Fur Nation

<p><em>Fur Nation</em> traces the interwoven relationships between sexuality national identity and colonialism. Chantal Nadeau shows how Canada a white settler colony bases its existence and its nationhood on a complex sexual economy based on women wrapped in fur.<br>Nadeau traces the centrality of fur through a series of intriguing case studies including:<br>* Hollywood's take on the 330 year history of the Hudson Bay Company founded to exploit Canada's rich fur resources<br>* the life of a postwar fur fashion photographer<br>* a 1950s musical called <em> Fur Lady</em><br>* the battle between Brigitte Bardot's anti-fur activists and the fur industry.<br>Nadeau highlights the connection between 'fur ladies' - women wearing exploiting or promoting furs - and the beaver symbol of Canada and nature's master builder. She shows how in postcolonial Canada the nation is sexualised around female reproduction and fur which is both a crucial factor in economic development and a powerful symbol through which the nation itself is conceived and commodified. <em>Fur Nation</em> demonstrates that for Canada fur really is the fabric of a nation.</p>