Ethnic Elites and the Emergence of Multiculturalism in Canada
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Aya Fujiwara. Ethnic Elites and Canadian identity: Japanese, Ukrainians, and Scots, 1919-1971. Winnipeg: University of Manitoba Press, 2012. 288 pp. $31.95, paper, ISBN 978-0-88755-737-8. Reviewed by Jan Raska Published on H-Canada (January, 2014) Commissioned by Jane Nicholas (University of Waterloo/St. Jerome's) Aya Fujiwara’s Ethnic Elites and Canadian shared within each ethnic community as they Identity is a welcome contribution to the existing searched for a national identity. In choosing to fo‐ literature on ethnicity and multiculturalism in cus her work on the three aforementioned ethnic Canada. In using an approach that is anchored in communities, Fujiwara analyzes their contribu‐ chronology and supported by a comparative and tions to the transformation of Canadian identity. thematic analysis spanning several decades, Fuji‐ She notes that ethnic elites were individuals who wara follows the role of elites from three ethnic emerged from newcomer communities as “inter‐ communities in Canada during the twentieth cen‐ mediaries between Canadians and their ethnic tury. A reworked version of her doctoral disserta‐ peoples after they arrived in Canada” (p. 3). Often tion, Fujiwara considers how Japanese, Scottish, as self-appointed representatives of their ethnic and Ukrainian ethnic elites in Canada influenced communities in Canada, elites possessed a dual national identity as it shifted from Anglo-con‐ identity between their old homeland and Canada. formity (Franco-conformity in Quebec) prior to This transnational identity ultimately “shaped the Second World War towards ethnic pluralism their roles, views, and missions” (p. 4). Fujiwara in the 1960s. As a result, Fujiwara’s work recon‐ argues that leaders within these ethnic communi‐ siders the idea that multiculturalism was the re‐ ties established their power through the manipu‐ sult of sociopolitical events in the 1960s, and es‐ lation of old world and Canadian politics. Similar‐ tablished and promoted by “mainstream” Canadi‐ ly, these individuals attempted to balance their ans. In an attempt to demonstrate how Japanese, work on behalf of their ethnic communities with Scottish, and Ukrainian ethnic elites influenced their Old World identity in order to construct a the rise of a multicultural Canada, Fujiwara con‐ comfortable life in Canada. siders the “constant manipulation” of political dis‐ Fujiwara freely admits that her arguments courses and historical memories and myths based on Japanese, Scottish, and Ukrainian expe‐ H-Net Reviews riences “cannot necessarily be applied to all eth‐ the promotion of ethnic pluralism was seen as a nic groups in Canada” (p. 5). Yet, it is her hope mechanism in which both groups could achieve that “useful clues” from this study can inform the their desired dual identities. For Japanese elites, reader on how other ethnic groups in Canada es‐ ethnicity was closely tied to race. In her work, Fu‐ tablished and preserved ethnicity. While the Scots jiwara effectively rejects the traditional interpre‐ belonged to mainstream Canada, Ukrainians who tation of the evolution of Canadian identity--from were not of an Anglo-Protestant background, but Anglo conformity to “liberal-democratic ethnic remained white and Christian were preferred in pluralism” as previously delineated by main‐ mainstream society in comparison to Japanese, stream Canada. Instead, Fujiwara demonstrates who were racially visible, from the “Orient,” and that ethnic elites were proponents of multicultur‐ believed in Buddhism or Shintoism. As a result, alism prior to the Second World War. In the post‐ Japanese in Canada were seen as unassimilable. war period, these elites influenced democratic Japanese and Ukrainian ethnic elites lobbied values and Canadian identity while demanding Canadian officials in an effort to gain recognition that mainstream society recognize ethnicity as a as “full-fledged citizens” without discrimination. part of Canadian identity. Beginning in the 1920s, ideological divisions with‐ Fujiwara’s work is organized into six chap‐ in the Japanese and Ukrainian communities split ters. Chapter 1, “Changing Ethnic Profiles,” exam‐ ethnic elites into opposing camps. Japanese were ines how segregation and integration influenced divided between issei (immigration generation) Scottish, Ukrainian, and Japanese ethnic elites’ di‐ who sought the preservation of Japanese ethno‐ alogue with mainstream society. The chapter fo‐ cultural identity and those who supported Canadi‐ cuses on fve factors which determined the Scot‐ anization, and nisei (Canadian-born generation) tish, Ukrainian, and Japanese positions within who predominantly advocated for cultural plural‐ Canadian society prior to the Second World War: ity in Canada. Meanwhile, Ukrainians coalesced racism, homeland politics, immigration, geo‐ around nationalists who sought their homeland’s graphic dispersal, and religion. This chapter ap‐ independence from the Soviet Union and commu‐ propriately conveys that the Scots were frmly en‐ nists who promoted the Soviet Union. According trenched as a part of mainstream Canada. to Fujiwara, ethnic elites within these four camps Ukrainians and Japanese became second-class cit‐ sought to prove that they were the legitimate rep‐ izens and preserved their ethnic identity in an at‐ resentatives of their communities in Canada. Dur‐ tempt to gain greater influence in Canadian soci‐ ing the interwar period, Japanese and Ukrainians ety. Chapter 2, “The Consolidation of Ethnic sought to fuse their Old World ethnicity with Boundaries and the Rise of the Mosaic,” explores Canadian identity in an attempt to join main‐ the consolidation of ethnic boundaries and the stream society. As a result, Japanese and Ukrain‐ role that ideological divisions, homeland politics, ian ethnic elites coupled homeland symbols and and relations between ethnic elites and Canadian myths with their traditional collective stories to officials played in the establishment of ethnic produce a new Canadian identity. While Scots identity and the promotion of a Canadian mosaic. were already an important part of mainstream Although the Scots, Ukrainians, and Japanese all Canadian society, Japanese and Ukrainian ethnic found the promotion of ethnicity to be advanta‐ elites used Old World myths, symbols, and stories geous for their identities, Fujiwara argues that to fuse ethnic and mainstream boundaries, which Ukrainian ethnic elites held the “prerequisites to Fujiwara notes “became indiscernible more organize a more politically distinctive communi‐ quickly than in official Canadian identity (p. 7). ty” in comparison to Scottish and Japanese elites For both Japanese and Ukrainian elites in Canada, (p. 35). This chapter demonstrates that during the 2 H-Net Reviews interwar period Japanese did not hold a position wards democracy, freedom, human rights, and cit‐ from which to negotiate with Canadian society. In izenship with the emergence of the Cold War in the late 1930s, nationalist Ukrainians and issei Ja‐ 1946, the introduction of the Canadian Citizenship panese promoted the notion of a Canadian mosaic Act in 1947, and the Universal Declaration of Hu‐ in which both groups could maintain their dual man Rights in 1948. Fujiwara concludes that the identities. Chapter 3, “Increasing Tensions and the postwar period was exemplified by the emer‐ Wartime Mosaic,” discusses how the Second gence of a “pan-Canadian identity around democ‐ World War reinforced the ethnoracial hierarchy racy and citizenship” (p. 130). Both Ukrainians that existed in Canada, thereby increasing the di‐ and Japanese considered the enactment of the vide between ethnic groups who were seen as sus‐ Canadian Citizenship Act in 1947 as official recog‐ pect, and their contribution to nation-building. nition of their status as equal citizens. However, During this period, Scots were largely “invisible” Canadian officials continued to largely ignore eth‐ as members of mainstream Canadian society and nic issues unless they directly influenced Canadi‐ as important contributors to the Allied war effort. an foreign policy or the country’s image abroad. With the cooperation of the federal government, Canadian officials neglected efforts on the part of Ukrainian nationalists were incorporated into the Ukrainian nationalists lobbying for an indepen‐ war effort through the establishment of the dent Ukraine. Conversely, the wartime loss of Ukrainian Canadian Committee. This cooperation property, internment, deportation, and lack of the permitted Ukrainian nationalists to demonstrate franchise demonstrated to Canadian officials that their loyalty to Canada, strengthened their posi‐ postwar legislation increasingly had to counter tion within the broader Ukrainian community, past racism. This chapter demonstrates that both and guaranteed that the promotion of Ukrainian Ukrainian and Japanese elites pressured the Cana‐ independence in Europe remained a vital compo‐ dian government to redefine Canadian citizenship nent of Ukrainian ethnic consciousness in Canada. and democracy, ultimately linking them to ethnic Meanwhile, Japanese community members were pluralism. Chapter 5, “The Canadianization and labeled as enemy aliens and their community or‐ Ethnicization of Myths, Collective Memories, and ganizations were dismantled and members in‐ Symbols,” discusses how Scots, Ukrainians, and Ja‐ terned. In this chapter, Fujiwara explains that the panese incorporated postwar debates surround‐ Second World War provided Ukrainian national‐ ing citizenship and democracy into their collec‐ ists with an opportunity