AP/ANTH 2222 6.00 From Settler Colonialism to Multiculturalism - An Anthropological Approach
NOTE: This is a SUMMER term course.
Course Director (Summer 2024): L. Davidson - lmdavids@yorku.ca
How do we live and interact with others in multicultural and multiracial communities in Canada? What is the relationship between settler colonialism and multiculturalism? What is the future of multiculturalism? This study away course is a critical study of colonialism,
settler colonialism, multiculturalism, and Canadian nation-making by attending to: (a) the politics of elimination, assimilation, and recognition of Indigenous presence; (b) settler colonial institutions that have sustained racialized and social hierarchies in Canada, and (c) historical and contemporary interactions between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and how such interactions challenge settler and colonial systems.
We will draw upon the work of scholars, community leaders, activist organizations, and church groups that allow us to move beyond celebratory perspectives of multiculturalism and to identify emerging forms of knowledges and practices that question multicultural
values of recognition, tolerance, and welcome. Through ethnographic field visits and by speaking with people who are thinking about how we can live and engage with strangers, in spite of our differences, and to develop strategies to transform “stranger interactions” into more intimate and meaningful connections.
While in Vancouver, British Columbia, we will experience guided tours of historically Black, Asian, and queer neighborhoods, participate in activities involving land stewardship with xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam Nation), share a meal with a multicultural evangelical Lutheran
congregation, and work alongside the Japanese Canadian community, and more! Students will gain an in-depth hands-on understanding of Canada through ethnographic accounts of: settler acts of dispossession of Black, Indigenous and racialized communities; redress and reconciliation; heritage-making and nationalism, and religious diversity and solidarities. We will also consider other ideas and forms for living multiculturally and the kind of work that cultural festivals accomplish (or not!).
Note: this is a Study Away course that requires enrolment permission. Please visit this page or contact studyabr@yorku.ca for more information.