User:Arfa tahirr/sandbox

Multiculturalism in Canada

I am going to integrate new scholarly information, from peer-reviewed sources, on criticism on multicultural policy in Canada.

I have expanded on the criticism part. Added "Contesting Multiculturalism" Arfa tahirr (talk) 23:14, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Criticism

Further information: Criticism of multiculturalism

Critics of multiculturalism in Canada often debate whether the multicultural ideal of benignly co-existing cultures that interrelate and influence one another, and yet remain distinct, is sustainable, paradoxical or even desirable.[80][81][82] In the introduction to an article which presents research showing that "the multiculturalism policy plays a positive role" in "the process of immigrant and minority integration," Citizenship and immigration Canada sums up the critics' position by stating:[83]

Critics argue that multiculturalism promotes ghettoization and balkanization, encouraging members of ethnic groups to look inward, and emphasizing the differences between groups rather than their shared rights or identities as Canadian citizens.

Toronto's Chinatown is an ethnic enclave located in the city centre Canadian Neil Bissoondath in his book Selling Illusions: The Cult of Multiculturalism in Canada, argues that official multiculturalism limits the freedom of minority members, by confining them to cultural and geographic ethnic enclaves ("social ghettos").[84] He also argues that cultures are very complex, and must be transmitted through close family and kin relations.[85] To him, the government view of cultures as being about festivals and cuisine is a crude oversimplification that leads to easy stereotyping.[85]

According to a study conducted by The University of Victoria, many Canadians do not feel a strong sense of belonging in Canada, or cannot integrate themselves into society as a result of ethnic enclaves.[86] Many immigrants to Canada choose to live in ethnic enclaves because it can be much easier than fitting in with mainstream Canadian culture.[86]

Canadian Daniel Stoffman's book Who Gets In questions the policy of Canadian multiculturalism. Stoffman points out that many cultural practices (outlawed in Canada), such as allowing dog meat to be served in restaurants and street cockfighting, are simply incompatible with Canadian and Western culture.[87] He also raises concern about the number of recent older immigrants who are not being linguistically integrated into Canada (i.e., not learning either English or French).[87] He stresses that multiculturalism works better in theory than in practice and Canadians need to be far more assertive about valuing the "national identity of English-speaking Canada".[87]

Canadian Joseph Garcea explores the validity of attacks on multiculturalism because it supposedly segregates the peoples of Canada; multiculturalism hurts the Canadian, Québécois, and Aboriginal culture, identity, and nationalism projects; and, it perpetuates conflicts between and within groups.[88] Oxford sociologist, Reza Hasmath, argues that the multicultural project in Canada has the potential to hinder substantive equality in the labour market for ethnic minorities.[89]

Despite an official national bilingualism policy, many French commentators from the Province of Quebec believe multiculturalism threatened to reduce them to just another ethnic group.[90][91] Quebec's policy seeks to promote interculturalism, welcoming people of all origins while insisting that they integrate into Quebec's majority French-speaking society.[92] In 2008, a Consultation Commission on Accommodation Practices Related to Cultural Differences, headed by sociologist Gerard Bouchard and philosopher Charles Taylor, recognized that Quebec is a de facto pluralist society, but that the Canadian multiculturalism model "does not appear well suited to conditions in Quebec".[93]

Contesting Multiculturalism

1971 was the year Canada had announced a policy of multiculturalism. The main goal of the policy was to essentially improve the quality of intercultural relations. Multicultural policy has been a challenged terrain since it’s inception that was in the early 1970s. Agreements have never been made regarding wisdom, desirability, or necessity of the federal government’s multicultural policies and also programs. Some people believe that what makes Canada unique and also a great country is multiculturalism. Some others believe that multiculturalism will eventually lead to our eventual downfall. In the new time, particularly regarding the World Trade Center and Pentagon that took place on September, 11th, 2001, then the bombing of the London transit system which took place on July 7th 2005 and lastly, the arrest of a 18 young Muslim Canadian men on the grounds that they were trying to plot a terrorist attacks all around the country. There have been many debates concerning multiculturalism that have taken on transformed importance and also a sense of political significance. Arfa tahirr (talk) 23:17, 10 April 2015 (UTC)

Ethnicity in art

References

Satzewich, V., & Liodakis, N. (2013). Diversity, Multiculturalism, and Quebec Interculturalism. In "Race" and Ethnicity in Canada (Third ed., p. 165). Don Mills, Ontario: Oxford University Press.

Berry, J. (2013). Research on multiculturalism in Canada. International Journal of Intercultural Relations, 663-675.