Legitimizing Neoliberalism Rather than Equality: Canadian Multiculturalism in the Current Reality of North America

This article argues that the multiculturalism policy and its implicit link to immigration policy have been instrumental in redefining a Canadian imaginary in the 1970s and early 1980s. Criticism of multiculturalism has ranged from a conservative perspective believing that the policy is divisive and...

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Detalhes bibliográficos
Autor: Gilbert, Liette
Tipo de documento: artigo
Estado:Versão publicada
Data de publicação:2018
País:México
Recursos:Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México
Repositório:Memoria Institucional CISAN, Repositorio Institucional, UNAM
Idioma:inglês
OAI Identifier:oai:ru.micisan.unam.mx:123456789/19888
Acesso em linha:https://ru.micisan.unam.mx/handle/123456789/19888
Access Level:Acceso aberto
Palavra-chave:CIENCIAS SOCIALES
Demography
International relations
5
multiculturalism
national identity
national unity
immigration policy
Canada-U.S. relations
continental integration
security agenda
multiculturalismo
identidad nacional
unidad nacional
política migratoria
relaciones Canadá-Estados Unidos
integración continental
agenda de seguridad
Demografía
Relaciones internacionales
Descrição
Resumo:This article argues that the multiculturalism policy and its implicit link to immigration policy have been instrumental in redefining a Canadian imaginary in the 1970s and early 1980s. Criticism of multiculturalism has ranged from a conservative perspective believing that the policy is divisive and has gone too far, to a postcolonial critique emphasizing that the policy has not gone far enough to de-marginalize non-white Canadians experiences. Adding to this wide ranging criticism, this article suggests that in the last two decades, multiculturalism has abandoned its perceived inclusionary framework in favor of a commodification paradigm. Multiculturalism was championed as a competitive advantage in the discussion of North American free trade and integration. Following the events of September 11, 2001, multiculturalism has been simultaneously framed as a security risk and a casualty. In the new North American reality of economic integration and security cooperation, multiculturalism and immigration policies have been coopted into a neoliberal rationality,legitimizing security and prosperity rather than diversity and equality.