Category: Multiculturalism

  • Multicultural toys exhibit and conference, University of Greenwich

    The Centre for the Study of Play and Recreation, University of Greenwich and the Pollock Toy Museum Trust will host an exhibit and conference of multicultural toys and have issued a Call for Proposals.
    From the H-CHILDHOOD Listserv:
    “Toys have existed throughout human history in a few basic formats, while children have always created their own playthings. For centuries, craftsmen have created objects for children, which were available for purchase in places such as India and China before they were in Europe. Yet despite contemporary political espousal of innovation and entrepreneurship, the range of toys for sale in mainstream consumer outlets rarely reflects the cultural diversity of 21C Britain.
    Globalization is usually understood as the dominance of particular brands rather than as an opportunity for diversification and dissemination of local materials.
    June 3-8th, Exhibition at the Stephen Lawrence Gallery, University of Greenwich
    June 8th, Conference
    Following the success of previous multi-disciplinary conferences, we invite papers and short contributions from anyone interested in this area, including academics, post-graduate students, professionals working with children, and representatives of the toy industry.
    Possible topics include:

    Types of toys: balls, dolls, wheeled objected, construction toys, ‘small-world’ toys
    Natural objects as playthings and the games they inspire(d)
    Children’s experiences of toys, either contemporary or retrospective
    Manufacture of toys and toy industries
    Toys as training: the relationship between toys and social needs.

    Please send a short summary of your proposed topic (no more than 250 words) to Mary Clare Martin at playandrecreation@gre.ac.uk. First deadline: March 31st, 2nd deadline, April 15th”.

  • Call for papers: Multicultural education: Past, present & future

    From the listserv of the National Association of Multicultural Education: Call for papers for the fifth anniversay special issue. Theme: Multicultural Education: Past, Present, and Future.
    “The editors of the International Journal of Multicultural Education (IJME) want to take advantage of this special 5th anniversary issue to reflect on the state of the field: where it has been, where it is, and where it is going. To do this, we will publish manuscripts that highlight important insights about multicultural education theory, teaching and research.
    “We have selected an emphasis on the demonstrated effectiveness of multicultural education because we beleive that an evidentiary focus is expected by public and professional audiences more than ever in today’s high-stakes education policy and thus needs to figure more prominently in its future, especially if multicultural education is to enhance legitimacy within and beyond the accountability discourse of present educational priorities. For this reason, we seek manuscripts that link learner outcomes to particular goals that include, but are not limited to, developing:

    – socio-historical and socio-cultural knowledge in service of an affirming orientation toward diversity
    – constructivist dispositions toward knowlege, teaching, and learning in recognition of the partial, value- and power-laden nature of school curriculum, instruction, and assessment and of the broader cultural pedagogy of society
    – change-agent skils of voice and organization for the purpose of active democratic participation”.

    For submission information, see IJME. Submission deadline is April 1, 2012.

  • 40 years of Canadian policy of multiculturalism

    Z Sonia Worotynec 
    Canadian official “policy of multiculturalism within a bilingual framework” is 40 years old today (proclaimed Oct 8, 1971).
  • Revisiting 40 years of multicultural policy in Canada

    The Association for Canadian Studies and the Canadian Ethnic Studies Association will host their 2nd Joint Annual Conference in Ottawa, Ontario from Sept 30-Oct 1, 2011 on the theme of Revisiting 40 Years of Multicultural Policy in Canada. Regrettably, there are few sessions related to the impact of multicultural policy on children. However, here is the preliminary program, fyi. I’ve included links to where I thought they might add value. Question to organizers: is there a hashtag for tweeps attending?
    Fri Sept 30/11 9-10:30 am Concurrent sessions
    Multiculturalism and the Social Network

    Chair: Anne B. Denis, University of Ottawa
    Tieja Thomas and Vivek Venkatesh, Concordia University, Digital media and immigration: Limits and possibilities.
    Raluca Bejan, University of Toronto, A Step further: How to improve a mentoring program to fully advance the labour market inclusion of internationally trained professionals.
    Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, City of Toronto (retired), By any name – From respect for cultural difference to re-distribution of wealth and status.
    Carl  E. James, Danielle Lafond, Selom Chapman-Nyaho, York University, Getting to “know” police: Youth’s perceptions and experiences with police through summer employment.

    Governance and Multiculturalism

    Chair: Jean Teillet, Teillet and Associates
    Augie Fleras, University of Waterloo, Rethinking multicultural governance in Canada: Toward a multiversal multiculturalism in  a globalizing world of  transmigration & transnationalism.
    Malgorzata Kierylo Malolepsza, Queen’s University, Multiculturalism and the bureaucratization of ethnic consciousness.
    Sinelka Jurkova, University of Calgary, Ethnic organizations – segregating or integrating effects?
    Tara Gilkinson & Geneviève Sauvé, Citizenship and Immigration Canada, Recent immigrants, earlier immigrants and the Canadian-born: Personal and social trust.
    Zhang Jijiao, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, Canadian multiculturalism policy: Experiences and lessons, and its implications to China.

    Multiculturalism on the Prairies

    Chair: Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary
    David McGrane, University of Saskatchewan, Multiculturalism in Manitoba and Saskatchewan: An historical perspective.
    Professor Emeritus Cornelius Jaenan, University of Ottawa, Belgian immigrants in western Canada.
    Henry Chow, University of Regina, Bringing the world to Saskatchewan: Effects of national feelings, citizenship, and socio-political orientation on young Canadian adults.

    Multiculturalism and National Identities

    Sourayan Mookerjea, University of Alberta, Multiculturalism between empires.
    Hijin Park, Brock University, Conceptualizing (Im) Migrant Asian women in multicultural Canada.
    Pat McLane, University of Alberta, Canadian understandings of universalism and extremism.
    Ashleigh Androsoff, University of Toronto, Immigration and identity in Canada’s insipient multicultural era: the Doukhobor case.

    Friday, Sept 30/11 11-12:15 am/pm Concurrent sessions
    Cities, Neighbourhoods and Multiculturalism

    Heath McLeod, University of Calgary, Understanding unstable housing experiences of newcomer women in Calgary and Montreal – Considerations for policy.
    Marilena Liguori & Bochra Manai, Institut national de la recherche scientifique – Centre Urbanisation, Culture et Société (Montréal), Multiculturalism in the city, reflections on ethnic neighbourhoods in Montreal and Toronto.

    Cultural Multiculturalism

    Chair: Sidd Bannerjee, Association for Canadian Studies
    Melissa Templeton, University of California, Dance, race and national identity: Multiculturalism and federal support for Les Ballets Jazz.
    Robert A. Kenedy, York University, Diasporic liminality from France to Montréal: Re-negotiating Jewish identity in intercultural and multicultural contexts.
    Lloyd Sciban, University of Calgary, The Status of traditional Chinese medicine in Canada.
    Rebecca Margolis, University of Ottawa, Yiddish and Canadian multiculturalism: A Marriage made in heaven?

    Rethinking Multiculturalism: Tensions Between Ethnicity and Immigration

    Chair: Judy Young Drache
    Shibao Guo, University of Calgary, Immigration, integration & multiculturalism: Exploring the role of Chinese diasporic communities in Canada.
    William Shaffir & Vic Satzewich, McMaster University, The informal settlement sector: Broadening the lens to understand newcomer integration in Hamilton.
    Sinela Jurkova, University of Calgary, Ethnic organizations segregating or integrating effects?

    Friday, Sept 30/11 1:45-3 pm Concurrent sessions
    Slavic Marxists in Canada in the Twentieth Century

    Chair: Christopher Adam, Carleton University
    Mark Stolarik, University of Ottawa, Slovak Marxists in North America: Their hopes and disappointments.
    Petryk Polec, University of Ottawa, The rise of Polish leftist culture in Canada.
    Myron Momryk, Library and Archives Canada (retired), The Association of United Ukrainian Canadians and the ‘politics’ of multiculturalism.

    Cultural Multiculturalism and Post-secondary Education

    Janki Shankar and Eugene Ip, Norquest College, University of Calgary, Academic aspirations: Challenges and barriers of ethnic minority immigrant and indigenous students in a post-secondary education setting.
    Dan Cui & Jennifer Kelly, University of Alberta, Too Asian? Media and multiculturalism from the Chinese Canadian youth perspective.

    Multiculturalism Turns Forty: Reflections on the Impact of Multiculturalism

    Chair: Susan Brigham, Mount St-Vincent University
    Tamara Seiler, University of Calgary, Multiculturalism and the changing national imaginary: The Case of Canadian literature in English.
    James Frideres, University of Calgary, Diasporas in society: Implications for Canada.
    Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary, Anti-Multiculturalism and the implications for ethnic identity.
    Madeline A. Kalbach, University of Calgary, The Impact of Canada’s multiculturalism policy and research data.



    Research on Racialization and Racism at Canadian Universities: Preliminary Findings

    Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
    Carl James, York University, Strategies of engagement:  Racialized faculty members Negotiation of the university.
    Frances Henry and Carol Tator, York UniversityMarginalization, exclusion and omission:  The Experiences of racialized  faculty.
    Ena Dua, University of Calgary, Measuring equity: The Politics of data collection.



    Friday, Sept 30/11 3:30-5 pm Concurrent sessions
    Multiculturalism and Ethnic Media

    Chair: Sidd Bannerjee, Association for Canadian Studies
    Augie Fleras, University of Waterloo, Ethnic media and multiculturalism in Canada: Partnership or opposition?
    April Lindgren, Ryerson University, News that’s not fit to print? Portrayals of other ethnic and racialized groups in the Greater Toronto Area’s ethnocultural newspaper.


    Multiculturalism and Education

    Johanne J. Jean-Pierre, McMaster University and Fernando Nunes, Mount Saint Vincent University, Multiculturalism policy turns 40: Reflections on its impact on education.
    Sarah Smith, Université de Montréal, The Multicultural textbook and the coloniality of difference.
    Thomas Ricentro, University of Calgary, Multiculturalism and the monoglot ideology: Incommensurate worlds?

    Unpacking Multiculturalism in the Classroom

    Ratna Ghosh, Mariusz Galczynski, and Vilelmini Tsagkaraki, McGill University, Unpacking multiculturalism in the classroom.

    Religion and Multiculturalism in Canada: 40 Years Later

    Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
    Paul Bramadat, University of Victoria, Back to the future: Canadian approaches to recent and anticipated controversies involving religion.
    Lori Beaman, University of Ottawa, Beyond accommodation: Multiculturalism and deep equality.
    Benjamin Berger, Osgoode HallYork University, Trying religion: Multiculturalism, religion and law in Canada.
    Solange Lefebvre, Université de Montréal, After Bouchard-Taylor: Religion and interculturalism in Quebec.
    David Seljak, University of Waterloo, Christianity, citizenship and multiculturalism norms in a post-secular society.

    Taking the Nation to Task: Reflecting on the Cultural Dimensions of Multiculturalism

    Carrianne Leung, Ontario College of Art and Design, The Passage of fortune: Writing heritage, history and race in the nation.
    Lynn Caldwell, University of Saskatchewan, Static possibility: Race, nostalgia, and Saskatchewan as a national space.
    Sam Tecle, York University, I’m not Black, I’m Eritrean: Being Eritrean/learning Blackness.
    Meaghan Frauts, Queen’s University, Canada’s racialized spaces: The Politics of race and temporality of space during National Aboriginal Day.

    Nouveau arrivants et intérgration scolaire en milieu linguistic et culturel minoritaire au Manitoba

    Nathalie Piquemal, University of Manitoba
    Boniface Bahi, Faculté Saint Jean – University of Alberta
    Mahsa Bakshaei, Université de Montréal, La politique canadienne de multiculturalisme assure-t-elle l’égalité de chance de la réussite scolaire des élèves immigrants au secondaire québécois ? Le cas des élèves sud-asiatiques au secteur français.







    Sat Oct 1/11 9-10:30 am Concurrent sessions
    Black Canada and Multiculturalism: After Colonialty

    Rinaldo Walcott, OISE – University of Toronto
    Andrea Fatona, Ontario College of Art and Design
    Katherine McKittrick, Queen’s University
    Mark Campbell, University of Guelph

    The Evolving Practice of Multiculturalism: from Food and Drink to Social Transformation

    Chair: Ceta Ramkhalawansingh, Former Corporate Diversity Manager, City of Toronto (retired)
    Herman Ellis Jr, Program Director, Scadding Court Community Centre
    Antoni Shelton, Co-ordinator of Operations, Canadian Union of Public Employees Ontario
    Linda Koehler-Moore, Supervisor, Toronto Parks Forestry and Recreation
    André Goh, Manager, Diversity Management Unit, Toronto Police
    Nadira Pattison, Manager, Arts Services, Toronto Culture

    Immigrant Social and Political Participation

    Chair: Phil Ryan, Carleton University
    Philippe Couton, University of Ottawa, The Immigrant third sector: Recent evidence.
    Marie-Michele Sauvageau, University of Ottawa, Immigrant political activism in Quebec.
    Halyna Mokrushyna, University of Ottawa, Social and political engagement in the Ukrainian diaspora.

    Mixed Race and Identity

    Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto
    Danielle Lafond, York University
    Leanne Taylor, Brock University
    Karina Vernon, University of Toronto
    Renisa Mawani, University of British Columbia



    Sat Oct 1 11-12:15 am/pm Concurrent sessions
    Multiculturalism and Suspect Minorities: Possibilities of Conflicting Identities

    Chair: Lori Wilkinson, University of Manitoba
    Kalyani Thurairajah, McGill University, Tamils in Canada and Sri Lanka: Competing identities and loyalties in the shadow of terrorism.
    Morton Weinfeld, McGill University, Competing identities and loyalties among Canadian and British Jews.

    Interculturalism

    Chair: Susan Brigham, Mount St-Vincent University
    Celine Cooper, OISE – University of Toronto, The Rise of interculturalism in Quebec: How can the emergent approach to language, identity, ethno-cultural diversity and social integration in Quebec help us reflect upon multiculturalism and forms of nationalism(s) in Canada?
    Darryl Lerroux, Saint Mary’s University, considering Quebec’s interculturalism as a response to multiculturalism.

    Author Meets Critics: Us, Them and Others: Pluralism and National Identity in Diverse Societies

    Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto
    Elke Winter, University of Ottawa
    Catherine Frost, McMaster University
    Harold Ramos, Dalhousie University
    Leslie Seidle, Institute for Research on Public Policy

    Youth, Generational Issues and Multiculturalism

    Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
    Emanuel de Silva, University of Toronto, Making and Masking Difference: Multiculturalism and sociolinguistic tensions in Toronto’s Portuguese-Canadian market.
    Yunliang Meng, York University, A Spatial and temporal analysis of  youth’s socioeconomic outcomes in ethnic enclaves in Toronto.
    Fernando Mata, Canadian Heritage, Prevalence and generational persistence of lone parent status among ethnic groups in Canada: A Look at census data.

    Sat Oct 1/11 1:45-3:30 pm Concurrent sessions
    Multiculturalism, Human Rights and Canadian Identity
    Multiculturalism has been a cornerstone of Canadian society for 40 years. It is premised on the concept that all citizens are equal, and they can maintain their identities, take pride in their ancestry and do so without undercutting their sense of belonging to Canada.  Public opinion surveys generally reveal that Canadians are supportive of the principle of multiculturalism.  However the nature and depth of this support is often the object of debate. Also there is often some uncertainty around how the theory of multiculturalism is applied when it comes to issues of human rights and discrimination.
    This panel discusses the impact of multiculturalism on human rights from the perspectives of four institutional champions of Canadian human rights. More specifically, the panel will  address: the relationship between multiculturalism and human rights; the difference between multiculturalism and interculturalism; how to accommodate multiculturalism within a framework of common values.

    Chair: Ayman Al-Yassini, Canadian Race Relations Foundation
    Gaetan Cousineau, Commission des droits de la personne et de la jeunesse, Québec
    Judge David M. Arnot, Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission
    Barbara Hall, Ontario Human Rights Commission
    Maxwell Yalden, former diplomat and senior public servant, and author

    Challenges of Multicultural Discourse

    Chair: Kamal Dib, Citizenship and Immigration Canada
    Elke Winter, & Marie-Michele Sauvageau, University of Ottawa, How to recast national identity and on whose terms? Media representation of the new Canadian citizenship guide.
    Chedly Belkhodja, Université de Moncton, La critique du multiculturalism ou Québec: les nouveau intellectuels de droite.
    Karen Bird, McMaster University, WTF is the ethnic vote? Critical reflections on multiculturalism and electoral politics in Canada.
    Dominique Riviere, OISE – University of Toronto, Scratching our “Great National Itch”:  narratives of multiculturalism in 12st-century Canada.

    Multiculturalism and Immigrant Integration: The Experience of Smaller Cities and Rural Areas

    Chair: Howard Ramos, Dalhouise University
    Lori Wilkinson, University of Manitoba, An Examination of identity and experiences of discrimination among newcomer youth living in mid-sized Canadian cities.
    Evangelia Tastsoglou and Sandy Petrinioti, Saint Mary’s University, Does ‘place’ matter? multiculturalism and the forging of identities by Lebanese youth in Halifax.
    Madine VanderPlaat, Saint Mary’s University, The Role of family in the decision to migrate and settle.

    Multiculturalism and Mental Health

    Chair: Nehal El-Hadi, University of Toronto
    Avril Aves, Multicultural Outreach, KW Counselling Services, Kitchener, Ontario, Multiculturalism and Mental Health: An Outreach strategy for counselling agencies.
    Professor Emeritus John Berry, Queen’s University, Intercultural relations in plural societies: Research derived from multicultural policy.


    Examining Multiculturalism, Ethnic Identity and Intercultural Communication Competence Through the Social Construction of Food

    Jaya Peruvemba, University of Ottawa, Examining multiculturalism, ethnic identity and intercultural communication competence through the social construction of food




    Sat Oct 1/11 3:30-5 pm Concurrent sessions
    Multiculturalism and immigrant Integration: The Experience of Smaller Cities and Rural Areas II

    Chair: Evangelia Tastsoglou, Saint Mary’s University
    Laura Lee Howard, University of Prince Edward Island, Reaching out and welcoming in: Increasing newcomer parental engagement in the Garden of the Gulf (PEI).
    Yoko Yoshida and Howard Ramos, Dalhousie University, Who are rural immigrants?
    Ather Akbari, Saint Mary’s University, Economic integration of immigrants in small urban centres: Some evidence from Atlantic Canada.
    Susan Brigham, Mount St Vincent University, Talking back to Canada’s multicultural policy: Internationally educated teachers’ negotiation of space, place, identity and belonging in Maritime Canada.

    Ethnic Communities and the Creation of Canada’s Multicultural Policy
    Ethnic communities were instrumental in creating Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy. Their contribution in the development of the policy is not well known or documented. Representatives of ethnocultural organizations appeared before the Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism pointing out that many Canadians who helped build the country were of non-French and non-English origin: hence, the implementation of “A Policy of Multiculturalism within a Bilingual Framework.” The panel will provide an opportunity for members of the Canadian Ethnocultural Council and representatives of community organizations to reflect on the development of the policy over the past 40 years, reflecting how it has shaped the role of ethnic organizations, been an instrument for social cohesion, and has facilitated nation building while strengthening Canadian identity.

    Chair: Anna Chiappa, Canadian Ethnocultural Council
    Can Le, Vietnamese Federation of Canada
    Gita Nurlaila, Indonesian Canadian Congress
    Diane Dragasevich, Serbian National Shield Society of Canada
    C. Lloyd Stanford, Le Groupe Stanford Inc.



    Author Meets Critics: Creative Subversions: Whiteness, Indigeneity, and the National Imaginary

    Chair: Minelle Mahtani, University of Toronto
    Margot Francis, Brock University
    Renisa Mawani, University of British Columbia
    Rinaldo Walcott, University of Toronto
    Jeff Thomas, Independent Photographer and Curator

    Developing and Measuring Effectiveness of Cultural Intelligence and Diversity in the Canadian Forces: Challenges and Considerations

    Chair: Karen Davis, National Defence Canada
    Jack Jedwab, Association for Canadian Studies
    Daniel Lagacé-Roy, Royal Military College
    John Berry, Queen’s University
    Lloyd Wong, University of Calgary

  • The current state of multiculturalism in Canada and research themes on Canadian multiculturalism 2008-2010

    Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) commissioned Professor Will Kymlicka (Queen’s University) to synthesize the results from six regional reports and write an overview of the current state of multiculturalism and research themes on Canadian multiculturalism that would form the focus for the Multiculturalism and Human Rights Branch of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
    Each regional report identified up to eight themes: a total of 48 proposed themes. Kymlicka synthesized ten research themes on Canadian multiculturalism:

    1. Adapting Multiculturalism to Religious Diversity
    2. Racism and Discrimination
    3. Labour Market Integration
    4. Immigration Beyond the Metropolis
    5. Implications of Security Issues for Multiculturalism
    6. The Future of Multiculturalism
    7. Relating Multiculturalism to Aboriginal Peoples
    8. Vulnerable Groups: Women and Youth/Second Generation
    9. Patterns of Ethnic Community Formation
    10. Multicultural Readiness in Service Delivery

    Our interest at immigrantchildren.ca is, of course, children and families, and we are delighted to see children and families referenced in the report, including:
    “The children of immigrants have better educational outcomes in Canada than in any other Western democracy. Indeed, uniquely among Western countries, second-generation immigrants in Canada actually outperform children of non-immigrant parents (OECD 2006). Moreover, this is not solely due to the higher socio-economic background of immigrants in Canada. On the contrary, immigrant children from lower socio-economic backgrounds also do better in Canada than in other countries….
    “At the institutional level, we also have new evidence of the role that multiculturalism plays in creating more inclusive and equitable public institutions. For example, the massive OECD study that established Canada’s comparative advantage in educating immigrant students emphasized that a crucial factor in this success was the presence of specific policies to address issues of cultural and linguistic diversity in the school population – policies that, in the Canadian context, have emerged under the rubric of multiculturalism (OECD 2006). These diversity policies help to explain why the children of immigrants do better in Canada, even when one takes into account the skills, education and income of their parents….
    “Some commentators have pointed to the persistence of illiberal practices among some immigrant and minority groups as evidence that they are failing to integrate into Canada’s liberal-democratic norms. This issue emerged, for example, in discussions of Aqsa Parvez’s case – the December 2007 “honour killing” of a Muslim girl by her father for not wearing the hijab. But here again, we need to get beyond isolated cases to look at the general trends. Cases of honour killings, coerced marriages or female genital mutilation can be found in every Western democracy, whether or not it has multiculturalism policies. There is no evidence that this problem is worse in multiculturalist countries (i.e., countries that do have formal multiculturalism policies and laws in place) like Canada than in non-multiculturalist countries like France or Germany….
    “In any event, the occurrence of such cases should not be taken as evidence of any general trend toward the rejection of liberal-democratic values. On the contrary, a recent study shows that immigrants in Canada, regardless of their religious affiliation, converge toward the Canadian norm on what the authors call “Charter values,” including the rights of gays and women (Soroka, Johnston and Banting 2007). Indeed, as I noted earlier, what immigrants are most proud of in Canada is its democratic norms (Adams 2007). There is simply no evidence that immigrants and their children in Canada are not internalizing liberal-democratic values. The question of how best to prevent and prosecute such crimes is a very important one, but we will go badly off course if we misinterpret these individual acts as evidence of a general failure of political integration among entire ethnic groups….
    “Vulnerable groups: Women and youth/second generation. As I noted earlier, several of the regional reports suggested replacing the broad research theme of “social inclusion” with more focused themes that examine specific patterns of exclusion. Two groups in particular were seen as vulnerable to exclusion – women and youth/second generation – and several reports recommended devoting research themes to them.
    “Here again, a number of more specific research questions were raised. In relation to youth and the second generation, these included research on (a) whether the declining economic attainment of newer immigrants is being passed down to their children (i.e.,whether the second generation is exhibiting declines in education, employment and income); (b) whether the risks of social exclusion are leading to lower feelings of belonging and identification with Canada; and (c) whether more specific programs are needed to help youth at risk”.
    The full report is here.

  • Paul Gorski's 10 commitments to multicultural education

    Well-known multicultural educator Paul Gorski has written a guest post on the blog of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Here’s a snapshot of Gorski’s ten commitments each multicultural educator must make:

    1. Commit to working at the intersections ~ consider how multiple identities and oppressions intersect
    2. Understand the sociopolitics of schooling ~ consider your work in the context of neo-liberalism, corporatization, consumer and pop culture, among others
    3. Refuse the masters’ paradigms ~ resist the urge to refer to children and families as “at risk”, for example, and refuse the temptation to ‘sell’ multiculturalism as a way to compete in a global market
    4. Transcend the 4 D’s: Dress, dance, diet and dialet and push multiculturalism beyond celebrations that, while having a place, can serve to perpetuate stereotypes rather than challenge them
    5. Don’t equate (or promote) multiculturalism with universal validation ~any multicultural ‘space’ cannot be both multicultural and hegemonic
    6. Resist simple solutions to complex issues ~ challenge the status quo, even of multicultural theories and approaches
    7. Be informed ~ do your work, check research to ensure it includes a community context and reflects actual voices
    8. Work with and in service to the disenfranchised ~ apply multicultural principles to the work and to the process of the work
    9. Reject deficit ideology ~  examine power hierarchies from the ground up and do not look down at those disenfranchised by power inequities
    10. Pursue justice, not peace ~ do not assume that parties occupy similar space on the privilege-oppression continuum

    See the full blog posting here.

  • Interculturalism is the new multiculturalism

    Here’s one of my tweets made during the first (and only) English language debate between the four main party leaders on April 12, 2011:

    ZS Worotynec @immigranttalk ZS Worotynec
    Harper doesn’t understand difference between #multiculturalism and Quebec’s #interculturalism & Duceppe not good at explaining #exln41 #db8
    12 Apr via web Favorite Reply Delete

    Which is odd: Harper’s own Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Minister, The Honourable Jason Kenney, has been advocating for interculturalism over multiculturalism his entire time in the portfolio, I think.
    In any case, it got me thinking: Do I know enough about the difference between interculturalism and multiculturaism? So, I looked for and found some useful resources.
    immigrantchildren.ca visitors may already know about an upcoming conference exploring this issue: The International Symposium on Interculturalism/Symposium international sur l’interculturalisme ~ Dialogue Québéc Europe will be held May 25-27 in  Québéc. A description of the symposium:

    Under the aegis of Gérard Bouchard, Professor at the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi and with the support of an array of Québec organizations, and the special contribution from experts of the Council of Europe, this Symposium will be an important forum for participants from Québec and Europe. The main purpose will be to report progress on interculturalism as a model for integration, and specifically for managing ethno-cultural diversity in democratic societies. The interculturalist model already has a long history in Québec, and it attracts growing interest in Europe. Thus, the Symposium will be a dialogue between Québec and Europe on the situation and future of interculturalism.

    On the conference website, you’ll find the following – all PDFs:

    1. Bouchard, Gérard & Charles Taylor (2008). Building the Future. A Time for Reconciliation. Report. Commission de consultation sur les pratiques d’accommodement reliées aux différences culturelles.
    2. Council Of Europe (2008). White Paper on Intercultural Dialogue. “Living together as equals in dignity”.
    3. Council Of Europe & European Commission (2010). Intercultural cities – Towards a model for intercultural integration.

    The steering paper, which provides rationale for the symposium discusses the term “interculturalism” and introduces a new term “integrationism” to avoid having integration (good) associated with assimilation (bad). Fascinating stuff! If anyone goes, please share thoughts, etc.

    “In accordance with North American tradition, the concept of integration is used to refer to those mechanisms and processes (of articulation or insertion) through which social bonds are created, including their symbolic and functional foundations. Such mechanisms and processes are of concern to all citizens (whether new or old), and they operate at various levels (individual, community, institutional and State) and on many dimensions (economic, social, cultural, etc.). In terms of culture, it should be noted that the concept of integration, thus defined, is exempt from any assimilationist overtone. In order to avoid confusion, the term integrationism will be used here, when referring to those forms of integration that are not respectful of diversity”.

  • CU Expo 2011: Sessions on immigration, settlement and multiculturalism

    logo

    CUExpo is a conference about how community and university partnerships collaborate together to develop innovative solutions to strengthen communities.

    CUExpo2011 will be held May 10-14, 2011 in Waterloo, Ontario Canada. It is expected to draw about 600 people from Canada and around the world who are passionate about the power of community-university partnerships as a vehicle for social change. Students, community leaders, researchers, educators, funders, policy makers and others invested in community-building will be in attendance.

    The CU Expo movement began in Canada as a response to individuals involved in community-university partnerships needing a forum to share experiences, strategies and ideas. CUExpo2011 includes several sessions related to immigration, settlement, diversity, multiculturalism and integration (all links open as PDFs):

    Wed May 11th ~ Community Voice and Relevance

    It takes a village: Training community health workers in the Burundian refugee population using a community-based participatory service learning model.
    Training immigrant peer researchers for CBPR on HIV/AIDS in Germany.
    Tuberculosis amongst immigrants and refugees at an adult education centre: A community-based participatory research approach.
    CBR within an immigrant community.
    Cross-cultural lessons of engaging immigrant and refugee families in research and evaluation.
    Growing community through urban agriculture: A community-university project involving senior immigrants.
    Immigrant cultural values and language barriers as communication class lessons.
    Settling, working, and belonging: An innovative and collaborative approach to integrating newcomers.
    Churches responding to the immigrant reality in Canada: A national participatory action research project.

    Thurs May 12th ~ Partnerships & Collaboration

    Building multi-cultural and multi-health system partnership to conduct health research.
    Recruiting low-income families into community programmes: Exploring differences in engagement strategies among ethnic groups.

    Fri May 13th ~ Action and Change

    Immigrant peer researchers and HIV prevention in Germany: The PaKoMi video.

    Register now!

  • Mothercraft's course for settlement workers: Caring for Canada's Children, Year 2

    Mothercraft, with funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada, will  offer a 2nd year of their ‘Caring for Canada’s Children’ webinar/in-class course for practitioners working with newcomer children and families. The series builds on year one and will “delve further into the issues that many newcomer families face through the immigration process. This examination will be done through presentations, case studies and practical interactive learning opportunities” (Source: Email blast to former participants).
    Archived presentations from Year 1 are available here in English and also here in French.
    Year 2 offerings:

    1. Building cross-cultural competence (Sept 22, 2010)
    2. Building trusting relationships with families: Towards a motivational understanding of change (Oct 13, 2010)
    3. Promoting children’s mental health (Nov 10, 2010)
    4. Understanding attachment: How early relationships influence the brain’s architecture (Dec 8, 2010)
    5. Building circles of support through service coordination (Jan 19, 2011)
    6. Developing relationships with child welfare services (Feb 16, 2011).

    For more information, including how to register, visit the Mothercraft Caring for Canada’s Children website.