きも含めて考察した本研究は，利害を異にする様々な地域の対立と共存の姿を描いており，現代に生きる私たちが多文化共生社会の実現に向けた課題を考えるうえで指針となる。また，北大西洋世界という広域の歴史を長期的に展望するグローバルヒストリーの視点は，今日のグローバル世界を理解するうえで有益である。