In his book White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada Daniel Coleman argues that the concept of Canadian whiteness is not inherent to the country’s origins. Instead this idea of whiteness is really just a project of white colonialists which dates all the way back to the early 1800’s. This project was focused on ensuring that being white would be the norm in Canada, and all other races would be treated outliers in what was believed to be a largely a white, English Canada. This would be achieved mainly through the use of literature, which was used to promote the misleading notion that racial norms in Canada should only be based on “a specific form of whiteness based on a British form of civility.” (Coleman 5)
Moreover Coleman points out the impact of this misleading notion in the opening pages of his book. In it he references an account of a South Asian mother who finds evidence of this literary project of English Canada through her own daughter. This discovery was instigated in a classroom, wherein a teacher asked her daughter to draw her own family in class, only for her to respond with drawings of people that were blond haired, white skinned, and blue eyed. When confronted by her mother the little girl responded as logically as she could stating that she copied to from all the books that she has read, which only depicted white families. This example therein shows that the project of white civility has largely succeeded, not only including itself into the culture of Canada, but also permeating within the minds of its youth, changing the way they identify with themselves.
Fortunately the Canadian government over the years has taken steps to ensure that the racial conception of a Canadian is not just that of whiteness. One such example of this effort comes from the Multiculturalism Act of 1989, which “normalized the government’s commitment to “promote the full and equitable participation of individuals and communities of all origins in the continuing evolution and shaping of all aspects of Canadian society””. This involves creating a number of laws that would promote laws that help “protect ethnic, racial, linguistic, and religious diversity” (Historica Canada) not just for white Canadians, but for all other races present in the country as well.
From this act it is clear that Coleman’s argument regarding this project of ensuring white civility most definitely had some merit to it. With the account of the South Asian mother revealing that it’s goal was largely a success. In addition that particular account was surely just one of many instances wherein people who were not white felt marginalized, which I think is one of the main reasons as why the Canadian government sought to alleviate these issues through the Multiculturalism Act of 1989.
In my opinion since this act was put in motion Canada has definitely become much more racially varied both demographically and culturally. Now rather than whiteness my own conception of Canada is a place that doesn’t really have a set identity, as it is a place that is defined by diversity of its people rather than a particular race.
Words Cited:
Coleman, Daniel. White Civility: The Literary Project of English Canada. Toronto: U of Toronto, 2006. Print.
Burnet, Jean, and Leo Driedger. “Multiculturalism.” The Canadian Encyclopedia. Historica Canada, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.
Hi Franco,
Thanks for this blog post. In some ways, I do agree with you that since the Multiculturalism Act of 1989, things have changed for the better. I do however feel that there is a problematic contradiction within Candian society. I feel that the idea of multiculturalism is so engrained in our Canadian rhetoric and plays a part in the patriotism of the country. Yet, I feel that the image of whiteness is still so dominant in our media and culture. Growing up, I also remember all of the books and toys only representing white families- if there was something suggesting otherwise, it was made a point to label it as “ethnic” or “different”. I do think that things are better now than when I was a child (I was born around when the Multicultural Act was put in place) but I find it so bizarre that our country preaches and celebrates this idea of multiculturalism, yet still marginalizes non-white groups.
Hi Francisco,
Based on the example of the South Asian mother’s daughter, I personally can understand where she is coming from. Racial representation is important especially in media, and it’s a shame that obviously Asian characters are casted onto white actors/actresses. I also think there are many leftover influences of this white civility project/concept as a whole; for example, the whole internet phrase where ‘you were brainwashed into thinking European features are the epitome of beauty’.
I think in providing more multicultural literature it is important for youth to identify with their own cultures but to also be respectful of other diverse cultures. Canadian literature I feel is something that aims to do such, especially with the overall aim of providing broad cultural ranges, like certain publishing companies such as Talonbooks. I’m curious as to what observations you’ve had as well in identifying whitewashed concepts and your experiences with your own stories? What do you think would be the next step away from the “white civility” projects and towards a more multicultural Canada (be it in literature, social media, etc)?
Thanks for your post!
Jenny