Keywords Sociology

First, they usually control a territory, tightly knit community or network, within which their offspring may perpetuate their heritage. Different ethnic groups may occupy the same area but use different resources. The French in Québec retain control of the provincial territory; the HUTTERITES are a rural segregated ethnic community; INDIAN RESERVES are communities segregated by the state within which various ethnic groups may exist.

Second, ethnic institutions often generate forces of attraction. A minority can develop its own social system with control over its own institutions so that interaction of the group will take place largely within the system. The French and JEWS frequently maintain a comprehensive set of religious, educational and welfare institutions. RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION and ethnic institutional independence therefore tend to reinforce each other.

Third, individuals need to identify clearly with the heritage and culture of the group, perhaps through language, endogamy, choice of friends, religion, parochial schools, voluntary organizations, etc. Territorial, institutional and cultural identity factors reinforce each other, so that ethnic individuals can remain distinct and less prone to assimilation. Historical symbols are also important. Without ethnic pride and knowledge, the desire to perpetuate tradition rapidly diminishes. The Jews have ritualized their history and their youth are exposed to its symbols, eg, special days, fasting, food habits, etc.

Fourth, a political or religious ideology that promotes values considered more important than cultural and institutional ones may give ethnic youth purpose and impetus. There is often a very strong correlation between religion and ethnicity, eg, most French and Polish Canadians are Roman Catholic. (See CATHOLICISM.)

Fifth, individuals with a sense of mission often use sociopsychological means to adapt an ideology to a current situation, linking it symbolically with the past. Charismatic leaders of minority movements have included Louis RIEL and René LÉVESQUE. Minorities may identify with other dimensions of ethnicity, but identity, territory, institutions, culture, heritage, ideology and leaders are crucial.

Assimilation vs. Cultural Pluralism
Various theories have been developed to explain the fate of ethnic groups in an industrial society. The assimilation theory assumes that ethnic groups are constantly becoming more like the dominant culture, which in North America is represented by white, Anglo-Saxon Protestants. The "melting pot" or amalgamation theory has been criticized as deterministic because it assumes that minority groups will not be able to withstand the power of the dominant group and will be synthesized into a new group. Canada's relatively open IMMIGRATION POLICY has provided the potential opportunity for many peoples to contribute to a melting pot, but the synthesis of the many into a recognizable national character has been a long time coming, perhaps partly because it was not until 1971 that Canadians ceased to be described as British subjects. (See VERTICAL MOSAIC.)

Cultural pluralism theorists hold that different ethnic groups maintain their unique identities over time. It has been argued that people do not choose their ancestry, that each of the minority groups has something of value to contribute to a country and that the Canadian CONSTITUTION assumes that all people are created equal, even though there may be many distinct differences. Cultural pluralism maintains that the trend toward permissive differentiation has been established in Canada by the acceptance of pluralist religious expressions and a diversity of political parties and ideologies, and that MULTICULTURALISM is therefore a logical policy for all.

Some social scientists argue that ethnic change is not a single social process but a number of subprocesses. The opposing processes of assimilation and pluralism may therefore occur simultaneously, depending on change of cultural patterns to those of the larger society, significant entrance into institutions of the larger society, intermarriage and development of a sense of "peoplehood" based on a modification of ingroup and outgroup networks.

Ethnic Conflict
Other social scientists study the processes of ethnic conflict. Marx believed conflict resulted from class struggle, but most ethnic groups in Canada do not aspire to such an extensive power struggle. While conflict may occasionally be manifested by revolution and secession, eg, the FLQ movement in Québec (see FRONT DE LIBÉRATION DU QUÉBEC), it also exists in less intense forms. When many subgroups and a multitude of cultures coexist, they will maintain distinct identities, providing a potential for conflict of values, territorial interests and power relationships. SEPARATISM in Québec, the quest of the native peoples for equal rights, recent racial conflict and the relations between adjacent ethnic communities all demonstrate a constant potential for dissension.

See also ABORIGINAL RIGHTS; PREJUDICE AND DISCRIMINATION.

Author LEO DRIEDGER

Suggested Reading
L. Driedger, Mennonites in the Global Village (2000); W.W. Isajiw, Understanding Diversity (1999); L. Driedger, Multi-Ethnic Canada (1996); P.S. Li, The Chinese in Canada (1998); A. Fleras and J.L. Elliott, Unequal Relations (1996); J.W. Berry and J.A. Laponce, Ethnicity and Culture in Canada (1993); R.J. Brym, W. Shaffir and M. Weinfeld, eds, The Jews in Canada (1993); J.E. Frideres, Native Peoples in Canada (1993); O.P. Dickason, Canada's First Nations (1992); R. Breton, W.W. Isajiw, W.E. Kalbach and J.G. Reitz, Ethnic Identity and Equality (1990); L. Driedger, The Ethnic Factor (1989); J.G. Reitz, The Survival of Ethnic Groups (1980).

Links to Other Sites
Glossary: Multiculturalism
A glossary of terms relating to multiculturalism. From the website for the National Film Board of Canada.

The Historical Construction of Racial Identity and Implications for Reconciliation
An academic paper that describes historically significant instances of racism and the impact of racially discriminatory laws in Canada. Written by Constance Backhouse, Professor of Law, University of Ottawa. From the canada.metropolis.net website.

Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples
The website for the "Encyclopedia of Canada's Peoples." Click on the links for feature articles about Canada's many multicultural communities, access to their extensive digital archives collection, learning modules, and much more. From "Multicultural Canada."

Immigration Diversity
Watch a series of CBC News videos that explore how culture, race, and religion both benefit and challenge Canadian society. Also included are stories about the refugee experience, in dangerous home countries, and on arrival in Canada.