ASTU 100A Short Paper

8/12/2019 ASTU 100A Short Paper

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Calder Tomlinson

ASTU 100A-G04Dr. Costantino

October 27, 2009

Addressing Canadian Multiculturalism From the Standpoint of Fred Wahs Hyphen

nHyphenating the Hybrid I: (Re)Visions of Racial Mixedness in Fred Wahs

!ia"ond #rill, !"lie #cGone$al assesses t%e anal&tical si$ni'icance o' (a%)s

ree*amination o' %&bridit& 'rom t%e +ers+ectie o' t%e %&+%en. #cGone$al asserts t%at t%is

"ni"e inter+retation t%at (a% $ies, +roides a $en"inel& alternatie met%od to

addressin$ %&bridit& in +ostcolonial st"dies. T%is alternatie +ers+ectie is ac%ieed b&

+rom+tin$ readers o'!ia"ond #rillto re-ima$ine %&bridit& 'rom t%e ie+oint o' t%e

%&+%en as not onl& a meta+%orical deice "sed to "nderstand t%e 'l"idit& at %ic% a

raciall& mi*ed indiid"al s%i'ts beteen c"lt"ral, racial, and lin$"istic s+aces and

identities, b"t also as a +oetic tool to em+%asi/e t%e er& %&bridit& o' t%e te*t itsel'.

#cGone$al diides t%e %&+%en across 'o"r main as+ects in an e''ort to better

"nderstand (a%)s "se o' t%e %&+%en in %is or, as ell as +romotin$ a reconsideration o'

common ies on %&bridit&. T%e 'irst 'oc"ses on %&+%enated identit& common conce+ts

o' identit& are 'oc"sed on race, it% societal disco"rses +rolon$in$ t%e +erce+tion o' t%e

indiisibilit& o' racial identit&. T%ese in%erent "alities o' societ& tar$et raciall& mi*ed

indiid"als, leadin$ s"c% indiid"als to e*+erience con'"sion, alienation and o++ression.

oeer it% t%e %&+%en, a raciall& mi*ed s"b3ect ma& embrace t%e 'l"idit& at %ic% t%e&

can traerse beteen e*+eriences and it% t%at, t%e& 'orm a "ni"e identit& "nto t%emsel',

renderin$ t%e %&+%en in a sense, a +aradi$m o' liberation5 6#cGone$al 18. T%e second

as+ect to #cGone$al)s anal&sis concl"des t%at contact /ones5 : t%e interc"lt"ral,


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interracial and interlin$"istic medi"m in %ic% t%e raciall& mi*ed dell, and in ;red (a%

!r)s case t%e doora& o' t%e Diamond Grill : can be bot% a tool o' se$re$ation t%at

s"++resses di''erences and selectiel& e*cl"des, and also an instr"ment t%at enables cross-

c"lt"ral comm"nication and liberation 'or t%e raciall& mi*ed. T%e t%ird addresses %o

code-sitc%in$, %en contrasted it% t%e %&+%en, can ill"strate t%e ease and 're"enc& at

%ic% a raciall& mi*ed indiid"al s%i'ts beteen e*+eriences. Code-sitc%in$ also reeals

t%e alienation t%at a raciall& mi*ed indiid"al ma& e*+erience d"e to t%e 'eelin$ o'

inade"ac& res"ltin$ 'rom t%e lac o' a sin$le de'inin$ lan$"a$e. T%e 'inal as+ect entails

(a%)s


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#cGone$al em+%asi/es t%e notion t%at t%e contact /one5 is a +artic"larl& "se'"l

tool beca"se o' its nat"re as a medi"m o' comm"nication beteen c"lt"res, races and

lin$"istics. As it% (a%)s e*am+le o' t%e doora& o' t%e Diamond Grill, t%e contact

/one acts as t%e e%icle t%ro"$% %ic% ;red !r. can s%i't beteen serin$ t%e %ite

c"stomers) needs, as a member o' t%e %ite comm"nit&, and +la&in$ a +art in t%e

3ar$on o' c"rses, 3oes, and cr&+tic orders = on t%e ot%er side o' t%e doors5 6(a% 1.

>rin$in$ t%e conce+t o' t%e contact /one into a broader sco+e, incor+oratin$ it it%in

Canadian societ& to citi/ens e*+eriencin$ c"lt"ral %&bridit&, t%e %&+%en can become a

liberatin$ instr"ment in addressin$ t%e +arado* o' Canadian m"ltic"lt"ralism. T%e

#"ltic"lt"ralism Act o' 19? s+eci'ies t%at in "+%oldin$ m"ltic"lt"ralism @, = a

'"ndamental c%aracteristic o' = Canadian = identit&5 6#"ltic"lt"ralism Act 8, e

m"st enco"ra$e t%e deelo+ment o' $reater Canadian %erita$e %ile sim"ltaneo"sl&

+reserin$, en%ancin$ and s%arin$ o"r +ersonal c"lt"ral %erita$e 6#"ltic"lt"ralism Act

8. To establis% and s"stain a m"ltic"lt"ral societ& in %ic% c"lt"ral diersit& and

c"lt"ral "ni'ormit& are e"al c%aracteristics o' t%e +o+"lo"s, eac% indiid"al : %et%er

raciall& mi*ed or +"re : m"st reali/e t%e +otential o' t%e %&+%en and establis% t%eir

on contact /one. (it% t%e mass aareness o' t%e %&+%en : incl"din$ its alienatin$

ca+abilities : and mass ado+tion o' t%e conce+t as a contact /one, +eo+le ill be able to

+ass 'l"entl& beteen t%eir on c"lt"ral %erita$e and common Canadian c"lt"re. T%is

ill allo 'or $reater "nderstandin$ beteen citi/ens belon$in$ to di''erent c"lt"ral

minorities and t%e $rad"al +%asin$ o"t o' t%e sin$"lari/ation o' raciali/ed identit&

it%in societal disco"rses, bene'ittin$ t%e raciall& mi*ed d"e to t%e %&+%en)s +oer to

trans'orm racial ambialence 'rom a state o' o++ression into a str"$$le 'or liberation5

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6#cGone$al 1B. All citi/ens m"st ado+t t%e %&+%en %oeer, and onl& it% t%at

$eneral aareness, ma& t%e raciall& mi*ed be able to 'ind solace in t%e "nderstandin$

t%at eer&one s%ares some sense o' c"lt"ral aareness and diersit&. T%o"$% 'oolis%l&

idealistic, t%is a++roac% to t%e iss"e o' m"ltic"lt"ralism in Canada it% t%e "se o' t%e

%&+%en %i$%li$%ts t%e si$ni'icance t%at bot% #cGone$al and (a% stress abo"t t%e

liberatin$ as+ects o' t%e %&+%en.

Tomlinson 4


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Works Cited

#cGone$al, !"lie. &+%enatin$ t%e &brid

Documents

ASTU 100A Short Paper