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UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario by Sarath Chandrasekere A THESIS SUBMITTED IN CONFORMITY WITH THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY GRADUATE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIOLOGY UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO © Sarath Chandrasekere, 2008 Library and Bibliotheque et 1*1 Archives Canada Archives Canada Published Heritage Direction du Branch Patrimoine de I'edition 395 Wellington Street 395, rue Wellington Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Ottawa ON K1A0N4 Canada Canada Your file Votre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-44818-2 Our file Notre reference ISBN: 978-0-494-44818-2 NOTICE: AVIS: The author has granted a non L'auteur a accorde une licence non exclusive exclusive license allowing Library permettant a la Bibliotheque et Archives and Archives Canada to reproduce, Canada de reproduire, publier, archiver, publish, archive, preserve, conserve, sauvegarder, conserver, transmettre au public communicate to the public by par telecommunication ou par Plntemet, prefer, telecommunication or on the Internet, distribuer et vendre des theses partout dans loan, distribute and sell theses le monde, a des fins commerciales ou autres, worldwide, for commercial or non sur support microforme, papier, electronique commercial purposes, in microform, et/ou autres formats. paper, electronic and/or any other formats. The author retains copyright L'auteur conserve la propriete du droit d'auteur ownership and moral rights in et des droits moraux qui protege cette these. this thesis. Neither the thesis Ni la these ni des extraits substantiels de nor substantial extracts from it celle-ci ne doivent etre imprimes ou autrement may be printed or otherwise reproduits sans son autorisation. reproduced without the author's permission. In compliance with the Canadian Conformement a la loi canadienne Privacy Act some supporting sur la protection de la vie privee, forms may have been removed quelques formulaires secondaires from this thesis. ont ete enleves de cette these. While these forms may be included Bien que ces formulaires in the document page count, aient inclus dans la pagination, their removal does not represent il n'y aura aucun contenu manquant. any loss of content from the thesis. Canada Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario Doctor of Philosophy- PhD 2008 Sarath Chandrasekere Graduate Department of Sociology University of Toronto Abstract This exploratory sociological study on identity construction of Sri Lankan immigrants and their Canadian born children living in Ontario addresses three main questions: 1) the content and the nature of ethnic identification; 2) the significant differences between the observed identity types and the original Sri Lankan identity types of Sinhalese, Tamil and Burghers; and 3) the significant differences between the Canadian-born Sri Lankans and the immigrant Sri Lankans with regard to observed bases of identification. The selected sample included 50 Sri Lankans in Ontario: Sinhalese speakers (23), Tamil speakers (16) and Canadian born Sinhalese teenagers (11), and represented both men and women (approximately 1:1). The study offers valuable insights into the process of identity construction and differential pattern of incorporation of Sri Lankan immigrants and their Canadian born children. In areas such as self-perceived identity and ethnic food and language use, marked differences are displayed between the Sinhala speakers and the Tamil speakers. Furthermore, significant differences are seen across gender lines. Responses from the second generation Sri Lankans show radical departures from that of the foreign-born groups. Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario ii The self-identification of fifty respondents fell into 6 categories: Tamil, Tamil- Sri Lankan, Sri Lankan, Tamil-Canadian, Canadian and Sri Lankan-Canadian. Over 50% of respondents considered being a citizen of Canada the most important identity for them. This pioneer study of Sri Lankan immigrants in Ontario emulates findings of some North American ethnicity studies, and challenges conventional theories of Assimilation. The present study has confirmed that ethnic retention and social incorporation are not mutually exclusive phenomena; rather, they are distinct. The study further confirms that ethnicity must be viewed as a continuously unfolding process, as opposed to a set of firmly fixed inherited features. The study has implications for Canadian public policy in the sphere of immigration. It will show what socio-economic and cultural factors facilitate or delay immigrant incorporation into the Canadian society. Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario in Acknowledgements This academic research seeks to tell the story of immigrants to Ontario from the South Asian Island of Sri Lanka. It concerns individual and collective experience of adaptation and the commitment to cultural defence and resistance to change. It describes the strategies employed by the immigrants and their children bom in Canada to construct and reconstruct a Canadian or Sri Lankan-Canadian identity within the Canadian social milieu. This arduous task would not have been possible without the theoretical, technical and moral support I have received from a number of wonderful colleagues, family members and friends who stood behind me to ensure that I complete it. During the past ten years my data, photocopies of sociological literature, and even hand written lecture notes travelled with me to many corners of the world, including Birendra Nagar, Nepal and Iqaluit, Nunavut, and Victoria Island in the Northern Arctic. At times, it seemed as if my graduate studies would never end. First and foremost, I am indebted to my graduate program and thesis supervisor Professor Sev Isajiw for his endless encouragement, theoretical guidance and patience throughout my academic journey at the University of Toronto. Sev, I am ever grateful to you for showing incredible respect for other cultures, and thought provoking insights into inter-ethnic relations. It was a delight to work with you as your Teaching Assistant for a number of years at the University of Toronto. I am ever grateful to Professors Eric Fong and Michael Levin, members of my thesis panel, and to Professor Vappu Tyyska my external thesis evaluator for their valuable comments on the draft of this thesis. Your tremendous patience and commitment Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario iv to review my draft thesis, which took an unusually longer time to complete, demonstrate your exemplary academic and scholarly leadership. I would like to extend my gratitude to Professor Irvin Zeitlin who was the Chair of my Comprehensive Examination Committee on Sociological Theory for his insightful comments on my academic writings and his encouragement to produce high quality academic work. Professors Michael Bodemann, Bernd Baldus, Ron Gillis, Nancy Howell, Charles Jones and Bonnie Erickson, all from the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Toronto, have undoubtedly helped shape my sociological imagination. Dr. Zoran Pejovic, an invaluable colleague and friend, provided me with inspiration and taught me how to translate sociological knowledge into classroom teaching. His vision of the emerging Canadian society and critical assessment of inter- ethnic relations added novel insights into my own thinking. Zoran, I do sincerely thank you for all the support you provided to me and to my family while we struggled to survive in Metropolitan Toronto. I would like to extend my very sincere gratitude to Dr. Sange de Silva and his staff of Statistics Canada for providing me with 1991 and 2001 Canadian census data pertaining to the population of Sri Lankans in Canada. During my tenure at the University of Toronto, I was able to build a network of long-lasting friendships with my colleagues. Hence, Nana Oishi, Meir Amor, Kwaku Obosu-Mensa, and Simboonath Sing, all of whom have made unprecedented contributions to the field of Sociology through their excellent doctoral research deserve very special thanks for the invaluable support they extended to me during good times as well as bad times. I fail in my duty if I do not mention the name Jeannette Wright, the Inventing the Sri Lankans: Construction of Ethnic Identity by Immigrants to Ontario v Graduate Secretary in the Faculty of Sociology. Jeannette has been an incredible supporter, technical advisor and an inspiring friend to me throughout my graduate student tenure and beyond. In like manner, special gratitude is extended to Professor Judith Golec of the Faculty of Sociology at the University of Alberta, who visited me in Nepal and in Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, and reviewed earlier drafts of this dissertation, provided invaluable guidance and moral support. Professor Paul Saram of the University of Alberta, who has been a mentor and a strong positive influence in my life for nearly 34 years, deserves a special "Thank you!" Saram was behind the many progressive moves I have made in my academic, professional, and personal life. I would like to extend my love and gratitude to Professor Caryl Abrahams (formerly Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto) for her encouragement and continuous surveillance and monitoring of my academic progress without which this project would not have come to fruition. Caryl is a tremendous strength and an incredible team player to work with. Professors