Honouring a mentor by writing a book
Posted: December 18, 2015 9:30 a.m.
Dr. Phillip Hansen says writing about his mentor, C. B. Macpherson, was a labour of love. Photo courtesy of Rae Graham - U of R Photography.
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A University of Regina professor emeritus has written a book about a man who inspired him and guided his career.
Dr. Phillip Hansen – professor emeritus in the department of philosophy and classics and an adjunct professor in Graduate Studies and Research – has written Reconsidering C.B. Macpherson: From Possessive Individualism to Democratic Theory and Beyond (University of Toronto Press).
“I guess you could call it a labour of love,” says Hansen.
Professor Macpherson taught political theory at the University of Toronto starting in 1935. He was made an officer in the Order of Canada in 1976.
“The inspiration for the book was both personal and scholarly. I studied with Prof. Macpherson during the course of my graduate programme at the University of Toronto. He served on my PhD committee and later supported me in my efforts to obtain an academic appointment, including my appointment at the University of Regina,” explains Hansen.
“Along with a colleague, I also had the privilege of serving as a discussion partner with Prof. Macpherson as he prepared the essays that were ultimately published in his final book, The Rise and Fall of Economic Justice.”
Hansen also wants to make the current generation more aware of Macpherson.
“I think that Prof. Macpherson and his ideas about liberalism, capitalism and democracy have been unfortunately and regrettably marginalized and even ignored among contemporary political and social theorists, especially in relation to current debates around democratic theory and the possibilities for social change that would strengthen democratic practices and institutions. I hope my study will at least partly compensate for this marginalization and encourage scholars and students to look, or look again, at what he has to say,” he explains.
The book took almost eleven months to complete. Hansen says Macpherson's thoughts shaped his approaches to the three other books he has authored or co-authored. So he didn’t find it difficult to write this latest book.
“It was a pleasure to write, because I'd long wanted to do this book and had been thinking about what I wanted to say for the last thirty or so years, literally from the beginning of my full-time academic career. He served as an important mentor for me, and my book is a way of acknowledging his support and my gratitude for it.”
Reconsidering C.B. Macpherson: From Possessive Individualism to Democratic Theory and Beyond now is available in book stores. There will be an official launch on Thursday, January 21, 2016, at Bushwakker Brew Pub at 2206 Dewdney Ave. from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.