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Metropolis Presents:
Second Generation Youth in Canada Tuesday, March 20, 2007 This panel discussion, presented by Metropolis Canada at Library and Archives Canada, in Ottawa, examined challenges facing second-generation youth in Canada in both national and international contexts. Themes explored included negative perceptions of Canada’s multiculturalism policy, the effectiveness of multiculturalism as a social-integration tool, and the relationship between religious identity and second-generation young people in Canada. The following summarizes what some of the panelists had to say. Jack Jedwab, executive director of the Association of Canadian Studies, has isolated several pervading negative perceptions of Canada’s Multiculturalism Policy in his research. For some Canadians, multiculturalism is undercutting the French language by discouraging the acquisition and use of French by minority ethnic cultures and is undercutting Canadian identity by encouraging attachment to minority ethnic cultures at the expense of Canadian attachment. Furthermore, there are those who believe that multiculturalism threatens fundamental rights by encouraging certain groups to preserve cultural practices that jeopardize gender equality. Others are concerned that it grants expression and freedom at the expense of security. Jeffrey Reitz is professor of Sociology and R.F. Harney Professor of Ethnic, Immigration and Pluralism Studies at the University of Toronto’s Centre for International Studies. His research on multiculturalism as a social-integration tool reveals that economic success and integration does not equal or guarantee successful social integration. The length of time people have been in Canada does not directly coincide with their integration and sense of belonging. Professor Reitz’s research indicates that, while first-generation Canadians compare their personal situations with citizens in their home country, second-generation Canadians compare their personal situations with other Canadians. Canadian policymakers need to recognize the challenges of social integration faced by certain second-generation youth communities and individuals, which are similar to the reality of other groups in Canadian society, such as French Canadians and Aboriginal peoples, who, although they have been in Canada the longest, nevertheless feel the least attached to and/or represented by Canadian institutions, policies, and systems. Rubina Ramji, assistant professor in Philosophy and Religious Studies at Cape Breton University, and Abi Senthilkumaran, research associate at Policy Exchange (a London-based think-tank) both explored the relationship between religious identity—specifically, Muslim—and second-generation young people in Canada and the United Kingdom. Ms. Ramji’s research found that second-generation Canadian Muslim young people form a highly diverse and involved community. They view their faith as an individualistic search for meaning and identity and are, in fact, determined to preserve their religio-cultural identity. Abi Senthilkumaran’s report, Living Apart Together: British Muslims and the Paradox of Multiculturalism dispels the myth that there is one, homogenous British Islamic community. Many young second?generation Muslims have a “pick-and-choose” attitude towards their faith. The report affirms that the Islam as a faith is not necessarily passed down from their parents, as their faith tends to veer away from the traditional cultural forms of Islam and to focus on the search for individual identity and sense of belonging. The Muslim identity has suffered a social fragmentation due to numerous global events since 9/11 that have put Muslims in the global spotlight. The increased exposure and prominence of extremist Islamic groups in the 1980’s and 1990’s and the impact of multiculturalism policies in the UK, whose political philosophy engages with people in the public realm on the basis of their private differences, have helped accelerate this social fragmentation. It is important to understand that British Muslims do not form a monolithic community. This workshop isolated the generational differences between first and second?generation Canadians in comparison with several international studies and reports. Furthermore, it highlighted the problematic consequences that can arise when multiculturalism policy is viewed in binary terms. Multiculturalism is a complex policy, which must espouse multiple perspectives and interpretations. There is a strong need for continued intercultural dialogue to explore and understand how individuals, communities, and groups respond to change in a culturally pluralistic Canadian society. This action is instrumental if we truly want to address the challenges faced by second-generation Canadians, so that we can accurately identify and understand the causes of marginalization. – Francesco Manganiello, Canadian Cultural Observatory |
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