Online, November 12, 2021 to January 21, 2022
Registration and schedule: https://m50.artsrn.ualberta.ca/
The year 2021 marks the fiftieth anniversary of Canada’s policy of multiculturalism.
Adopted in 1971 in response to growing pressure from various Canadian constituencies for more recognition, the policy of multiculturalism brought about significant and lasting changes in Canadian society. Over the years, multiculturalism in Canada has been praised, critiqued, embraced, or deconstructed by politicians, scholars, and various stakeholder groups. Supporters of multiculturalism have asserted that the policy has promoted an inclusive and accepting Canadian society in which ethnocultural minorities have maintained their own unique cultures and identities while participating fully in mainstream Canadian institutions. Ukrainian Canadians, for example, having played an important role in the development and adoption of this policy, became its active promoters. With Quebec designating its own “intercultural model” to manage cultural diversity, critics have posited that multiculturalism has discouraged interethnic dialogue, fostered ghettoization, and encouraged cultural differences between various communities rather than informing their shared rights or identities as Canadians.
