21st Century Canadian Diversity

"This is the book that many of us in the field of race scholarship have been waiting for." - Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto, Scarborough

Canada's policy of multiculturalism has been the object of ongoing debate since it was first introduced in 1971. Decades later, Canadians still seem uncertain about the meaning of multiculturalism. Detractors insist that government has not succeeded in discouraging immigrants and their descendants from preserving their cultures of origin, undercutting a necessary identification with Canada, while supporters argue that immigrant groups' abilities to influence their adjustments to Canada has strengthened their sense of belonging. Beyond what often seems to be a polarized debate is a broad spectrum of opinion around multiculturalism in Canada and what it means to be Canadian. The Multiculturalism Question analyzes the policy, ideology, and message of multiculturalism. Several of Canada's leading thinkers provide valuable insights into a crucial debate that will inevitably continue well into the future.

On July 1, 2017, Canada celebrated the 150th anniversary of Confederation. The nation-wide festivities prompted ambiguous reactions and contradictory responses since they officially proclaimed to celebrate 'what it means to be Canadian.' Drawing on the analytical perspectives of Diversity Studies, this fifth volume of the 'Diversity / Diversité / Diversität' series explores the repercussions of 'Canada 150's' focus on identity. The contributions touch upon issues of Canada's French and English dualism; of its settler colonial past and present and the role of Indigenous Peoples in Canada's identity narrative; of Canada's religious, cultural, ethnic and racial diversity; and of the challenge of forging a 'Canadian' identity. The authors analyze these and other problems arising from the tensions between identity and diversity by empirically addressing topics such as multicultural memories, Canadian literary and political discourses, Métis history, Canada's Indigenous peoples, Canada's official federal discourse on language and culture, and Canada's evolving citizenship regimes. Contributors: Marie-Eve Beaulieu, Charles Blattberg, Paul Carls, Sarah Henzi, Jane Jenson, Wolfgang Klooss, Gillian Lane-Mercier, Pierre Lavoie, Ursula Lehmkuhl, Laurence McFalls, Nikolas Schall, Lisa Schaub, Elisabeth Tutschek

"Although Canada is known internationally as a leader amongst industrialized countries for inclusive practices towards immigrants and refugees, the twenty-first century has witnessed a rise in the number of refugees and temporary migrant workers who are often denied citizenship, and may also experience detention and deportation. Containing Diversity examines whether and to what extent Canada's long-standing support for immigration, multiculturalism, and citizenship has shifted in favour of discourses, policies, and practices that "contain" diversity. This book reflects on how diversity is being "contained" through practices designed to insulate the Canadian settler-colonial state. In assessing the Canadian government's policies towards refugees and asylum seekers, economic migrants, family-class migrants, temporary foreign workers, and multiculturalism, the authors show the various contradictory practices in effect. Containing Diversity reflects on policy changes, analysed alongside the resurgence of right-wing political ideology, and the realities of the COVID-19 pandemic. Ultimately, Containing Diversity highlights the need for a re-imagining of new forms of solidarity that centre migrant and Indigenous justice."--