|
Vertical Mosaic, a term used by sociologist John PORTER to convey the concept that Canada is a mosaic of different ethnic, language, regional and religious groupings unequal in status and power. Porter published his book, Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada, in 1965. "Mosaic" is often contrasted with the American concept of "melting pot." The Canadian John Murray Gibbon, in his book The Canadian Mosaic (1938), disapproved of the American melting-pot policy, according to which immigrants and their descendants were discouraged from maintaining close ties with their countries and cultures of origin and instead were encouraged to assimilate into the American way of life. Many Canadians pointed with pride to the alternative Canadian policy of encouraging immigrants and their descendants to maintain important aspects of their ancestral cultures. Porter's view was that in income, occupation and education, this supposedly beneficial policy worked to the advantage of some ethnic groups and to the disadvantage of others.
Porter's book revealed that some groups (eg, those of British origin) have better incomes, education and health than others (eg, those of eastern and southern European origin). Native Indian and Inuit people were the most disadvantaged. According to Porter, this vertical arrangement also applied to power and to influence in decision making. In the bureaucratic, economic and political spheres, those of British origin are overrepresented among the ELITES. Since 1965 several studies have shown that the picture sketched by Porter has been modified only slightly, ie, there has been some lessening of the economic gap between ethnic groups, and people of French origin are better represented in the political and bureaucratic spheres. The economic elite, still dominated by those of British origin, has changed very little. The book earned Porter the prestigious American Sociological Assn's McIver Award.
Author
FRANK G. VALLEE
Suggested Reading
W. Clement, The Canadian Corporate Elite (1975); J. Heap, Everybody's Canada (1974).
|
|
|
|
 |
|
| Joseph-Elzéar Bernier was Canada's greatest seaman, a man of strong will and extraordinary ingenuity. It is largely due to him that the Canadian flag now flies over the Arctic Archipelago... |
|
| Pierre Elliott Trudeau, politician, writer, constitutional lawyer, prime minister of Canada 1968-79 and 1980-84 (b at ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| Louis Riel, Métis leader, founder of Manitoba, central figure in the NORTH-WEST REBELLION (b at Red River ... |
|
|
| Evangelical Christian Church, often called the Christian Church (Christian Disciples), is a denomination stemming from ... |
|
|
| Few countries were affected as severely as Canada by the worldwide Depression of the 1930s. It is estimated that ... |
|
|
| The Toronto Maple Leafs are a HOCKEY team, was formed in 1927 when Conn SMYTHE purchased and renamed the Toronto St ... |
|
|
| Sears Canada Inc, headquartered in Toronto, is a Canadian retailer incorporated in 1952. In 1953 operating under the ... |
|
|
| John Ware, "Nigger John," horseman, rancher (b near Georgetown, SC 1845; d near Brooks, Alta 11 Sept 1905). ... |
|
|
| Land claims are dealt with by a process established by the federal government to enable INDIANS, INUIT and ... |
|
Browse the rich visual resources of The Canadian Encyclopedia through thematic galleries of Canadian Art, History, Nature, People, and Science and Technology.
Illustrations, lively text, animations, sounds and games help make learning about Canadian history, art, geography, architecture and other topics entertaining as well as informative.
The ultimate test of your knowledge of Canada, trivial and otherwise. You can choose from more than 60 dynamic quizzes with visual or text clues. Your scores depend on the speed with which you answer and the number of clues you need. Results are sent to you by email and high scores are posted on the site.
This unique resource includes more than 6000 events from Canadian and world history. It can be searched by era, subject, keyword or date. To find out what happened on your birthday, select the month and day of your birth.
This selection of the 100 "greatest" events in Canadian history was made by editor in chief James H. Marsh to draw attention to events that have left an indelible memory in the minds of later generations.
| THE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF MUSIC IN CANADA |
|
| Holt (b Blomfield), Patricia Blomfield. Composer, teacher, pianist, b Lindsay, Ont, 15 Sep 1910, d 5 Jun 2003. Self-taught during her early years, she studied and taught concurrently 1929-39 at the TCM , where her teachers ... |
|
|
