Thanks, all. I've been thinking a lot about civic nationalism. It's the idea of a nation that people adhere to ideas and institutions, rather than forming a nation around an ethnic group.
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It's closely tied to multiculturalism.
Here in Canada, our national framework is based on the imperial aims of two founding cultures, the English and the French, one of which defeated the other but kept it on as a junior partner. Together they dealt with, and then controlled, the indigenous peoples who lived here first. They strategically invited workers from Europe, South and East Asia, North Africa and the West Indies to join them. Over time, the occupation relationship with indigenous people unravelled and a new one is being made.
One tension in this framework is that all citizens in the nation are treated as equals, but all cultures are not. We have city festivals for Chinese holidays, sure, but that only emphasizes that the other 364 days of the year are for the norm of regular anglophone-francophone things. The other cultures are a treat, not a regular meal.
There are so many problems with this cultural framework. First and foremost is our inability to find a just structure for inclusion and recognition of indigenous peoples. We've thankfully started a process of reconciliation, but nobody knows where it will end up.
A second one is that the role of immigrant cultures is secondary and contingent. We were invited, and we are tolerated, and we are legally treated as almost equals. But that invitation can be rescinded if the founder cultures see a reason to or if they just get in a bad mood.
I am interested in other frameworks; especially those that treat the promise of multiculturalism and civic nationalism seriously. Where Canada is the people and the cultures who are here, right now, treated equally. Where we retain the connections and through lines from origin cultures, and collectively own them. Instead of being an Anglo-French nation with Indian people in it, we could be an Indian nation, and a Chinese one, and a Haitian one.
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@evan Is this a bit?
@evan Using manager-speak euphemistically is kind of funny.
Unfortunately, results like this are less funny: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/canada-residential-schools-unmarked-graves-indigenous-children-60-minutes-2022-02-06/
@soatok maybe you should read the rest of the thread.