Identity representations during the Montreal Ukrainian Festival: a discursive approach

Abstract

The Montreal Ukrainian Festival is an event that takes place annually since 1999 in the neighbourhood of Rosemont, Montreal. It represents an occasion where Ukrainians can gather as well as an opportunity for their community to develop and strengthen their relations with municipal representatives. In the context of the festival, many discourses were stated, be it by Ukrainians or by representatives from the City of Montreal. Using discourse analysis, this article will focus on the construction of the identity of a City and of an ethnocultural community through their mutual relations, using the City of Montreal and its Ukrainian community as an example. It will identify the discourses that were enunciated in the context of the festival to see how the City of Montreal and its Ukrainian community represented their respective identity. Two elements will also be demonstrated: 1. that both Ukrainians and municipal representatives took advantage of the festival to promote a positive identity of their community and their City, and 2. that municipal representatives can use an ethnocultural community to reinforce a specific identity of the City.