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Constructing Canadian Citizens: a Textual Analysis of Canadian Citizenship Guides in English - 1947-2012

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Constructing Canadian Citizens: a Textual Analysis of Canadian Citizenship Guides in English - 1947-2012 Constructing Canadian Citizens: A Textual Analysis of Canadian Citizenship Guides in English - 1947-2012 by Nora Sobel A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF EDUCATION Department of Educational Administration, Foundations and Psychology University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2013 by Nora Sobel Abstract The purpose of this study was to analyze Canadian Citizenship Guides as a proxy for an official policy voice of the Canadian government about what it means to be a Canadian citizen and what is expected from a Canadian citizen. This study analyzed six Canadian Citizenship Guides in the English language developed between 1947 and 2012 and identified how the selection of historical, governmental and social topics, and the use of different words and rhetorical strategies within each contemporary historical context constructed a narrative about what constitutes a Canadian citizen. To construct the narratives of Canadian citizen present in each Canadian Citizenship Guide, the study analysed the narratives about Canada, adaption to Canadian culture, and expected citizenship participation present in each guide. The study also sought continuities and disruptions in the narratives to explore how the narratives changed over time. The study concluded that while the narratives constructed by each guide (good character citizen, responsible citizen, wholesome citizen, politically active citizen, citizenship student, and loyal citizen) had unique elements, at the macro-level it could be said that from 1947 to 2012 there seemed to be more continuities than disruptions in the construction of the narratives of the Canadian citizen, and the narratives about Canada, adaption to Canadian culture, and expected citizenship participation. Acknowledgments Thank you to Dr. Marlene Atleo, advisor, and Dr. Adele Perry and Dr. Frank Deer for kindly accepting to be part of my thesis committee and mentoring me throughout the planning and completion of this research study. Thank you to the University of Manitoba’s Libraries, and especially their Document Delivery department for assisting me in the process of collecting copies of Canadian Citizenship Guides located across Canada. Thank you to Red River College, my employer at the time of this study, for accommodating my requests to attend classes and complete this research project. Thank you to Red River College and the Jewish Foundation of Manitoba for their financial assistance allowing me to pursue my Masters studies at University of Manitoba. Thank you to my parents Liliana and Benjamin for providing me with university education in Argentina which still guides my professional and intellectual journey in Canada. Finally, a heartfelt thank you to my son Joel for his patience while watching mommy working for many months on this thesis, and especially to my husband Javier, whose ongoing support, understanding, encouragement, intelligence and love I tenderly feel every day since we are sharing our life together. i Dedication To Javier and Joel, with love. ii Contents Front Matter Contents ....................................................................................................................... iii List of Tables ............................................................................................................... vi List of Appendices ...................................................................................................... vii 1 Overview 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 1 Area of Focus ................................................................................................................ 6 Research Interest ........................................................................................................... 8 Purpose of the Study ..................................................................................................... 9 Research Questions ..................................................................................................... 10 Parameters of the Study .............................................................................................. 10 Significance of the Study ............................................................................................ 11 Definitions of Terms ................................................................................................... 13 2 Literature Review 14 Theoretical Framework ............................................................................................... 14 Learning, education and communication. .......................................................... 15 Adult education: political, social and economic considerations. ....................... 17 Intercultural development: from marginalization to integration. ....................... 20 Citizenship education: beyond civics education. ............................................... 23 Semiology: myth and rhetoric. ........................................................................... 28 Related Research ......................................................................................................... 36 Official citizenship documents. ......................................................................... 37 Canadian citizenship and citizenship education in Canada. .............................. 41 3 Methodology 49 Research Paradigm...................................................................................................... 49 Data Organization ....................................................................................................... 50 Data Search ................................................................................................................. 51 Data Selection ............................................................................................................. 53 iii Data Analysis .............................................................................................................. 55 Criteria for Quality ...................................................................................................... 57 Limitations of the Method .......................................................................................... 59 Assumptions ................................................................................................................ 60 Bias of the Researcher ................................................................................................ 61 4 Historical Context, Semiological Analysis and Discussion of Narratives 62 How to become a Canadian Citizen (1947) ................................................................ 62 Step I - Historical Context. ................................................................................ 63 Step II - Morphological and semantic description. ............................................ 69 Step III - Rhetorical analysis. ............................................................................ 73 Step IV – Discussion of the construction of the narrative. ................................ 81 Guide to Canadian Citizenship (1963) ........................................................................ 85 Step 1 - Historical context. ................................................................................ 86 Step II - Morphological and semantic description. ............................................ 92 Step III - Rhetorical analysis. ............................................................................ 96 Step IV - Discussion of the construction of the narrative. ............................... 104 Canada. Guide for Citizenship (1976) ...................................................................... 109 Step I - Historical context. ............................................................................... 109 Step II - Morphological and semantic description. .......................................... 117 Step III - Rhetorical analysis. .......................................................................... 121 Step IV - Discussion of the construction of the narrative. ............................... 124 The Canadian Citizen (1978) .................................................................................... 128 Step I - Historical context. ............................................................................... 129 Step II - Morphological and semantic description. .......................................... 134 Step III - Rhetorical analysis. .......................................................................... 139 Step IV - Discussion of the construction of the narrative. ............................... 144 A Look at Canada (1995) .......................................................................................... 148 Step I - Historical context. ............................................................................... 149 Step II - Morphological and semantic description. .......................................... 156 Step III - Rhetorical analysis. .......................................................................... 161 Step IV - Discussion of the construction of the narrative. ............................... 166 Discover Canada (2009) ........................................................................................... 171 iv Step I - Historical context. ..............................................................................
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