The Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada, 50th Anniversary Edition - Softcover

"This book is a 'must' for those seeking to understand Canadian society, its inner workings and motivations ... None will read it without being stimulated and better informed about our society." -- Tommy Douglas The Globe and Mail "The Vertical Mosaic is a milestone in Canadian intellectual history. Both academics and the general reading public have waited a long time for this study to appear. They have not been disappointed. In both richness of detail and rigour of analysis, it has few rivals." -- Martin Robin American Political Science Review "The Vertical Mosaic will be a touchstone for social studies in Canada." -- Robert Fulford Toronto Star "Porter has written a masterpiece of empirical sociology, and no one can be properly informed about the structure of Canadian society until he has absorbed the contents of this monograph." -- New Society

John Porter's landmark study of social and ethnic inequality, The Vertical Mosaic, became an instant classic when it was first published in 1965. A national best seller that sold more than 100,000 copies, the book was the first major study of Canada's class structure and one of the foundational texts in Canadian sociology. Sociologist Irving Louis Horowitz described it as "the sociological study of present-day Canada." Fifty years later, the book retains vast significance both for its powerful critique of social exclusivity in a country that prides itself on equality and diversity and for its influence on generations of sociological researchers. The 50th Anniversary Edition features new material which contextualizes the legacy of this important book: a foreword by Porter's colleague, Wallace Clement, and his biographer, Rick Helmes-Hayes, and a new introductory essay by historian Jack Jedwab and sociologist Vic Satzewich.