[EDLING:209] CFP: Views of Canadian Cultures

[Francis M Hult]

> CFP: Call for contributions LISA e-journal
>
> Views of Canadian Cultures
>
> For the last hundred years there have been considerable cultural, ethnic,
> social, political and economic changes in Canada, notably the shift from the
> concept of biculturalism to that of multiculturalism. These processes are
> reflected in literary and non-literary texts which reveal people’s
> perceptions of these developments and the complexity and the dynamics of a
> modern multicultural society. The representation of a “national” identity,
> of regional, local, ethnic, gender or cultural identities in these texts
> influences the images we have of Canada and—at the same time—it is often
> suggestive of the differences between US-American and Canadian policies
> concerning multiculturalism. The traditional ideas of the American “melting
> pot” and the Canadian “salad bowl” are simplified concepts which do not
> correspond to the real situation we find in these heterogeneous countries
> today.
> In the last three decades the voices of “hyphenated Canadians”, of “visible
> minorities”, of “immigrants” or of “ex-centrics” (to use Linda Hutcheon’s
> term) outside the “mainstream” have gained ground. They show the gap between
> the discourse of the centre (anglophone culture and francophone culture) and
> the discourses of the margin (Native Canadians and ethnic minorities).
> Furthermore, if we compare the Canadians’ view of their country with the
> Eurocentric perspective we notice that stereotypes—both auto- and
> hetero-stereotypes—play a considerable role in describing cultures. As
> stereotypes may be of great importance in introducing a multi-faceted
> country at school and at university we may also consider the educational
> aspects of Canadian multiculturalism. Thus the views of cultures are closely
> related to representation. In this perspective, Smaro Kamboureli states in
> her anthology Making a Difference. Canadian Multicultural Literature:
>
> I believe that we reside forever within the realm of representation: we
> represent ourselves through language and through our bodies, but we also see
> ourselves represented by others. No image, no story, no anthology can
> represent us or others without bringing into play – serious play –differing
> contexts, places, or people. (p. 2)
>
> This number of LISA e-journal will focus on three main topics within
> literature, cultural studies and education:
> 1) the Canadians’ view of their culturally heterogeneous society,
> 2) the non-Canadians’ view of cultural diversity in Canada,
> 3) the teaching of Canadian multiculturalism at school and at university.
>
> Contributions, in English or French, should be submitted by January 31,
> 2005, preceded by an abstract of about 8-10 lines and a short
> bio-bibliography of the authors.
> Illustrations can be provided on the express condition that no copyrights
> are to be paid. Contributions accepted for this project will be reviewed by
> at least two reviewers with the understanding that the materials have not
> been submitted to and accepted by another journal. All submissions should be
> double-spaced, and conform to the MLA style. Articles should not exceed 20
> pages (5,000 words) in length, excluding notes and references. For other
> details, please check on LISA e-journal’s web-site:
> http://www.unicaen.fr/mrsh/anglais/lisa.
>
> Contact: Dr. Matthias Merkl, University of Würzburg (Germany)
> e-mail: matthias.merkl at mail.uni-wuerzburg.de