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Review

Aya Fujiwara, Ethnic Elites and : Japanese, Ukrainians and Scots, 1919-1971. Winnipeg: University of Press, 2012, xi + 256 p., $27.95 (paper), ISBN 978- 0-8875-737-8

Adopting Ethnicity as Part of the Canadian Identity Ken McGoogan’s How the Scots Invented , (meant to be deliberately ‘less academic,’) asserts that ‘a handful of Scots and Scottish invented the world’s most pluralistic society.’1 In contrast, Aya Fujiwara, in Ethnic Elites and Canadian Identity: Japanese, Ukrainians and Scots, 1919-1971, considers the complexities of a Scottish ethnicity overwhelmed by the contention, (boast if you will), that the history of the Scots in Canada is the . Ethnic Elites examines the nature of ethnicity in Canada from the 1917 federal election to the enactment of multiculturalism as an official policy in 1971, and compares the approach of Scottish, Ukrainian and Japanese elites to the question of Canadian identity. Ethic Elites convincingly argues that had it not been for activism by these elites, it is unlikely that Canadians would have moved as quickly to develop a pluralistic approach to their identity. Fujiwara’s extensive use of ethnic sources and solid analysis has resulted in a substantial contribution to the study of ethnicity in Canada. Ethnic Elites will also appeal to students in the fields of Canadian cultural and identity studies, international relations, and the study of Canadian governance during the

1 Ken McGoogan, How the Scots Invented Canada (: HarperCollins, 2010), ix 134 Review

twentieth century. Previous studies have underestimated the impact of ethnic perspectives on Canadian identity, Fujiwara argues, and neglected to examine how this broadened from a British ‘common ancestry’ to a focus on ‘universalistic-moral values of equality.’ (15) Studies of ethnic groups in Canada usually focused on a single group, and conceived of ethnicity as the result of a common descent rather than a political construct. This resulted in the disassociation of ethnicity from mainstream Canada, and the ‘artificial’ definition of ethnic boundaries. The acceptance of the Scottish Canadian ethnicity as an integral part of the Canadian identity distinguished the experience of Scottish Canadians from that of their Ukrainian and Japanese counterparts. Differences between the other two groups were also instructive. elites often became key activists for a more pluralist definition of the Canadian identity, while found it most difficult to have their voices heard. Fujiwara supports these contentions by examining relations of ethnic elites with Canada’s mainstream community before the enactment of multiculturalism in Canada. The interaction of these elites with their mainstream counterparts; their control of ethnic presses; and their increasing participation in the decision-making process helped to bridge the gap between ethnic and mainstream British-Canadian ‘notions of democracy, freedom and pluralism.’ (183) This trend accelerated following the Second World War, as boundaries between mainstream and ethnic communities broke down in light of revelations of atrocities abroad; memories of discrimination at home; and in the context of increasingly vocal French . Ethnic Elites is organized into six chapters, the first four being organized chronologically, while the latter two discuss in more detail the ways in which ethnic elites attempted to have their voices heard.

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Chapter one sets out the positions of the three ethnic communities in the context of the First World War, and discusses their divergent experiences as representative of the spectrum of ethnicity in Canada. Fujiwara argues that Scottish Canadian elites, when they choose, accentuated their ethnicity to underline their ‘special’ status as ‘founders’ of Canada. In contrast, Ukrainian Canadians were tainted by their community’s association with Austria-Hungary, but remained respected by the Canadian mainstream, while Japanese Canadians continued to be marginalized due to race, language, and religion. Chapter two continues these themes, examining the continuing boundaries between ethnic communities and the mainstream, as well as the rise of the concept of a Canadian ‘mosaic’ during the interwar period. As with much of the work, Fujiwara uses the approach of Scottish Canadian elites as a foil, due to their preference for assimilation as official Canadian policy and their failure to mobilize their community. Japanese Canadian activism was also rare, as divisions within the community and the reliance on Japanese Consulates for representation, added to growing tension with mainstream Canada, particularly after 1931. Ukrainian Canadians elites, in contrast, increasingly mobilized their community, and began to ‘conceptualize themselves as part of a multiethnic society.’ (59) Chapter three examines the challenges faced by ethnic elites in light of the events of the Second World War. Leaders of all three communities expected Canada to be consistent in upholding the wartime ideals proclaimed by the Canadian government, and activists in the Ukrainian and Japanese Canadian communities ‘exaggerated mainstream wartime propaganda and incorporated their own definition of democracy into the mainstream vision.’ (90) In contrast, the Canadian government increased their attempts to control ethnic communities in Canada, by censoring ethnic 136 Review newspapers and investigating cultural groups. As with the First World War, the wartime experiences of the three ethnic groups diverged. For Scottish Canadians, ethnicity remained ‘fluid’, while Ukrainian Canadians were largely accepted into the war effort, even if Ukrainian Canadian communists were regarded with suspicion. For Japanese Canadians, however, the war proved extraordinarily difficult, as, cut off from their homeland and unable to embrace their cultural heritage, the cohesiveness of their community was destroyed by internment policies. The second part of Ethnic Elites deals broadly with activist themes during the post-war period. Fujiwara argues that Scottish Canadian elites increasingly found it difficult to separate their ethnicity from the mainstream. As a result, the section considers the differences between the emphases of Ukrainian Canadian elites on collective rights, while Japanese Canadian elites continued their emphasis on individual rights, partially as a result of the systematic racism they continued to face. Chapter four discusses the post-war re-evaluation of the Canadian identity, and argues that while Canadians continued to feel an attachment to British values, they relied less on this connection. The Canadian mainstream also made more concentrated attempts to integrate ethnic groups, even if the difference between ‘integration’ and ‘assimilation’ was never clarified. Ethnic Elites argues that it was these changes, however gradual and ill-defined, which indicated a move towards a more distinct, and more pluralist, sense of Canada’s identity. Chapter five of Ethnic Elites focuses on the use of symbols in the 1960s, particularly by Ukrainian Canadians nationalists, the first group outside of to argue effectively the enshrinement of protections for cultural heritage within Canada.

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In chapter six, Fujiwara focuses on activism by ethnic elites during the 1960s, in the context of increasingly vocal French Canadian nationalism; the enactment of the Canadian Bill of Rights; and the Royal Commission on Bilingualism and Biculturalism in 1963. The official Canadian slogan of ‘Unity in Diversity,’ meant to be broadly inclusive, allowed Canadian officials to project multiculturalism 100 years into Canada’s history, while ignoring the systematic discrimination and assimilationist policies of the country’s past. Therefore, it was primarily the efforts of ethnic elites, Fujiwara argues, which resulted in the adoption of multiculturalism, one consequence of which was the publication of The Cultural Contribution of the Other Ethnic Groups in 1969. One of Fujiwara’s strongest arguments is that the pluralist aspects of Canadian nationalism would never have been included without the activism of ethnic elites. They were unwilling to accept an official Canadian identity based solely on English and French Canadian ethnicity. Instead, ethnic elites deployed ethnic symbols, presses, speeches, and political leverage to push for pluralism in Canada. Comparing Scottish Canadian elites with their Ukrainian and Japanese counterparts allows Fujiwara to illustrate how elites reshaped Canadian perspectives of ethnicity. While in large sections of Ethnic Elites, the role of Scottish Canadian elites might seem secondary, therefore, the acceptance of the ‘fluid’ nature of Scottish Canadian ethnicity was important in establishing ethnicity as a legitimate component of the Canadian identity. This point could be more consistently argued. At times, Ethnic Elites itself confuses Scottish Canadian ethnicity with the Canadian mainstream. For example, Fujiwara states that Carl Berger argued that ‘Scottish imperialism was an integral part of Canadian nationalism and thus defined mainstream Canada.’ (42) While the source listed, The Sense of Power: Studies in the Ideas of Canadian 138 Review Imperialism does include a number of Scottish Canadian protagonists, a close reading of Berger’s work reveals a failure to distinguish between Scottish and British imperialism.2 In addition, although Fujiwara examined a substantial number of political and cultural sources from the ethnic communities concerned, Ethnic Elites could have benefitted from a more complete discussion of mainstream viewpoints in both French and . There are a number of valuable sources from the 1930s and 1940s, for example, such as E.B. Rogers and R.A. Mackay’s Canada Looks Abroad, (1938), which made credible attempts to discuss this question.3 Further, while Fujiwara contends that the monarchy was central to ethnic perceptions of Canadian identity, (embracing it a means of demonstrating dual loyalty to Canada and to ethnic homelands), this could have been a particularly interesting question for a more complete discussion. It needed to have been expanded on beyond the brief mention of the Royal Tour of 1939, which Ethnic Elites argues was representative of the embrace of the royal couple as symbols of ‘freedom’, ‘justice,’ ‘equality,’ and ‘tolerance’. These issues do not undermine the overall value of Ethnic Elites. Fujiwara’s work provides a valuable examination of the role that ethnic elites played in pushing for a more pluralistic approach to Canada’s identity. Fujiwara’s contention that ‘Canada was neither a British country nor a Canadian melting pot at any time,’ (36) contributes to the discussion on any number of areas of interest in regards to the complex question of Canadian identity. It addresses the mistaken perception that ethnic communities were monolithic entities, a mythical ‘Third Element’ to be manipulated by mainstream politicians. The examination of the role played by

2 Carl Berger, The Sense of Power: Studies in the Ideas of Canadian Imperialism, 1867-1914. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 1971) 3 R.A. Mackay and E.B. Rogers, Canada Looks Abroad. (London: Oxford University Press, 1938)

IRSS (38) 2013 139 the Scottish, Japanese, and Ukrainian Canadian communities helps deconstruct the ways in which Canadians changed their identity, and, therefore, changed their definition of ethnicity as well.

Heather Metcalfe University of Windsor