A Postmodern Perspective.

'Myths' can be understood in part as the stories that we tell ourselves about ourselves; however, more than simple rehearsals, myths operate performatively - that is, rather than describing objectively apprehendible identies, myths work toconsitute the very identities to which they refer, and which they claim only to represent.This paper explores the performative function of the mythological assertion that Canada is a northern nation. Treating this identity not as an objective fact, this paper considers the way in the "the north" has been variously imagined, and considers the politics which are enabled through the production of Canada as anorthern/Arctic nation. With specific reference to Canadian foreign and security policy, this paper interrogates way in which the idea of Canada as a northern nation has played out in the context of a range of debates with a 'Northern dimension,'including those about sovereignty, environmental stewardship, and human security for northern peoples. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]