Commemorating Black Canadians in Public History
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COMMEMORATING BLACK CANADIANS IN PUBLIC HISTORY “Salt and potatoes in Canada were better than pound-cake and chickens in the United States:” Commemorating Black Canadians in Public History by Ranju Upadhyaya A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of The University of Manitoba in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of MASTER OF ARTS Department of Sociology University of Manitoba Winnipeg Copyright © 2020 by Ranju Upadhyaya i COMMEMORATING BLACK CANADIANS IN PUBLIC HISTORY Acknowledgements I want to express my gratitude to all those who provided me with the possibility to complete this research project. Foremost, I would like to express my sincere appreciation and gratitude to Dr. Andrew Woolford, my advisor, for the continuous support throughout my academic career. His enthusiasm, patience, and kindness helped me prevail throughout the research and writing of this thesis. I count myself lucky as I could not have imagined having a better advisor and mentor. I am forever in his debt for the immeasurable support provided throughout the years. Besides my advisor, I would like to thank the rest of my thesis committee: Dr. Sonia Bookman and Dr. Adam Muller, for their insightful comments, questions and suggestions. My sincere thanks to supporting staff of the Department of Sociology and Criminology, Margaret Currie, Dianne Bulback and Donna Alexiuk for their continual assistance and encouragement. Special thanks to Margaret for all the kindness she showed me during my time with the Department. Also, I want to thank the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) and the Manitoba Graduate Scholarship for providing the funding for my thesis. Finally, thank you to my extraordinary family. You guys have gone above and beyond for me. I am truly the luckiest person in the world to have you guys on my side. Dr. Maya Angelou is right in her belief that love from your family sustains you. ii COMMEMORATING BLACK CANADIANS IN PUBLIC HISTORY Abstract Ashley (2005) notes that Canadian museums are important public spaces where Canadian culture and heritage are represented and authenticated. The study of museums and exhibits provides insights into issues of identity, race, representation and expression of Canadian history. The thesis uses critical race theory (CRT) framework and critical discourse analysis (CDA) to analyze instances of exhibits on Black Canadian history. The two exhibits are the Parks Canada and the Department of Canadian Heritage’s ON THE ROAD NORTH - Black Canada and Journey to Freedom and the Canadian Museum for Human Rights’ Escape from Oppression. Using CRT and CDA, the thesis tries to appreciate the discrepancies and similarities between the two exhibits to understand how the history of Black Canadians in the exhibits altogether reveals a national tale of integration and unification, especially with the Underground Railroad narratives present in both exhibits. iii COMMEMORATING BLACK CANADIANS IN PUBLIC HISTORY Table of Contents Acknowledgements .......................................................................................................................... i Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ................................................................................................................................... v List of Figures ................................................................................................................................. v Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................. 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review ........................................................................................................ 7 Theoretical framework: Critical Race Theory (CRT) ........................................................................... 16 Gaps in the Literature ............................................................................................................................ 19 Implications ............................................................................................................................................ 20 Chapter 3: Methods ...................................................................................................................... 22 Data Collection ....................................................................................................................................... 22 Canada Heritage .................................................................................................................................................. 22 National Museums .............................................................................................................................................. 22 Critical Discourse Analysis .................................................................................................................... 23 Researcher’s Position ............................................................................................................................ 29 Concluding Thoughts ............................................................................................................................ 30 Chapter 4: On the Road North: Black Canada and the Journey to Freedom .......................... 31 Description of the Exhibit ...................................................................................................................... 31 Exhibit Layout (Virtual) ..................................................................................................................................... 32 Critical Discourse Analysis .................................................................................................................... 33 Presence .............................................................................................................................................................. 33 Representation of Slavery ................................................................................................................................... 35 Social Actors ....................................................................................................................................................... 35 British Abolitionists ........................................................................................................................................ 37 Freedom Fighters and the American Revolution. ........................................................................................... 39 Black Loyalist Immigrants ............................................................................................................................. 42 Canadian Abolitionists ................................................................................................................................... 46 Refugees in Canada ........................................................................................................................................ 48 Community Builders ...................................................................................................................................... 50 The Underground Railroad Activists .............................................................................................................. 54 Concluding Remarks .............................................................................................................................. 58 Chapter 5: Canadian Museum for Human Rights ..................................................................... 61 Exhibit Overview: Escape from Oppression ......................................................................................... 61 Exhibit Development Process ............................................................................................................................. 61 Introductory Text Panel ...................................................................................................................................... 65 Focal Area: The Tree Trunks and Media Pieces ................................................................................................. 67 The Right-Side Panel: Photographs .................................................................................................................... 70 iv COMMEMORATING BLACK CANADIANS IN PUBLIC HISTORY Critical Discourse Analysis .................................................................................................................... 72 Representation of Social Events ......................................................................................................................... 72 a. Escaping to Canada ..................................................................................................................................... 72 b. Guiding/helping freedom seekers ............................................................................................................... 77 c. Building and Settling in Canada ................................................................................................................. 79 Representation of social actors .............................................................................................................. 81 1. Actors who sought freedom .......................................................................................................................