Acting out (Side) the Canadian Multicultural" Script" in Toronto's
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Acting Out(side) the Canadian Multicultural “Script” in Toronto‟s Ethno-cultural Festivals by Jacqueline C.D. Taucar A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies University of Toronto © Copyright by Jacqueline C.D. Taucar, 2016 Acting Out(side) the Canadian Multicultural “Script” in Toronto‟s Ethno-cultural Festivals Jacqueline C.D. Taucar Doctor of Philosophy Centre for Drama, Theatre, and Performance Studies University of Toronto 2016 Abstract This thesis articulates the promising disruptions of the Canadian multicultural ―script‖ that a Brechtian dramaturgy of ethno-cultural festivals critically practices, and also draws attention to the fissures in scholarship and in the official record through which these festivals often tumble into either obscurity or reductive characterisations. Within the framework of performance studies, this thesis adapts Bertolt Brecht‘s dramaturgical approach to interrogate the ways in which Toronto‘s largest ethno-cultural festivals—in particular, Toronto Caribbean Carnival Festival (1967-present), Toronto International Festival Caravan (1969-2002/2003), and the Taste of the Danforth (1994-present)—produce, perform, and negotiate the plurality of contrasting and contested meanings of the Canadian multicultural ―script.‖ Enshrining the values of multiculturalism as part of the performance of Canadian identity, this ―script‖ was developed in stages by the Canadian Government after the Second World War, and was institutionalised in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms (1982) and the Canadian Multiculturalism Act (1988). I employ Brecht‘s Verfremdungseffekt, gestus, and historicisation to denaturalise and make visible the often unnoticed discourses of power, that shape the presentation of ethno-cultural identities at festivals, for further examination and questioning. In doing so, I illustrate that the ways in which ii Taucar iii ethno-cultural festivals operate are not just fixed within understandings of the official multicultural ―script,‖ but rather can, and do, change over time. Organised around three meditations of performativity, this thesis examines how material objects like food, physical and metaphoric spaces, and performing bodies at festivals create, perform, and present multicultural identities that play into normative understandings of the multicultural ―script‖ as well as opening the possibility of their resistance through performance. In addition to the existing critiques of commoditisation at ethno-cultural festivals, my work on the performativity of food opens up a dialogue about the other ways that the multicultural ―script‖ contributes to the management of diversity in the nation. Foregrounding the discursive practices of space at ethno-cultural festivals, my study illustrates the ways in which access to, or displacement or exclusion from, space is a performance of power. The performing body in ethno- cultural festivals has counter-hegemonic potential that can interfere and disrupt the safe representation and consumption of the multicultural ―script‖ that discursively reinforce unequal power relations. Taucar iv Acknowledgments This thesis is dedicated with love to my parents, Christine and Paul Taucar, and is especially dedicated to the memory of my Dad who passed away in the midst of my Ph.D. studies. Their experiences of immigrating to Canada have inspired the subject of this work in so many ways they never could have imagined. Over their lifetimes my parents, along with the millions of other immigrants, have lived, (per)formed, and profoundly changed the multicultural ―script‖ of which I write. It is only fitting that traces of their lives and their experiences are evoked throughout this work. A part of their experience of immigration meant that neither mom nor dad had the opportunity to attend university, but they were so passionate about the benefits of higher education. All their lives they worked so hard to make sure that my siblings and I had the opportunities that they never had. For all my parents‘ sacrifices and hard work, I will always be forever grateful. This thesis is for them. I am particularly indebted to the support of my supervisor, Dr. Antje Budde, and committee members Dr. Dina Georgis and Dr. Stephen Johnson. From the first day I walked into Antje‘s class in CompLit, I knew that it would be the start of a beautiful collaboration. As a boundary-challenging, avant-garde scholar, Antje has been—without an iota of a doubt—the perfect intellectual midwife for this interdisciplinary brainchild and a truly wonderful mentor. Her insightful comments have always encouraged not only the most rigorous, but also the most creative scholarship from me. I treasure most her ability to make me laugh through some of the darkest times in this process, and for helping me see the light at the end of the thesis tunnel when I needed it the most. Little could I have imagined the rich and meaningful connection initiated by the ―cold call‖ email I sent at the outset of this work to Dina in the Women and Gender Studies department. In Dina I found a scholar and mentor whose research and knowledge, specifically her insights into feminisms, postcolonialities, diasporas and national identities, have been an asset to my project. I consider Dina as a model for exceptional teaching for her depth of subject knowledge, availability and communication skills, the way she inspires me to be a better critical thinker, and her empathy. I am thankful for the support of Stephen and Dr. Yana Meerzon who acted as my external examiner. Your thoughtful questions and ideas have helped shape this work in more ways than I can elaborate. Taucar v I am profoundly indebted to the communities that have embraced my research, granting me access to people and the processes of cultural production that are featured prominently in my work. I sincerely thank members of Toronto‘s Caribbean Carnival community for welcoming me into their mas camps and teaching me about the art and culture. I give ―big ups‖ to Thea and Dario Jackson of TruDYNASTY Carnival Inc., Louis Saldenah and his family at Saldenah Mas Band, and to designers Danzo Balroop and Dave Desvignes for taking me under their wings and always supporting my research. I am especially grateful to Michelle Reyes and her mother Dian who welcomed me into their family, shared their ―culinary magic‖ with me, and allowed me to be their apprentice during carnival time. Dian and Michelle are a crucial part of this dissertation, which never could have happened without their support and their willingness to share what they know. I look forward to making mas with you for years to come. My sincere thanks go to my friends and colleagues inside academia Sarah Richardson, Tianna Uchacz, Betsy Moss, Nicole Roccas, Laura Garcia-Browning, Anna Chukur, Matthew Jones, Keren Zaiontz, Paul Halferty, Katherine Foster Grajewski and Sara Osenton for being part of the writing groups, conference seminars/panels, and the supportive friendships that have helped me get to where I am now. I am most grateful for those who have shared their academic and creative work with me, especially Dr. Julie Burelle and playwright Jovanni Sy. I thank my undergraduate professors Natalie Rewa and Judith Fisher for first fostering belief in my burgeoning scholarship and for encouraging it ever since. Gratitude and love to the friends outside of academia especially Rebecca Nixon, Cesia Green, my hockey/volleyball/Ride to Conquer Cancer teammates, my kindred cycling spirits Dianne Merriam and Silvia D‘Agruma, the Patels, the Sawchuk-Nalsoks, all of whom have shown me that life does exist outside of the dissertation. I could not have accomplished this work without my true friend, Erin Deering, whose company, advice, and offers to critically read my work were absolutely indispensible. To the loving members of the Taucar family around the world who have supported and cheered me on in this process, especially Maryann, Walter and Elizabeth, I am most thankful. This thesis is also dedicated to the memory of my Uncle John Taucar, who passed away slightly after I finished writing this dissertation, and my Baba, for their experiences of immigration have likewise influenced this work. Whenever my confidence faltered, I could always rely on the Taucar vi loving support of my other family—the Francis family—especially Sandra and Trevor, who always believed in me and were my biggest cheerleaders throughout this process. I am eternally grateful for their presence in my life. Above all, my deepest love and gratitude is reserved for my partner, Simon Francis, who has always walked alongside me in this journey and offered me his strength and support in the moments when I felt I could not go on. Accompanying me to a number of festivals over the years, I could not wish for a better ―research partner‖ to help me usher this project to completion. I turn to the lyricism of Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip to express more eloquently what you have meant to me: ―I am of you / And you are in everything I do‖ (In View). I look forward to sharing life‘s future adventures with you. Taucar vii Table of Contents Table of Contents Acknowledgments.......................................................................................................................... iv Table of Contents .......................................................................................................................... vii List of Figures ..................................................................................................................................x