Vanier Students Discuss Issues that affect Canadian Youth : Diversity, Multiculturalism, Consumerism
By
Neil CaplanPh.D., London School of Economics and Political Science, Member of Tolerance.ca
®
What are the positive aspects of diversity in a city like Montreal, and a campus like Vanier College? Are there any possible “downsides” to diversity – problems that a society will encounter when diverse populations live together? Does the mainstream really accept diversity, or are there subtle presumes to make diverse people fit into a particular social mold or common identity?
These were three of the questions raised by Sevak Manjikian, professor of Religious Studies and Humanities, at the opening of a special student forum assembled in Vanier College’s Boardroom on Friday morning, March 16, 2007. The session, held in celebration of the annual UN day for the elimination of racial discrimination (March 21), was attended by more than 80 students, half a dozen faculty members and several guests, including Dr Victor Teboul, director of the web’zine Tolerance.ca, which was the main sponsor of the event.
Eight invited student panelists were deliberately chosen for their diverse origins and experiences: a Montreal-born Quebecoise “de souche” who had been living in “les regions”, a student of Chinese ancestry who had spent her high-school years in Lac-Megantic, an immigrant recently arrived from Argentina, a Quebec-born daughter of Lebanese immigrants, a Canadian-born grand-daughter of Jewish Holocaust survivors from Poland, a Muslim immigrant from Sudan, a son of Polish-Canadian background, and a proud young Quebecois of mixed French, Metis and Caribbean ancestry.
In turn, each of the designated panelists provided brief comments from prepared notes and then other students around the table, as well as many seated and standing along the walls of the overflowing Boardroom, joined in to create a lively and spontaneous “town hall” flow of discussion. The range of personal testimonies was broadened even wider to include African-Canadian, Mohawk and other perspectives such as sexual orientation.
Many of the students’ comments displayed a maturity beyond their years. Articulate, incisive and perceptive, many agreed on the richness and value of diversity but still found reason to criticize mainstream (mainly Francophone and Anglophone “white”) society for its hypocrisy, inherent racism, sense of superiority, lack of awareness, and/or lack of sensitivity. Some regarded the elites as cynical manipulators of the ethos of multiculturalism, without truly believing in openness or diversity.
Under the topic “How much integration?”, students grappled with questions of the mainstream’s accommodation of difference and its pressures on minorities – whether indigenous, non-heterosexual, refugee, or immigrant – to conform or “adapt” to the dominant or majority ethos. Familiar models were brought up and discussed: the Melting-Pot, the Mosaic, the “Mixed Salad”.
A number of students sought to understand and analyze the recent decision upholding the banning of the hijab on the soccer field. On the issue of humour as a method of breaking down stereotypes, one speaker made some unfavourable comments about the popular new CBC television sitcom “Little Mosque on the Prairie” which, despite its declared good intentions and the fact that the series’ main writer is a Muslim Canadian woman, was in his view nevertheless painting an unflattering picture of Canadian Muslims.
Given the pressure of time, the final topic of “consumer culture” could not be discussed in any depth. Questions were briefly raised about the mixed messages sent out by our society, encouraging students to strive for a quality education while at the same time creating extreme consumer and peer pressures to acquire cool clothes and the latest techno gadgets. These consumerist pressures draw many students into low-paying, exploitative “McJobs” that undermine their ability to succeed or excel in their educational pursuits.
In closing the event, Dr Teboul took the opportunity to remind attendees about the specifically liberal and democratic values that are necessary foundations for the diversity and tolerance that all of us worked for – and for the free-flowing criticism and self-criticism that we are fortunate to be able to indulge in. His announced choice to speak in French was met with applause by the largely Anglophone audience, exemplifying the very diversity, openness and acceptance that everyone had been speaking of.
See also the events held at Collège de Saint-Laurent and University of Sudbury.
The above discussion was held at Vanier College in Montreal to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (March 21). The Event took place on Friday, March 16, 2007 as part of the series on the diversity of values and religious beliefs in colleges and universities and is presented with the financial support of:
* Student participant Madeleine St-Laurent-Guérin during her presentation. Photo by Gunther Gamper.
** Student participant Jeremie Drouillard during his presentation. Photo by Gunther Gamper.
*** Professor Sevak Manjikian. Photo by Gunther Gamper.
**** Student participants with Tolerance.ca Editor, Victor Teboul (left), Professors Neil Caplan (right) and Sevak Manjikian (second row, right) : Rebecca Katz, Shelley Han, Madeleine St-Laurent-Guerin, Mark Masztalerz, Dina Santina. Second row : Pablo Jacubovich, Jeremie Drouillard and Hassan abdullahi. Photo by Gunther Gamper.