Jan.10 Discussion questions
by C. Kwon ~ January 10th, 2011. Filed under: Notes.Multiculturalism and the History of Canadian Diversity (by Day)
1) How can the “origin myth of Canadian multiculturalism as an already achieved ideal” be problematic or a possible threat to our society?
2) What is “true multiculturalism”? Do you think Canada can achieve this?
3) Day states that “the ‘social identity’ approach does not bring into question the enabling constraints that make ethnocultural identifications possible in the first place.” Would you agree with this statement? Why or why not?
4) Why are war and bad economy convenient in terms of regulating immigration? Are these excuses still effective or justifiable?
White man’s Law: native People in Nineteenth-Century Canadian Jurisprudence (by Harring & Wiebe)
1) Calling a Native Canadian “Indian” is deemed politically incorrect, and yet the “Indian Law” still incorporates the term, and many writers adopt it, stating that “Native Canadian” or “First Nations” is an apologetic term used by European colonizers. What are your thoughts on this matter?
2) Discuss British Columbia’s resistance in recognizing the Indigenous legal rights. Why was BC different from the rest of Canada?
3) How are the dispute over land rights and fishing rights in British Columbia interrelated?
4) During the nineteenth century the Native Peoples in BC have either refused to acknowledge the British law or appealed to the Crown that the British law acknowledges their claim on land. What might be the reasons behind these separate approaches?
5) Should the Native Peoples take a more active role in the affairs of immigrants, considering the land originally belonged to them?
6) What would be the crux of rejecting the Native Peoples’ legal title? What may be the political/economic motivations behind such a decision?