Cultural mosaic
Encyclopedia
"Cultural mosaic" is a term used to describe the mix of ethnic groups, languages and cultures that co-exist within Canadian
society. The idea of a cultural mosaic is intended to champion an ideal of multiculturalism
, differently from other systems like the melting pot
, which is often used to describe the neighboring United States
' ideal of assimilation
.
describes a nation that, at the outset of the 21st Century, has become progressively more and more multi-ethnic and multicultural. The Introduction to the report stated that:
, in his 1938 book Canadian Mosaic
. Gibbon clearly disapproved of the American melting-pot concept. He saw the melting pot as a process by which immigrants and their descendants were encouraged to cut off ties with their countries and cultures of origin so as to assimilate into the American way of life.
In 1965, John Porter
published his influential sociological study, Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. Porter's book showed that some groups (e.g., those of British
origin) were better off with respect to measures of income, education and health than others. For example, groups of eastern and southern European origin tended to fare less well by these measures. The worst off were the First Nations
and Inuit
. Porter saw this vertical arrangement as being related to power and influence in decision-making. Thus those of British origin tended to be overrepresented among the elites in government
, economic and political spheres.
Porter’s findings have been tested in several studies since 1965 and have been modified slightly. For example, the economic disparity between ethnic groups has narrowed somewhat and Francophone
s are better represented in politics and government. However, the socio-economic elites in Canada remain dominated by people of British origin.
. The view of Canada as a mosaic of cultures became the basis for the Trudeau
government's multiculturalism
policies in the early 1970s.
The Canadian government established the Official Multiculturalism Act
in 1971 and appointed a minister responsible for multiculturalism in 1972. In 1973 a Canadian Multiculturalism Council was established, along with a Multiculturalism Branch within the Department of the Secretary of State.
, and Carleton University
journalism professor, Andrew Cohen
have argued that the entire Melting Pot / Mosaic dynamic is largely an imagined concept, and that there remains little measurable evidence that American or Canadian immigrants as collective groups can be proven to be more or less "assimilated" or "multicultural" than each other. Many conservative
activists in Canada have likewise remained critical of multiculturalism as an "official" government policy. In April 2005 Michaëlle Jean
(later named the Governor General) openly criticized the concept herself, accusing it of leading to the "ghettoizing" of Canadians.
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Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
society. The idea of a cultural mosaic is intended to champion an ideal of multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
, differently from other systems like the melting pot
Melting pot
The melting pot is a metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" into a harmonious whole with a common culture...
, which is often used to describe the neighboring United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
' ideal of assimilation
Cultural assimilation
Cultural assimilation is a socio-political response to demographic multi-ethnicity that supports or promotes the assimilation of ethnic minorities into the dominant culture. The term assimilation is often used with regard to immigrants and various ethnic groups who have settled in a new land. New...
.
Overview
An ethnocultural profile of Canada prepared by Statistics CanadaStatistics Canada
Statistics Canada is the Canadian federal government agency commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. Its headquarters is in Ottawa....
describes a nation that, at the outset of the 21st Century, has become progressively more and more multi-ethnic and multicultural. The Introduction to the report stated that:
Immigration to CanadaImmigration to CanadaImmigration to Canada is the process by which people migrate to Canada to reside permanently in the country. The majority of these individuals become Canadian citizens. After 1947, domestic immigration law and policy went through major changes, most notably with the Immigration Act, 1976, and the...
over the past 100 years has shaped Canada, with each new wave of immigrants adding to the nation’s ethnic and cultural composition. Half a century ago, most immigrants came from Europe. Now most newcomers are from Asia.
As a result, the number of visible minoritiesVisible minorityA visible minority is a person who is visibly not one of the majority race in a given population.The term is used as a demographic category by Statistics Canada in connection with that country's Employment Equity policies. The qualifier "visible" is important in the Canadian context where...
in Canada is growing. And, Canadians listed more than 200 ethnic groups in answering the 2001 Census question on ethnic ancestry, reflecting a varied, rich cultural mosaic as the nation started the new millennium.
Origin and use of the term
The first use of the term mosaic to refer to Canadian society was by John Murray GibbonJohn Murray Gibbon
John Murray Gibbon was a Scottish Canadian writer and cultural promoter. He was born in Ceylon and educated at Aberdeen, Oxford and Göttingen universities. Gibbon emigrated to Canada in 1913 to work for the Canadian Pacific Railway...
, in his 1938 book Canadian Mosaic
Canadian Mosaic
Canadian Mosaic was a book by John Murray Gibbon, published in 1938. Gibbon's book, the full title of which was Canadian Mosaic: The Making of a Northern Nation, heralded a new way of thinking about immigrants that was to shape Canadian immigration policy in the latter part of the Twentieth century...
. Gibbon clearly disapproved of the American melting-pot concept. He saw the melting pot as a process by which immigrants and their descendants were encouraged to cut off ties with their countries and cultures of origin so as to assimilate into the American way of life.
In 1965, John Porter
John Porter (sociologist)
John Arthur Porter was one of Canada's most important sociologists during the period from 1950 to the late 1970s. His work in the field of social stratification opened up new areas of inquiry for many sociologists in Canada.Porter was born in Vancouver and completed his education at the London...
published his influential sociological study, Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. Porter's book showed that some groups (e.g., those of British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
origin) were better off with respect to measures of income, education and health than others. For example, groups of eastern and southern European origin tended to fare less well by these measures. The worst off were the First Nations
First Nations
First Nations is a term that collectively refers to various Aboriginal peoples in Canada who are neither Inuit nor Métis. There are currently over 630 recognised First Nations governments or bands spread across Canada, roughly half of which are in the provinces of Ontario and British Columbia. The...
and Inuit
Inuit
The Inuit are a group of culturally similar indigenous peoples inhabiting the Arctic regions of Canada , Denmark , Russia and the United States . Inuit means “the people” in the Inuktitut language...
. Porter saw this vertical arrangement as being related to power and influence in decision-making. Thus those of British origin tended to be overrepresented among the elites in government
Government
Government refers to the legislators, administrators, and arbitrators in the administrative bureaucracy who control a state at a given time, and to the system of government by which they are organized...
, economic and political spheres.
Porter’s findings have been tested in several studies since 1965 and have been modified slightly. For example, the economic disparity between ethnic groups has narrowed somewhat and Francophone
Francophone
The adjective francophone means French-speaking, typically as primary language, whether referring to individuals, groups, or places. Often, the word is used as a noun to describe a natively French-speaking person....
s are better represented in politics and government. However, the socio-economic elites in Canada remain dominated by people of British origin.
Influence on multiculturalism policy
Since the beginning of the 20th century, Canada has been one of the world's major immigrant-receiving societies. Until the 1960s immigrants were expected to assimilate into the mainstream society. Arriving as it did at during a time of social upheaval, Porter's work had a marked influence on Canadian social policySocial policy
Social policy primarily refers to guidelines, principles, legislation and activities that affect the living conditions conducive to human welfare. Thus, social policy is that part of public policy that has to do with social issues...
. The view of Canada as a mosaic of cultures became the basis for the Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
government's multiculturalism
Multiculturalism
Multiculturalism is the appreciation, acceptance or promotion of multiple cultures, applied to the demographic make-up of a specific place, usually at the organizational level, e.g...
policies in the early 1970s.
The Canadian government established the Official Multiculturalism Act
Official Multiculturalism Act
The Canadian Multiculturalism Act is a law, which was passed in 1988, aims to preserve and enhance multiculturalism in Canada.-Background:The federal government, under Prime Minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau, declared in 1971 that Canada would adopt multicultural policy. Canada would recognize and...
in 1971 and appointed a minister responsible for multiculturalism in 1972. In 1973 a Canadian Multiculturalism Council was established, along with a Multiculturalism Branch within the Department of the Secretary of State.
Criticism
The "cultural mosaic" theory is not without critics. Some pundits, such as the Globe and Mail's Jeffrey SimpsonJeffrey Simpson
Jeffrey Carl Simpson, OC , is a Canadian journalist. He has been The Globe and Mails national affairs columnist for almost three decades...
, and Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
journalism professor, Andrew Cohen
Andrew Cohen (journalist)
Andrew Cohen is an award-winning Canadian journalist, bestselling author, and professor of journalism at Carleton University's School of Journalism and Norman Paterson School of International Affairs. Cohen has written widely on international affairs and on Canadian politics...
have argued that the entire Melting Pot / Mosaic dynamic is largely an imagined concept, and that there remains little measurable evidence that American or Canadian immigrants as collective groups can be proven to be more or less "assimilated" or "multicultural" than each other. Many conservative
Canadian conservatism
Conservatism in Canada is generally considered to be primarily represented by the Conservative Party of Canada at the federal level, and by various right-wing parties at the provincial level...
activists in Canada have likewise remained critical of multiculturalism as an "official" government policy. In April 2005 Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean
Michaëlle Jean is a Canadian journalist and stateswoman who served as Governor General of Canada, the 27th since Canadian Confederation, from 2005 to 2010....
(later named the Governor General) openly criticized the concept herself, accusing it of leading to the "ghettoizing" of Canadians.
See also
- Multiculturalism in CanadaMulticulturalism in CanadaMulticulturalism in Canada was adopted as the official policy of the Canadian government during the prime ministership of Pierre Elliot Trudeau in the 1970s and 1980s. The Canadian government has often been described as the instigator of multiculturalism as an ideology because of its public...
- Multiculturalism in AustraliaMulticulturalism in AustraliaMulticulturalism in Australia has a special cultural status.Many similar policies were put in place, for example the formation of the Special Broadcasting Service...
- Salad bowlSalad bowl (cultural idea)The salad bowl concept suggests that the integration of the many different cultures of United States residents combine like a salad, as opposed to the more traditional notion of a cultural melting pot. In Canada this concept is more commonly known as the cultural mosaic...
Further reading
- Gibbon, J. 1938. The Canadian Mosaic, McClelland & Stewart Limited, Toronto.
- Porter, J. 1965. The Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada. University of Toronto Press.
External links
- Statistics Canada Canada’s ethnocultural portrait: The changing mosaic
- "Vertical Mosaic" The Canadian Encyclopedia online
- Multicultural Canada
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