Who We Are/ Quienes Somos By Emma Brito A thesis exhibition presented to OCAD University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Design in Digital Futures Toronto Media Arts Centre, April 12 -14, 2019 Toronto, Ontario, Canada, April 2019 © Emma Brito, 2019 Author’s Declaration I hereby declare that I am the sole author of this thesis. This is a true copy of the thesis, including any required final revisions, as accepted by my examiners. I authorize OCAD University to lend this thesis to other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. I understand that my thesis may be made electronically available to the public. I further authorize OCAD University to reproduce this thesis by photocopying or by other means, in total or in part, at the request of other institutions or individuals for the purpose of scholarly research. ii Who We Are/Quienes Somos Emma Brito Master of Design Digital Futures, 2019 OCAD University ABSTRACT This thesis explores how distinct cultures shift into Latin American Canadian identities beyond the first generation through one-on-one interviews. It seeks to uncover what the central characteristics of Latin American Canadian identities are, what is gained and lost of the foundational national identities through the shift into these broader panethnicities, and how they are shaped by the small yet diverse Toronto population in which the research is conducted. This thesis then employs concepts and cultural studies methods used throughout the research to create a multimedia storytelling interface which is methodologically and conceptually aligned in medium and experience. Keywords: Multimedia Story, Multimedia, Testimony, Interview, Panethnic, Latin America, Identity, Narrative, Storytelling, iii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have been possible without the generosity of those who allowed themselves to be interviewed. Thank you for your time and opinions. They are valued and valid. In many this is both for you and by you. I am extremely fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with my primary advisor Paula Gardner who shared her knowledge, expertise and time. I would also like to thank my secondary advisor Isabel Meirelles who always offered valuable insight, and a special thanks to Marcus Gordon for his time with technical questions. Additionally, I would like to thank my Digital Futures cohort for your support, you know who you are. To my friends for understanding my sporadic disappearances for months at a time. And thank you Victor for your presence, love, and help throughout this process. Finally, I owe all the thanks in the world to my parents. Attempting to select only a few ways in which you’ve helped me would be doing an injustice to a lifetime of love and support. All that I can say is, yet again, thank you. iv Table of Contents Introduction 1 Context Review 3 Literature Review 9 i. Identification Through Otherness 9 ii. Latin American Panethnicities 11 iii. Borderlands 14 My Analytic Lens 16 Works Review 17 i. Choice & Navigation 18 ii. Multimedia & Meaning 20 Methodology: New Ethnography 23 iii. Self – Reflexivity 25 iv. Polyvocality 26 v. Testimonio 27 vi. Scope & Limitations 28 Interview Process 30 i. Findings 30 i. Cultures Entwining 31 ii. The Importance of a Physical Space 34 iii. Language as the Culture 36 iv. Imposter Syndrome 39 v. What’s in a Name? 43 ii. Interview Reflections 44 Multimedia Storytelling Interface 46 i. Structure From Methods 50 ii. Intended Purpose 52 iii. Final Results 53 Conclusions 58 i. Next Steps & New Directions 61 Bibliography 61 Appendix A - My Story & Bias 64 Appendix B - Process Journal 67 v Appendix C - Further Information on Migration Waves 74 Appendix D - Interview Sample Breakdown 83 vi List of Figures Fig. 1. Viewing Structure, Photo by Emma Brito 54 Fig. 2. Homepage, Photo by Emma Brito 55 Fig. 3. Multimedia, Photo by Emma Brito 56 Fig. 4. Multimedia 2, Photo by Emma Brito 56 Fig. 5. Maps, Photo by Emma Brito 57 Fig. 6 Original Map, Photo by Emma Brito 68 Fig. 7. Toronto Map, Photo by Emma Brito 69 Fig. 8. Wave Maps, Photo by Emma Brito 70 Fig. 9. Homepage, Photo by Emma Brito 71 Fig. 10. Multimedia by Emma Brito 72 Fig. 11. Maps, Photo by Emma Brito 73 vii INTRODUCTION Latin American Canadian identities are young and fraught with intersections and tensions. They are born outside of a region which they reference and exist in a country of immigration, a continent away from the ‘homeland.’ The term ‘Latin-American Canadian’ is often believed by other Canadians to refer to a homogenous group defined by underlying similarities, language, and origins within a geographical region,1 while in truth it refers to a group with many different intersections and experiences of these identities. By understanding the complexities of these broad ways of identification we are better able to understand the way in which they manifest in the daily lives of those who possess them and what they refer too. This in turn allows Latin American Canadian identities to be discussed and represented with more nuance and complexity. This thesis exists in two important parts. The first explores how these distinct cultures shift into Latin American Canadian identities beyond the first generation through one-on-one interviews. It is unclear what the central characteristics of Latin American Canadian identities are, what is gained and lost of the foundational national identities through the shift into these broader panethnicities, and how they are shaped 1 Cristina Mora and Dina Okamoto, “Panethnicity,” Annual Review of Sociology 40 (2014): 219–39. 1 by the small yet diverse Toronto population in which I conduct my research.2 I seek to understand how these identities, which at surface value are very reliant on the cultures of their parents, reconcile their existence in Toronto. The second part of this thesis then employs the concepts and cultural studies methods used throughout the research to explore a way in which to create a multimedia storytelling interface which is methodologically and conceptually aligned in medium and experience. This is done to create a space which facilitates nuanced dialogues surrounding Latin American Canadian identities and takes them beyond the assumption of a homogenous experience. Throughout this thesis I will employ the generally followed geo-political understanding of the term ‘Latin American’ as people with origins in countries in South and Central America, Mexico, and Spanish speaking Caribbean countries. The remaining Caribbean countries do not fall under this term because they are considered to be a distinct group due to their colonization by Northern European countries and their strong West African and West Indian influences.3 I acknowledge the imperfectness of this definition as it overlooks these same influences in what we consider to be Latin American countries. 2 Landlot, Bernhard, and Goldring, 1246. 3 Fernando G. Mata, “Latin American Immigration to Canada: Some Reflections on the Immigration Statistics,” Canadian Journal of Latin American and Caribbean Studies / Revue Canadienne Des Études Latino-Américaines et Caraïbes 10, no. 20 (1985): 27–42. 2 CONTEXT REVIEW Throughout the Context Review I outline the migration histories which shape the Latin American populations within Toronto to better understand the ways in which these factors have created a foundation for Latin American Canadian identities in this city today and in the lives of the interview subjects. Latin American populations do not have a long history within Toronto due to geographical and political obstacles which have historically limited their movements to Canada as a whole. Canada’s changes in immigration policies during the mid 20th century, along with political turmoil in Latin American countries facilitated the arrival of Latin American immigration in five distinct migration waves.4 The results are of a young Latin American Canadian population with diverse national origins, socio-economic backgrounds, political turmoil, and modes of entry to the country.5 In order to understand why Latin American Canadian identities exist as they do, their histories and the landscape in which they take form must be taken into consideration. Immigration policies in Canada dictate how the Latin American population was first introduced to the country and who was granted entry. The life experiences, politics, and worldviews they carried with them, are central to how these identities and 4 Mata. 5 Mata. 3 corresponding communities formed. Prior to the 1950’s Canada saw very little migration from Latin American countries because during this time immigration policies gave preference to European immigrants, while limiting those from Asian, African, and Latin American countries.6 These policies not only resulted in a minimal presence of Latin Americans in Canada for much of its history,7 but it also suggests there was little community foundation and networks for those who would arrive in the following decades. Latin American immigration first began with more significant numbers in 1952 when a new Immigration Act made it possible for educated middle-class and elite ‘urban intelligentsia’ to come to Canada. This act still maintained class biases and favoured those of Europeans backgrounds, such as German-Argentinians, Portuguese- Brazilians, and Dutch-Mexicans.8 While they came from Latin American countries, these groups perhaps sought out others from their European heritages rather than their Latin American nations, with large numbers of German-Argentinians settling in Kitchener-Waterloo because of the German population present.9 Latin American 6 Alan B. Simmons, “Latin American Migration to Canada: New Linkages in the Hemispheric Migration and Refugee Flow System,” International Journal 48, no. 2 (1993): 282–309. 7 Mata, “Latin American Immigration to Canada: Some Reflections on the Immigration Statistics.” 8 Mata, “Latin American Immigration to Canada," 29. 9 Simmons, “Latin American Migration to Canada: New Linkages in the Hemispheric Migration and Refugee Flow System.” 4 Canadian identities were still early in the early stages of establishing themselves during this time.