On Tolerance -- Reading Journal 4

Throughout this course, a main focus has been the status of multiculturalism in Canada.  While multiculturalism is often viewed positively by Canadians, closer inspection shows that Canada is not nearly as accepting of diversity as it appears. Wendy Brown’s (2006) analysis of the effects of tolerance discourse supports this less-than-ideal reality. Beginning with the actual pejorative connotations of the word, tolerance discourse has actually contributed to the inequality of the distribution of power in Canadian society.

                To introduce the idea of tolerance, Brown (2006) uses the Oxford English Dictionary definition. Rooted in the Latin tolerare, tolerance means to “endure”, to “license” and to “indulge” a burden (Brown, 2006, p.25-26). This definition implies that “tolerance entails suffering something one would rather not, but being positioned socially such that one can determine whether and how to suffer it, what one will allow from it,” (Brown, 2006, p.26). With a definition such as this, it is interesting to see the effects that messages of tolerance have on the overall application of multiculturalism in Canada.

In the News -- Citizenship-test failures skyrocket

Failure rates for the citizenship test -- the test that all applicants must pass in order to become Canadian -- have been pretty high as of late. In some cases, the failure rate is as much as 1 in 3. The reason?

Last March, the Government of Canada introduced a new test. This test is based on the overhauled Discover Canada booklet. Since the publication of this new study guide, Canadian citizenship applicants must know even facts about Canada's history, society and values.

Not only do applicants need to know more, but the pass mark has also been raised from 60% to 75%. This news story is just the tip of the iceberg for the debate about immigration in Canada. Canadian new media have taken this opportunity and used it as a platform to dive into the deeper issues of immigration.

Canada: Our Time To Lead

This Fall, the Globe and Mail launched an eight-part series entitled Canada: Our Time To Lead. This series, developped over the course of eight weeks, dedicated a specific topic of discussion to each week. Interestingly enough, the first topic was Multiculturalism.

Throughout the week, Globe journalists explored the state of multiculturalism in Canada. Supported by interesting videos and intereactive graphics, the series offers an interesting and in-depth look at Multiculturalism in Canada. While there is a lot of informative content, I would like to highlight the pieces that I found most interesting.

Multiculturalism as Identity -- Reading Journal #1

            Throughout my university studies, the notions of Canadian identity and nation-branding have really interested me. For this reason, Eva Mackey’s (2002) concept of multiculturalism as a “‘great national bandage’ that helps to heal the ‘national fabric’,” really struck me as an interesting concept (p.67). To hear Mackey describe its symbolic purpose so bluntly is refreshing and insightful.

            After reading the Mackey (2002) article and reflecting on the ideas, I would have to agree with her description of multiculturalism’s history and function within Canada. While it eventually became an official social policy, I believe that multiculturalism’s original purpose was to be a symbolic means of helping create a sense of identity among Canadians. It is only through public and political discourse and socialization that multiculturalism has become reified in the Canada’s collective consciousness.

Cultural Protection and Diversity -- Reading Journal #2

When the term cultural protection is mentioned, two countries come immediately to my mind: Canada and France. Both countries have a fear of losing their cultural identities to americanization and, for France, anglicization.  With this fear of losing their national identity, it is interesting to see how each country is dealing with the increasing cultural diversity within their borders. Despite their shared concern for protecting their own cultures, each country has taken a radically different approach to managing diversity. I believe that each country has taken the most logical and efficient stance on managing diversity for their respective social and historical situations. In this reflection, I will discuss the style of managing diversity that each country practices, followed by why I believe it is the best option. 

CBC Radio Documentary – Being Canadian

                The other day, as I was listening to the radio, I heard a promo for a CBC documentary entitled Being Canadian.  Being Canadian? What does that even mean? Intrigued, I decided to check it out online. I’m glad I did because it makes for some great content to share on this blog.



Sunny (second from left) and her family.



Turns out, Being Canadian is a radio documentary produced by a woman named Sun-Kyung (Sunny) Yi. It offers up both an intellectual and personal approach to the themes of multiculturalism, citizenship and – yes – being Canadian. Divided into two one-hour segments, the first half explores the meaning of multiculturalism in Canada while the second half focuses on Sunny’s own experiences as a Korean-Canadian growing up in Regina during the 1970s and 80s.

Reading Journal #3 -- Manifestations of Multiculturalism

            Last class, we read an article by Hartmann & Gerteis (2005) in which they describe four ideal types of multiculturalism. While the article gives an excellent overview of different approaches, it really does not consider the real world manifestations of multiculturalism. As is to be expected, the real world is too complicated to fit perfectly into ideal types. In fact, in Canada alone, a combination of these ideal types can be found. From government discourse to individual perceptions of multiculturalism, there are many different perceptions of how multiculturalism is within Canada.

Multiculturalism, according to how the German Government sees it, is a failure. 

"Canada is a country built on differences."

This is what the judge at my friend’s citizenship ceremony said.  And with 81 new Canadians in one room representing 36 different countries, I can see what he means.

Seeing my friend become a Canadian citizen yesterday was a pretty awesome experience. Not only was I able to witness this once in a lifetime event, but the judge’s welcoming speech also struck a few chords.

Throughout the ceremony, the judge called on each new Canadian to participate in their communities, to find their place in the “national fabric”. Acknowledging their differences, he encouraged each person to bring their unique talents and passions and apply them to creating a Canada of which everyone can be proud.

Since beginning this Sociology of Diversity course, I’ve thought a lot about multiculturalism in Canada. I’ve learned that multiculturalism as a social policy isn’t as effective as anticipated and that new Canadians face many challenges in adapting to their new lives. However, in the afterglow of the ceremony, multiculturalism still seems like a great idea worthy of continued effort.

Photo credit: http://archive.gg.ca/media/pho/index_e.asp?GalleryID=338&Sequence=7