Author: C. Kwon

An interesting report on hyphenated identities:

Mahtani, Minelle. Interrogating the Hyphen-Nation: Canadian Multicultural Policy and “Mixed Race” Identities.
Toronto, ON, Canada: CERIS – The Ontario Metropolis Centre, 2004. **VPN required**

Revealing Moments (pp.74-88):

1. At the citizenship ceremony Khayatt encounters a “friendly” interrogation and brushes off pseudo-racist comments as curious and uninformed. Does racism depend on the attitude of the recipient? In other words, if the recipient thinks certain remarks are more or less benign, are those comments still racist? Should one confront these “curious” racism or ignore it?

2. Khayatt does not hyphenate her identity as “Egyptian-Canadian”. From her article what do you think is the cause/reason/motivation for avoiding such a term?

3. “I had the composure of class and the confidence of privilege to protect me from the exclusion to which I may otherwise have been subjected and of which I may have been made an object” (Khayatt 82). Khayatt thinks that her upper-class background contributed to her relatively successful assimilation to the Canadian culture.Would you agree that a social class in one’s country of origin matters significantly in Canada? What other socio-economic factors can make a person feel more included and excluded?

4. Khayatt states that she is able to control the exposure of her “exotic” side according to circumstances. Does a person have to do something similar in order to feel at home in Canada? If so, then what does one adopt in place of his/her ethnic identity?

5. “… the Linking of citizenship with occupation points to a system locate[s] within the dynamics of capitalism” (Khayatt 78) since society benefits by selectively accepting those who can greatly contribute to its economy. Is multiculturalism a capitalist convention as well?

The Elusive and Illusionary (pp.115-121):

1. If you were (or are) in the situation of the author, being stretched between multiple cultures, would you try and associate yourself more with one?
Perhaps the more dominant physical characteristics, or work plainly with the fact that you do have multiple ethnicities?

2. What is the most effective way that you have found to explain your cultural identity, or deal with pressure or bullies? Do you find it necessary to defend your heritage?

3. Is it worth changing how you perceive yourself in order to fit in?

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?

Here’s a list of rules and guidelines that we came up today for classroom discussions:

• Be open and share your feelings and opinions
• Honesty with courtesy
• Give each other the benefit of the doubt
• Don’t get offended too easily
• When you disagree, state your reasons
• Be culturally aware
• Be punctual
• Don’t make generalizations
• Respect others when they are speaking in class (i.e. no interruptions)
• Try to speak only English in class
• Be understanding of others’ experience
• Use the safety word if discussions become too heated
• Avoid absolute statements
• Use modifiers such as “I believe,” “In my view,” etc.
• Clarify the terms you use in class
• Don’t be afraid to discuss stereotypes and prejudice