Americanization and the development of management studies in Canada

Abstract

Using ANTi-History this dissertation sets out to understand the development of management studies in a Canadian context. The dissertation traces 18 human scholars by analyzing Administrative Sciences Association of Canada (ASAC) conference papers and Canadian Journal of Administrative Sciences (CJAS) journal articles to explore how actor networks come to develop a model of management studies. Understanding how management studies has seemingly come to represent American values and interests is important to surface other accounts of management studies. The surfacing of other accounts using an amodernist approach revealed the tensions that have existed in Canada between what has come to be seen as 'universal' or 'scientific knowledge' and the importance of providing a venue to protect Canadian identity and scholarship. By examining the actions of the 18 actors across conference and journal articles, analysis reveals how management studies in Canada was influenced by and founded upon American values and traditions.