Culture Wars

What An Anthropologist Learned From Living Among Other Societies

What An Anthropologist Learned From Living Among Other Societies

Senior Fellow Philip Carl Salzman draws on years living among nomadic tribes to challenge the Western obsession with big government. Among the Baluch of Iran and pastoralists in India and Sardinia, he found decentralized, self-reliant societies thriving on kinship, tradition and mutual responsibility. These communities show that freedom doesn’t require bureaucracy—just strong bonds and the will to defend what matters.

Pope Francis Got Canadian History Wrong

Pope Francis Got Canadian History Wrong

Senior Fellow Brian Giesbrecht argues Pope Francis’s off-the-cuff “genocide” comment on Canada’s residential schools handed activists a powerful narrative and Parliament a shortcut to condemnation. With no evidence of remains in Kamloops, MPs still passed a genocide motion in 47 seconds—spurred by papal words and media heat. When history hinges on hearsay, truth takes a back seat.

Canada’s Patriotism Is Fading As Civic Literacy Declines

Canada’s Patriotism Is Fading As Civic Literacy Declines

Canadian patriotism is fading—not for lack of pride, but for lack of understanding. Political scientist John von Heyking argues that without civic literacy, national sentiment becomes hollow performance. Too few Canadians know how their democratic arrangement works, leaving them vulnerable to misinformation, manipulation and disengagement. As identity politics and superficial self-criticism gain prominence, a deeper “constitutional patriotism” rooted in civic education becomes necessary. If Canada is to remain a distinct, democratic community, its citizens must first learn what that truly means.

In A Cynical Age, The Beach Boys Delivered A Joyful, Alberta-Style Refusal To Conform

In A Cynical Age, The Beach Boys Delivered A Joyful, Alberta-Style Refusal To Conform

In a time of progressive scolding, anti-American boycotts and virtue-signalling, thousands of Albertans gathered in Calgary to celebrate something simple: joy. In his latest commentary, Marco Navarro-Genie explores how a Beach Boys concert became more than just music—it turned into a subtle act of defiance. Harmony, sunshine and unapologetic fun still matter—especially when they challenge the cultural gatekeepers.

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Can Patriotism Survive The Crisis Of Civic Literacy?

Can Patriotism Survive The Crisis Of Civic Literacy?

As civic literacy collapses, Canadian patriotism is fading into hollow sentiment, warns John von Heyking. Too few Canadians understand their Constitution or political system, leaving national pride adrift in symbolism and outrage. Drawing on thinkers from Cicero to Tocqueville, von Heyking calls for a revival of “constitutional patriotism”—loyalty rooted in civic knowledge and democratic responsibility. If Canada is to survive as a distinct, self-governing country, it must first remember what made it one.

Europeans Ignore The Internal Enemy That Is Destroying Their Countries

Europeans Ignore The Internal Enemy That Is Destroying Their Countries

Senior Fellow Philip Carl Salzman examines how mass immigration, low birthrates and weak integration policies are reshaping Europe’s identity. With rising Muslim populations and growing cultural tensions, is the continent heading toward irreversible change? Read Salzman’s provocative take on what critics call ‘immigration jihad’—and why Europe may be running out of time.

It Is Time to Return to Reality-Based Knowledge

It Is Time to Return to Reality-Based Knowledge

Cultural anthropologists venture out into the world beyond the university, to study and try to understand people and their cultures often distant geographically and different in ideas and practices from their own. To do this they employ some simple procedures, that they dignify with the label “methodology,” to ensure or at least increase the probability of reining in their own assumptions and expectations, in order to grasp the reality of the world that they have entered.