https://digital.library.ryerson.ca/islandora/object/RULA%3A1429/datastream/OBJ/download/The_Relationships_Between_Racialized_Immigrants_And_Indigenous_Peoples_In_Canada__A_Literature_Review.pdf
This article provides an academic viewpoint on the relationship between Canadian Indigenous Peoples and Canadian immigrants. Citing other research, “the colonial, stigmatized, and stereotyped view of Indigenous people is transferred to the newcomers,” and that multiculturalism is not the answer. Instead, Chung (2010) offers interculturalism as the more appropriate approach, in which dialogue between cultures with an emphasis on intercultural education for both groups is key. According to Chung (2010), multiculturalism has too much of an inherent focus on the minority group, ignoring the majority group’s perspectives. On an anecdotal level, I can see this applied to how many Canadians, often seniors, voice concerns that Canada is adapting to immigrant perspectives, and that immigrants “should” conform to Canadian societal expectations. While I do not personally agree with this, I do believe that the definition of interculturalism allows for those with this perspective to contribute to the discussion as long as both parties are willing.
The article also offers evidence that dispels a hypothesis I had about physical space being a large influence on the relationship between the two main groups. I had been thinking about the urban settlement by new immigrants in contrast to the rural setting of many Indigenous Peoples. Chung (2010) however points to how Winnipeg has a large concentration of both Indigenous Peoples and new immigrants, and yet there were very few observed social integrations between the two groups. This suggests that the distance is more on a sociological level than I had previously thought.
This article is overall a great contribution to my essay as it compiles the little research that had been done on the topic, and I can compare it with initiatives taken since this article’s publishing in 2010.