Book Review
Marginal Man: The Dark Vision of Harold Innis
Alexander John Watson has his PhD in political theory from the University of Toronto. He was born in 1948. He was also CEO of Care Canada for a number of years. His doctorate, which was the source of a great deal of his research for this book was centered on Harold Innis and his contributions. In its entirety Watson unearthed the life of Innis and made it relevant to a larger Canadian picture than it could have ever been in his own time.
If a ‘strength’ in this biography were to be highlighted and elevated above all other points, it would be the exhaustive manner in which Watson describes the details of Innis’ life. Certainly, this may have the reverse effect on some, making the novel less palatable to the layman while tailoring it toward a specific academic niche. Watson did however strive to make this work universally appealing to both academic and layman in the sense that topics addressed and ideas put forward are just as crucial to the amateur historian as they are to the professional. He contains within the text not only a lengthy description of the life of Harold Innis, but Innis’ response to the changing times and climates in Canada. This effectively gives the reader a reference with which to relate, even if Harold Innis was unknown to them before.
The inclusion of copious amounts of factual evidence in the form of correspondence and historical data strengthens the read and anchors it to a firm reality. While reading the text, one can be assured that they are not rifling through the opinion of an author to find the facts of reality. Watson does an excellent job or remaining culturally and ethically unbiased. He presents his opinions (and their alternatives) in such a manner as to not confuse the reader with whether or not that’s what they actually are. Upon presenting these opinions he also presents alternatives and arguments. This ‘tactic’ as it were compels the reader to decide for themselves; rather than be recruited to the side of Watson in deciphering the less know facts of Innis’ life.
Photography in the text gives it a firmer grasp on the reader in terms of getting to know Innis. It presents us with a human look into the man’s life and a sympathetic eye for life during the Great War. The photographs themselves were well chosen from a no doubt vast collection of alternatives and are yet another indication to Watson’s commitment to presenting Innis’ life in as real a manner as possible.
Where Watson’s greatest weakness may lie is in his inability to make the text exciting or albeit enjoyable to read. Often times the reader may find themselves filtering facts through a sieve to find something of personal merit or entertainment value. He spends a great deal of time turning over every stone of Innis’ life, but in doing so turns over some stones that are rather boring to read about. It is not necessarily a crucial mistake in writing the text that Watson has made, but certainly one of merit. Far too often historical texts like these are targeted toward academics and not enough toward the people who have no interest in history at all. It is a great conundrum, but Watson, despite having made his book worth reading for the layman, failed to make it ‘fun’ reading. (This perhaps leaves the door open for a Hollywood film about the book)
Watson spends a great deal of time underlining and highlighting the importance of Innis’ contributions to the University of Toronto. It is obvious that Innis is well respected by Watson and that those sentiments are shared, in general, by history itself. (If one can even go there)
In terms of primary sources, Watson conducted several interviews to write this book including the late Claude Bissell in 1979. Bissell was the president of the University of Toronto from 1958 to 1971. He interviewed Irene Spry and included her direct correspondence with Innis which related to her position at the University of Toronto in the department of Political Economy in 1929. She collaborated greatly with Innis during this time while teaching Canadian economic history. Watson also leaned on his PhD thesis; ‘Marginal Man: Harold Innis’ Communication Works in Context,’ for the biography. This deep delving is not only an indication of Watson’s commitment to the biography itself, but to a career largely centered on the understanding of one of Canada’s finest intellectuals.
Also included was a great deal of previously published works on the subject of Harold Innis from authors such as William Christian, who is known for his expertise in Political Thought, and his book ‘The idea file of Harold Innis.’ Watson doesn’t show favour to any one particular source or even type of source and seemingly delves into countless corners and crannies to unearth fact and conjecture about Innis. His commitment to researching this spans decades. Interviews in the text ranged from as early as 1974, with W.T. Easterbrook, to as late as 2003 with Gail Lewis who gave him a tour of the Otterville museum. Conclusively, Watson’s sources could not have been more complete. In terms of primary sources it may seem that there are none which remain accessible that have not been used. Short of exhuming the body of Innis or rifling through the Otterville dump, Watson has not pulled any punches whatsoever in this study.
The work that Watson has given us asserts the importance of Harold Innis as a Canadian intellect and the tragedy of his early death. We, as readers, become aware of aspects of Innis’ life which transcended his own time and life and affect us in the present. Watson paints a no doubt sympathetic picture of Innis, but apparently by default since the character of Innis seems one that is easy enough to sympathise with. The history of Harold Innis is more importantly a history of Canadian political thought and identification. While Watson spends a great deal of time talking about Innis himself, his contributions, aspirations and ideas are certainly not left untouched.
Even for a reader who thinks that Innis was a minor character in Canadian history, Marginal Man brings that to the forefront and demonstrates the effectiveness with which Innis effortlessly influenced his surroundings. He is truly taken into the limelight and shown for what he is. Even though Watson seems a sympathetic author, he does not ignore the things that were wrong with Innis. He noted that in later life Innis was psychologically imbalanced and obscure.
If there was one flaw in this book it would be that Watson didn’t make it longer to include the later works of Harold Innis and how they are being made more relevant and comprehensible today. While more and more people take an interest into the life of this man, his ideas and communications are being excavated and re-thought; enough that Innis is the later years doesn’t seem so strange after all, but more so clever. Or rather, Watson would have benefitted in simply identifying Innis’ late work as being flawed and incomplete, nothing less. Realistically, it has only been recently that these thoughts are being completed rather than being deciphered as Watson would seem to label them. Innis late work has been described by some as ‘post structural’ or ‘post modern.’
Watson’s title is a good descriptor for the entire read. We know that Innis grew up on the cusp of confederation and lived through the distancing of Canada as part of the commonwealth as it became an independent entity of its own. This marginality as it were came from existing between the two conflicted cultures. The conflict is obvious with the conscription crisis during the Great War, where British Canadians and Canadians of British descent vastly outnumbered other army volunteers. Even the Canadian Expeditionary Force in which Innis served was commanded by the British. As far as Harold Innis’ dark vision, I don’t suppose much of an argument need to be made for the industrialisation of Innis’ world during wartime and the views this produced in him toward the western world, which for the most part remained rather oblivious to the reality of the war.
Although the book is an excellent scholarly read, I don’t share the opinion of many that it is worth the layman picking up. Watson does a very responsible job with this novel, but so responsible in fact that duty precedes excitement in areas which the average person takes no interest. Ultimately, the book is a well balanced and well written piece and will likely be a part of political science curriculum and Canadian History for a great deal of time. Though it isn’t the first view into the life of Harold Innis, it is by far the best. Watson has done a good enough job that his actions need not be repeated and authors can now turn their efforts toward deciphering the cleverness or albeit absurdity of one of Canada’s most important political scientists.