Canadian Multiculturalism : Imagined/Experiential Narratives of Canadian Citizens

Abstract

Canadian multiculturalism : imagined/ experiential narratives of Canadian citizens What does it mean to be a citizen of Canada ? Specifically, this paper investigates what it means to be a hyphenated Canadian citizen, contrasting the experiential narrative of a French-Canadian Educator with the imagined narrative of Canadian Citizenship brought by a Pakistani-Canadian immigrant. Both stories are structured by the dualities of insider, or French-Canadian, and outsider, or Pakistani-Canadian experiences. To ‘outsiders’, Canada’s multicultural mosaic forms a cohesive national narrative ; but within this mosaic lie enmeshed layers of narrative experience. The inside-outside narratives of minority groups share many similarities across apparent cultural divides. Opportunities for mutual understanding and empathy emerge from the sharing of these stories, particularly, those concerned with concepts of Canadian citizenship in a multicultural framework. Often the language that we choose to define ourselves by creates borders that imply difference ; to become a truly multicultural society we must risk looking beyond labels to the shared role of cultural minorities in Canada’s ‘constructed’ national identity.