Reconstructions of Canadian Identity

Re-envisioning multiculturalism in Canada

In 1971, Canada became the first nation in the world to officially declare its bilingual and multicultural policies. Reconstructions of Canadian Identity examines what has changed over the past fifty years, highlighting the lived experiences of marginalized Canadians and offering insights into the critical work that lies ahead. 

Editors Vander Tavares and Maria João Maciel Jorge bring together a wide range of disciplines and perspectives to investigate inclusion and exclusion within the processes, discourses, and practices that forge and frame Canadian identity. Chapters analyze ways current multicultural policies continue to benefit the dominant groups and (further) harm minoritized ones. 

Exposing the pitfalls of established notions of Canadian identity, this volume moves traditionally othered identities―immigrant, racialized, hybridized, Indigenous, and women―to the forefront. In doing so, it reveals how these identities negotiate and claim legitimacy, arguing for a reconceptualization from the margins that truly fosters diversity and inclusion. Illustrating both the shortcomings of and possibilities for a more inclusive multiculturalism in Canada, Reconstructions of Canadian Identity invites readers to reflect on what it means to be Canadian in the twenty-first century. 

Vander Tavares is a Postdoctoral Researcher in education at Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences and holds a PhD from York University. He is the author of International Students in Higher Education and editor of Social Justice, Decoloniality, and Southern Epistemologies within Language Education.

Maria João Maciel Jorge is Associate Professor at York University’s Department of Languages, Literatures and Linguistics. She holds a PhD from the University of Toronto. Her research focuses on the immigrant experience with insights that address hyphenated identity.