The racial mosaic : a pre-history of Canadian multiculturalism / Daniel R. Meister.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Meister, Daniel R., author.

Series:

Rethinking Canada in the world ; 10.

Rethinking Canada in the world ; 10

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Cultural pluralism--Canada--History--20th century.

Cultural pluralism.

Racism--Canada--History--20th century.

Racism.

Intellectuals--Canada--Biography.

Intellectuals.

Ethnic relations.

Intellectual life.

Kirkconnell, Watson, 1895-1977.

Kirkconnell, Watson.

England, Robert, 1894-1985.

England, Robert.

Gibbon, John Murray, 1875-1952.

Gibbon, John Murray.

History.

Canada--Intellectual life--20th century.

Canada.

Canada--Ethnic relations.

Genre:

Biographies.

History.

Physical Description:

xvi, 388 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Montreal ; Kingston ; London ; Chicago : McGill-Queen's University Press, [2021]

Summary:

"Canada is often considered a multicultural mosaic, welcoming to immigrants and encouraging of cultural diversity. Yet this reputation masks a more complex history. In this groundbreaking study of the pre-history of Canadian multiculturalism, Daniel Meister shows how the philosophy of cultural pluralism normalized racism and the entrenchment of whiteness. The Racial Mosaic demonstrates how early ideas about cultural diversity in Canada were founded upon, and coexisted with, settler colonialism and racism, despite the apparent tolerance of a variety of immigrant peoples and their cultures. To trace the development of these ideas, Meister takes a biographical approach, examining the lives and work of three influential public intellectuals whose thoughts on cultural pluralism circulated widely beginning in the 1920s: Watson Kirkconnell, a university professor and translator; Robert England, an immigration expert with Canadian National Railways; and John Murray Gibbon, a publicist for the Canadian Pacific Railway. While they all proposed variants of the idea that immigrants to Canada should be allowed to retain certain aspects of their cultures, their tolerance had very real limits. In their personal, corporate, and government-sponsored works, only the cultures of "white" European immigrants were considered worthy of inclusion. On the fiftieth anniversary of Canada's official policy of multiculturalism, The Racial Mosaic represents the first serious and sustained attempt to detail the policy's historical antecedents, compelling readers to consider how racism has structured Canada's settler-colonial society."-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Machine generated contents note: 1. Watson Kirkconnell and Scientific Racism

2. Robert England and Canadian Citizenship

3. John Murray Gibbon and Folk Culture

4. Making It Official

5. Cultural Pluralism in Wartime.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Meister, Daniel R. Racial mosaic.

ISBN:

0228008719

9780228008712

0228008700

9780228008705

OCLC:

1240491950

Publisher Number:

99989175749