{"id":598,"date":"2016-05-17T07:31:20","date_gmt":"2016-05-17T14:31:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/punjabisikhstudies\/?page_id=598"},"modified":"2020-06-05T14:48:29","modified_gmt":"2020-06-05T21:48:29","slug":"open-letter-on-the-apology-for-the-komagata-maru-incident","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/research\/km2014\/open-letter-on-the-apology-for-the-komagata-maru-incident\/","title":{"rendered":"Open Letter on the apology for the Komagata Maru incident on 18 May 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

Published\u00a0online<\/strong> on 18 May 2016 through the National Observer<\/em>:<\/strong> http:\/\/www.nationalobserver.com\/2016\/05\/18\/opinion\/open-letter-academics-recognizes-significance-canadas-apology-komagata-maru<\/a><\/p>\n

17 May 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

An open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>What is the legacy of the Komagata Maru?<\/strong><\/p>\n

We, scholars of the languages, histories, cultures, and religions of South Asia, write as a group in recognition of the significance of the Canadian government’s apology for the Komagata Maru incident that will take place in Parliament by the Prime Minister on May 18, 2016. The Komagata Maru was a ship bearing 376 migrants from British India, most of whom were disallowed from entering Canada in 1914 as a part of a larger move against Asian immigration to Canada in that period. The centenary of this incident was commemorated in 2014 with a range of events across Canada, and particularly in British Columbia, with the participation of a wide range of activists, scholars, artists, and members of the public. This apology has been long awaited, and represents a valuable demonstration of the acceptance of responsibility and admission of contrition.<\/p>\n

What next? There are many possible legacies for the Komagata Maru incident. Its story relates to many pressing current social problems: the need for equitable, transparent, and just immigration policies and procedures, and a generous response to the urgent needs of refugees. The Komagata Maru resonates with our world in all of these domains. We, as scholars, call on the Canadian government to act in the memory of the Komagata Maru also by embracing Canada’s long and complex relationship with South Asia, and the vibrant and relatively little known history of South Asian Canadians. We hope that recognition of the injustice associated with the Komagata Maru incident will result in support for the deepening of knowledge about South Asia in Canada, and exploration of the contributions, experiences, and histories of South Asian Canadians. Such work must reach beyond the directly monetizable aspects of the Canada-South Asia relationship to embrace the worlds of history, literature, and culture that bind us, and through which we can build a new kind of future.<\/p>\n

Let the Komagata Maru, which arrived in Canadian waters a little more than 102 years ago, remind us of the importance of history and its connection to the present, and the importance of the expression of that past in literature, scholarship, and the arts. Enable real engagement with South Asia by supporting, among other things, student research and travel in South Asia, community-based research in Canada, and less-commonly taught and low enrolment languages. If we support them in doing so, our students will carry forward the legacy of the Komagata Maru in a way that honours the past, and creates a more equitable and infinitely richer future.<\/p>\n

Quel est l\u2019h\u00e9ritage laiss\u00e9 par le Komagata Maru?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Nous, professeur.e.s et chercheur.e.s de l\u2019histoire, des cultures, des langues et des religions de l\u2019Asie du Sud, sommes r\u00e9uni.e.s en reconnaissance de l\u2019importance des excuses officielles du gouvernement canadien qui seront pr\u00e9sent\u00e9es le 18 mai 2016 par le premier ministre pour l\u2019incident du Komagata Maru. Le Komagata Maru \u00e9tait un paquebot transportant 376 migrants en provenance de l\u2019Inde britannique dont la plupart se sont vu refuser l\u2019entr\u00e9e au Canada en 1914, dans le cadre d’un mouvement plus large contre l\u2019immigration au Canada qui avait cours \u00e0 cette \u00e9poque. Le centenaire de cet incident a \u00e9t\u00e9 comm\u00e9mor\u00e9 en 2014, avec la tenue d\u2019un large \u00e9ventail d\u2019\u00e9v\u00e9nements \u00e0 travers le Canada, et plus particuli\u00e8rement en Colombie-Britannique, comptant la participation d\u2019un grand nombre d\u2019activistes, de professeur.e.s et chercheur.e.s, d\u2019artistes et de membres du public. Ces excuses officielles sont attendues depuis longtemps et d\u00e9montrent une importante prise de responsabilit\u00e9s et reconnaissance des torts du gouvernement canadien.<\/p>\n

Que pouvons-nous nous attendre pour la suite? L\u2019incident du Komagata Maru peut laisser place \u00e0 plusieurs legs. Son histoire est li\u00e9e \u00e0 plusieurs probl\u00e8mes sociaux d\u2019actualit\u00e9 pressants comme la n\u00e9cessit\u00e9 de mettre en place des politiques et proc\u00e9dures justes, \u00e9quitables et transparentes en mati\u00e8re d\u2019immigration et\u00a0de r\u00e9pondre g\u00e9n\u00e9reusement aux besoins urgents des r\u00e9fugi\u00e9.e.s. Le Komagata Maru trouve \u00e9cho dans toutes ces sph\u00e8res de notre monde. En tant que professeur.e.s et chercheur.e.s, nous faisons appel au gouvernement du Canada pour qu\u2019il agisse en m\u00e9moire du Komagata Maru en embrassant la longue et complexe relation que le Canada a entretenu avec l\u2019Asie du Sud depuis longtemps et avec l\u2019histoire vibrante et relativement peu connue des canadien.ne.s d\u2019origine sud-asiatique. Nous esp\u00e9rons que la reconnaissance de l’injustice associ\u00e9e au Komagata Maru donnera lieu \u00e0 un plus grand support pour l\u2019approfondissement de la connaissance de l\u2019Asie du Sud au Canada et \u00e0 une plus grande exploration des contributions, exp\u00e9riences et histoires des canadien.ne.s d\u2019origine sud-asiatique. La port\u00e9e d\u2019un tel travail doit d\u00e9passer les aspects strictement \u00e9conomiques qui caract\u00e9risent en partie la relation entre le Canada et l\u2019Asie du Sud pour embrasser les mondes de l\u2019histoire, la litt\u00e9rature et la culture qui nous lient et \u00e0 travers lesquels nous pouvons b\u00e2tir un nouveau futur.<\/p>\n

Il importe de laisser le Komagata Maru, qui est arriv\u00e9 dans les eaux canadiennes il y a un peu plus de 102 ans, nous rappeler l\u2019importance de l\u2019histoire et de son rapport avec le pr\u00e9sent et aussi l\u2019importance de l\u2019expression de ce pass\u00e9 dans la litt\u00e9rature, la recherche scientifique et les arts. Il est imp\u00e9ratif de favoriser un engagement r\u00e9el avec l\u2019Asie du Sud, en supportant, entre autres, les \u00e9tudiant.e.s \u00e0 faire de la recherche et des voyages en Asie du Sud, en encourageant la recherche communautaire et l\u2019enseignement des langues peu commun\u00e9ment enseign\u00e9es au Canada dans des classes aux effectifs peu \u00e9lev\u00e9s. Si nous supportons nos \u00e9tudiant.e.s \u00e0 avancer dans ce sens, elles et ils pr\u00e9serveront l\u2019h\u00e9ritage du Komagata Maru de fa\u00e7on \u00e0 faire honneur au pass\u00e9 et \u00e0 cr\u00e9er un futur plus \u00e9quitable et infiniment plus riche.<\/p>\n

Signed by:<\/strong>\u00a0<\/u><\/p>\n

Satwinder Bains, Director, Centre for Indo Canadian Studies &\u00a0UFV India, &\u00a0Associate Professor\u00a0Social Cultural and Media Studies \u2013 Indo Canadian Studies, University of the Fraser Valley<\/p>\n

Karine Bates, Professeure agr\u00e9g\u00e9e, D\u00e9partement d’anthropologie & Directrice du PRIAS\/P\u00f4le de recherche sur l’Inde et l’Asie du Sud, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Rachel Berger,\u00a0Associate Professor,\u00a0History Department,\u00a0Concordia University<\/p>\n

Mathieu Boisvert, Director of Graduate Programs in Religion; Director, Centre d\u2019\u00e9tudes et de recherche sur l\u2019Inde, l\u2019Asie du Sud et sa diaspora, Universit\u00e9 du Qu\u00e9bec \u00e0 Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Mandakranta Bose, Professor Emerita at the Institute of Asian Research and Director of the Institute’s Centre for India and South Asia Research, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Lara Braitstein,\u00a0Associate Professor, Faculty of Religious Studies,\u00a0McGill University<\/p>\n

Barbra Clayton, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Mount Allison University<\/p>\n

Francis Cody, Associate Professor, Anthropology and Asian Institute, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Andr\u00e9 Couture, Professeur associ\u00e9, Facult\u00e9 de th\u00e9ologie et de sciences religieuses, Universit\u00e9 Laval<\/p>\n

Neil Dalal, Associate Professor, Philosophy and Religious Studies, University of Alberta<\/p>\n

Arti Dhand, Department for the Study of Religion, Associate Professor, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Diana Dimitrova, Professeure agr\u00e9g\u00e9e, Facult\u00e9 de th\u00e9ologie et de sciences des religions, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Pat Dold, Associate Professor, Department of Religious Studies, and Head of Gender Studies, Memorial University<\/p>\n

Jonathan Geen, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, King’s University College @Western University<\/p>\n

Ellen Goldberg, Associate Professor of South Asian Religions, School of Religion, Queen\u2019s University<\/p>\n

Michael Hawley, Associate Professor, Religious Studies, Mount Royal University<\/p>\n

Sukhwant Hundal, Lecturer in Punjabi, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Tom Hunter, Lecturer in South-Southeast Asian Studies, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Ranbir Johal, Faculty, Department of Language and Cultures, Kwantlen Polytechnic University<\/p>\n

Prashant Keshavmurthy, Assistant Professor of Persian-Iranian Studies, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University<\/p>\n

Pasha Khan, Chair in Urdu Language and Culture & Assistant Professor, Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University<\/p>\n

John Leavitt, Professeur titulaire, D\u00e9partement d’anthropologie, Universit\u00e9 de Montr\u00e9al<\/p>\n

Richard Mann, Associate Professor and Associate Dean (Curriculum, Programs & Planning), Carleton University<\/p>\n

Libbie Mills, Lecturer, Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Nicola Mooney, Associate Professor, Anthropology, Department of Social, Cultural, and Media Studies and Senior Associate, Centre for Indo-Canadian Studies, University of the Fraser Valley<\/p>\n

Anne Murphy, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Vrinda Narain, Faculty of Law and the Institute for Gender, Sexuality and Feminist Studies (IGSF), McGill University<\/p>\n

Kamala Elizabeth Nayar, Professor of Asian Studies, Kwantlen Polytechnic University<\/p>\n

Jason Neelis, Associate Professor, Religion and Culture, Wilfred Laurier University<\/p>\n

Leslie Orr, Professor, Department of Religion, Concordia University<\/p>\n

Ishita Pande,\u00a0Associate Professor,\u00a0Department of History,\u00a0Queen’s University<\/p>\n

Andrea Marion Pinkney, Assistant Professor, School of Religious Studies, McGill University<\/p>\n

Bhavani Raman, Associate Professor, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Shyam Ranganathan, Assistant Professor, Department of Philosophy and Department of Social Sciences, South Asian Studies, York University<\/p>\n

Ajay Rao, Associate Professor, Department of Historical Studies and Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Hillary Peter Rodrigues, Professor, Department of Religious Studies, The University of Lethbridge<\/p>\n

Elizabeth Rohlman, Associate Professor in the Department of Classics and Religion, University of Calgary<\/p>\n

Karen Ruffle, Associate Professor, Department of Historical Studies\/Department for the Study of Religion, University of Toronto<\/p>\n

Shandip Saha, Associate\u00a0Professor, Department of Religious Studies, Athabasca University<\/p>\n

Adheesh Sathaye, Associate Professor, Department of Asian Studies, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Sara Shneiderman, Assistant Professor, Anthropology and the Institute of Asian Research, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Milan Singh, Research Fellow with the Centre for Policy Studies on Culture and Communities, Simon Fraser University<\/p>\n

Mark Turin, Associate Professor, Department of Anthropology, University of British Columbia<\/p>\n

Anne Vallely, Associate Professor, Department of Classics and Religious Studies, University of Ottawa<\/p>\n

Dagmar Wujastyk, Associate Professor, East Asian Studies, University of Alberta<\/p>\n

Dominik Wujastyk, Professor and Singhmar Chair, Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta<\/p>\n

For more information about this letter, please contact Professor Anne Murphy at anne.murphy@ubc.ca. Thank you to Julie Vig, Ph.D. Candidate, UBC, for the translation of this letter into French.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Published\u00a0online on 18 May 2016 through the National Observer: http:\/\/www.nationalobserver.com\/2016\/05\/18\/opinion\/open-letter-academics-recognizes-significance-canadas-apology-komagata-maru 17 May 2016 An open letter to the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau. \u00a0What is the legacy of the Komagata Maru? We, scholars of the languages, histories, cultures, and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12791,"featured_media":0,"parent":212,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-598","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12791"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1435,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/598\/revisions\/1435"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/212"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.ubc.ca\/annemurphy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}