Hi there! My name is Timothy Choi and I have just wrapped up my third year of studies at the University of British Columbia with a double major in piano performance and English Literature. I am doing this blog as partial fulfillment of the course requirements for English 470, Canadian Studies. In this course we will uncover the ways in which we can intervene in the development and attitudes surrounding Canadian literature, while analyzing the ways in which stories are told as well as which stories we hear and do not hear.
I will be honest; the sole reason why I am taking Canadian Studies is because it is mandatory for the completion of my English Literature major requirements. I have not read many works by Canadian authors, and I had done so only because it was required of me in one of my first year classes. It isn’t that I hold anything against Canadian literature; it’s just that there is nothing particular that strikes me as interesting about what people have to say about Canada. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not as though I haven’t tried. In fact, I think I have tried harder than most people in this country to make sense of Canadian identity and to expose myself to all the experiences this country has to offer in hopes of uncovering its core attributes. When I was 15, I participated in Encounters with Canada, a program that allows youth to connect and meet from all across Canada in Ottawa for a week to learn and discuss a specific theme (my week was International Affairs). In the summer before entering university, I participated in the Explore program, where I spent five beautiful weeks in Jonquiere, Quebec learning French in the intensely Francophone environment. Both attempts at understanding Canadian identity more or less failed for me, but this summer I will embark on my third (and perhaps most ambitious) attempt. Paired with what I will learn and experience from this course, I will spend five weeks in Moncton with Explore and use this opportunity to experience the culture of the Maritime provinces. Following the end of the program in August, I will take a coast-to-coast train ride back to Vancouver, stopping in major cities along the way and passing through the varied and spectacular landscapes Canada has to offer. If I don’t feel any more Canadian after this summer, I don’t think anything could change me.
Stories of nationhood: fables to beguile young men to their early graves?
I am constantly skeptical towards the ideas that justify nationalism, and my background no doubt has something to do with this belief. Born a British citizen while Hong Kong was still a colony of the UK and never having received a Chinese passport, I became a Canadian citizen when I moved to Vancouver at age seven. Nationality seems to me like a mere title; when I visited UK for the first time last summer, it certainly did not feel like home, even though on paper I am, before I was ever anything else, a citizen of the UK. Even more odd and ironic is the fact that I am an ethnic Han Chinese who is not recognized as such on paper, even though anyone who looks at me can see that I am Chinese. The political reality of Canada feels to me like another remnant of colonialism from one and a half centuries ago. The fact that we continue to create stories for ourselves about how we are one nation feels to me like we are trying to preserve the legacy of colonialism, while failing or unwilling to acknowledge that our country is simply too diverse and dissimilar to justify or even validate the existence of a national identity. I already foresee myself playing the role of devil’s advocate in the class discussions, but I think it will enrich my understanding of what is Canada and challenge the beliefs of my peers, so we will all get something good out of my cynicism. I look forward to some lively and stimulating debates from my classmates!
Thanks for reading.
WORKS CITED
Choi, Timothy. “Timothy goes to Europe”. Timothy9. Travellerspoint. N.p. 2 Jan. 2014. Web. 14 May 2015.
Choi, Timothy. “Tyne Cot.” 2014. JPEG.
“Explore” Explore. N.p. n. d. Web. 14 May 2015.
“Home” Encounters with Canada. N.p. n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
“Toronto-Vancouver Train” Via Rail. N.p. n.d. Web. 14 May 2015.
Hi Timothy, welcome to our course of studies – and thanks for the link to your travel blog; an interesting browse. I think you well indeed enjoy this class, and we share similar sentiments re: ” The political reality of Canada feels to me like another remnant of colonialism from one and a half centuries ago. The fact that we continue to create stories for ourselves about how we are one nation feels to me like we are trying to preserve the legacy of colonialism, while failing or unwilling to acknowledge that our country is simply too diverse and dissimilar to justify or even validate the existence of a national identity.”
Only – instead of debates, we will work to create dialogue – check out unit 4 lesson 4:2:
Dialogue
Noun: A discussion between two or more people or groups, especially one directed towards exploration of a particular subject or resolution of a problem
Verb: Take part in a conversation or discussion to resolve a problem
Enjoy!
Hi Timothy,
I share your skepticism about nationalism, specifically in its power as a rhetorical device. It seems like every questionable policy decision is justified through an appeal to nationalism – this is for the good of Canadians, this will protect Canadians, etc. The promises of nationalism – community, belonging, shared experiences – are such compelling ones, I think it’s very important that we can take a step back and question this when it’s presented to us.
I hope you have a great trip this summer! Perhaps you can develop a connection to the land which is separate from nationalism? I believe one can appreciate land or culture that is not delineated by borders.
I’m glad that someone out there agrees with this radical perception of nationalism, and I really like the way you frame nationalism as a rhetorical device.
I do feel connected to the land without nationalism; I love my home, I love the dykes of Richmond where I go jogging, and I feel instantly connected to some places that I travel to because of its beauty. In terms of culture, I believe I exist in a hybrid culture of Chinese and western influences that is not reflective of Canadian identity, and in no way requires its approval. Strangely enough, nationalism encourages us to feel that the problems and concerns of remote places and people which I may never visit or heard of is somehow my problems and concerns (like the Cree of the Prairies or the Inuit of Northern Canada), and that to me is what’s problematic about the implications of Canada as a political entity
🙂
Hi Timothy!
I really enjoyed reading through your blog; thank you for your honesty. Your words convey an expression of curiosity for Canadian history, all the while portray a hint of confusion. I can relate – being Canadian myself, I still struggle with piecing together Canada’s history. Considering that Canada as a nation has established itself on colonized (stolen) land, the idea behind Nationalism can be a confusing matter, especially once the veil has been lifted. In that regard, exposure to First Nation’s traditional stories, Indigenous writers, and academic articles in ENG 470A’s course, will be a huge indicator of what true Canadian history, really is. Perhaps your attempts at understanding Canadian history were failures, but were merely stepping stones to the grander understanding you will acquire through this class, and as you go on in life. Enjoy the class!
-Arianne LaBoissonniere
“Perhaps your attempts at understanding Canadian history were failures”…
this was a typo…what I wanted to say was:
Perhaps your attempts at understanding Canadian history were perceived as failures, but instead they were merely stepping stones to the grander understanding you will acquire through this class, and as you go on in life.
🙂
Hi Arianne,
Thank you for your input on my article. I have a hard time understanding, and often actively speak out against the notion of Canada being a stolen land. If we applied that model of thinking to so many other places in the world, where the movement of people and interchange of cultures are more frequent, it’s harder to define which culture group actually owns a place. Is ownership defined as the first group to arrive at a place and own it for perpetuity (think of the non-linguistic narratives of ecosystems and of nature that have already inhabited the place and were displaced by this new group of animals) or is it owned by the group that has the power to push out competition and defend their land? I am of the second opinion, and while it seems cynical and nihilistic to suggest that might is right, this is an invariable constant in nature and in human societies.
Your thoughts reminded me of this marvellous video and I was thinking about it while writing my comments, so perhaps this might reveal where my perspective is coming from.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-evIyrrjTTY
🙂