STM political scientist McGrane earns plaudits for publications
Academic study of NDP, edited collection on former premier Blakeney recognized
By Paul Sinkewicz
It’s been a busy few years for Dr. David McGrane, professor of Political Studies at St. Thomas More College.
All of his efforts in writing and editing his two most recent scholarly publications have bloomed in June 2020 with two prestigious awards.
On June 3 McGrane was awarded the Donald Smiley Prize at the virtual annual general meeting of the Canadian Political Science Association (CPSA) for The New NDP: Moderation, Modernization, and Political Marketing.
This prestigious prize is awarded to the author of the best book published in English in French in a field relating to the study of government and politics in Canada.
Then, on June 18 his book, Back to Blakeney: Revitalizing the Democratic State, won a Saskatchewan Book Award. The book -- co-edited by McGrane, Roy Romanow, John Whyte, and Russell Isinger -- won the Jennifer Walsh Scholarly Writing Award for the best scholarly book written by a Saskatchewan resident in 2020.
The award is presented for the best contribution in book form to scholarly work. The submitted book must use high quality research to establish findings that are original and significant and be written in a manner that is accessible to a general reading audience.
“The two awards that I received are quite different,” McGrane said. “The Donald Smiley Prize is given out by the Canadian Political Science Association, so it is really an honour to be recognized by my peers in this manner. It is a bit like the Oscar for best picture for a book on Canadian politics to win the Smiley Prize. I was quite humbled.”
McGrane said the award from the Saskatchewan Book Awards meant the book he helped edit was competing against books from a variety of different fields as opposed to just political science.
“It’s a great feeling to be recognized by the broader community in Saskatchewan in this way. I hope that the award will bring the book to the attention of readers who are thinking about not just the past of Saskatchewan politics but the future as well,” he said.
Both projects started in 2014, so it has been six years of effort leading up to the recognitions, McGrane said.
“I am hoping that The New NDP will become a reference for scholars and students who are trying to understand the evolution of social democracy in Canada. Back to Blakeney is an edited collection in honour of Allan Blakeney, the NDP Premier of Saskatchewan from 1971 to 1982, who passed away in 2011. I am sure that Allan would be delighted to know that a book in his honour had won such a prestigious award and I think that the book will be a way to keep his legacy and ideas alive for future generations.”
McGrane said he plans to continue to write books, particularly on social democracy, and is hoping to broaden the focus of his work to include other countries like the UK, the United States, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia.
“At the same time, I am curious about the political philosophy behind social democracy in the 21st century,” McGrane said. “That is something that should be explored more.”
https://www.cpsa-acsp.ca/index.php
