Soviet-Canadian Doukhobor correspondence: Building global civil society in a Cold-War political climate

This thesis presents a case study of international correspondence between members of a social and religious society known as the Doukhobors. The case study is used to shed light on the historical development of global civil society. It is asserted in the thesis that various forms of correspondence between Doukhobors in the Soviet Union and Canada in the late Soviet period together presented an example both of citizen diplomacy and a nucleus of global civil society. By extension, it is concluded that sustained citizen diplomacy between members of a societal group at a global level can serve as an important precondition in the development of a strong global civil society.