CMNS 240 Lecture 11: Week 11 Notes
16 Jan 2018
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Document Summary
Communication and the political economy of the nation state. Waterways, railways, and staples: the political-economic structure of canada (according to innis: distribution networks as media networks. In the 18th and 19th centuries, the waterways of central canada acted as distribution networks for commodities prominently beaver pelts and lumber promoted settlement. Railway technology (media) expands civilizations, just as waterways facilitate economic expansion and settlement. Ideology: the railway and canadian technological nationalism, yesterday and today, the railway as space-binding media, in contrast to time-binding media. The trans-canada express: railroad created canada as nation, united through trade and travel, railways as part of the canadian imagination, rail as a global link, canada as a technological nation. The concepts of time and space reflect the significance of media to civilization. Media that emphasize time are those that are durable in character, such as parchment, clay, and stone. The heavy materials are suited to the development of architecture and sculpture.
