Citizenship, Multiculturalism and SocioPolitical Inclusion: Lessons from Canada

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Citizenship, Multiculturalism and Socio-Political
Inclusion Lessons from Canada the US

• Irene Bloemraad
• University of California, Berkeley

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Four Facets of Citizenship

• Legal status
• Rights and responsibilities
• Participation in political, economic, social
  and cultural spheres of life
• National identity emotional belonging

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Models of Civic Citizenship
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Models of Civic Citizenship

• Multiculturalism -
• Public Recognition
• Public acknowledgement of ethno-racial backgrounds

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Models of Civic Citizenship

• Multiculturalism -
• Public Recognition
• Public acknowledgement of ethno-racial
  backgrounds
• Public Support
• Group claims-making and rights legitimated
• Public monies directed to ethno-racial communities

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Challenging Multiculturalism
One of the most consistent messages we heard
was a desire to see an end to hyphenated
Canadians. participants asked the government to
understand that our citizens just want to be
Canadian. - Citizen's Forum on Canadian Unity
(Spicer Commission, 1991) Multiculturalism is
an institutional system for the marginalization
of the individual which contributes to the
diminishing value of Canadian citizenship -
Neil Bissoondath (1993)
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Government Involvement as Problematic

• Objections -

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Government Involvement as Problematic

• Objections -
• Government reinforces (forces) ethnicity

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Government Involvement as Problematic

• Objections -
• Government reinforces (forces) ethnicity
• Improper use of scarce resources, which are
  allocated on the wrong basis

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Government Involvement as Problematic

• Objections -
• Government reinforces (forces) ethnicity
• Improper use of scarce resources, which are
  allocated on the wrong basis
• Public dependence undermines civil society

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Alternative Models of Civic Citizenship

• Models of Neutral Government -

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Alternative Models of Civic Citizenship

• Models of Neutral Government -
• French Republican tradition
• Universalism through the individual citizen

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Alternative Models of Civic Citizenship

• Models of Neutral Government -
• French Republican tradition
• Universalism through the individual citizen
• American pluralist laissez-faire tradition
• Equal opportunity and market pluralism

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Problems with the Neutrality Approach
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Problems with the Neutrality Approach

• Ethnic and immigrant origins are a basis for
  political mobilization.
• Salient to immigrants
• Political learning through language cultural
  ties

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Problems with the Neutrality Approach

• Ethnic and immigrant origins are a basis for
  political mobilization.
• Salient to immigrants
• Political learning through language cultural
  ties
• Inequality in political resources ? inequity in
  political outcomes.
• Facilitating political learning and mobilization

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Benefits of Government Support
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Benefits of Government Support

• Material Resources
• Money, technical assistance, policy access

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Benefits of Government Support

• Material Resources
• Money, technical assistance, policy access
• Symbolic Impact
• Rhetoric of diversity within equality very
  attractive to immigrants
• Concrete support communicates legitimacy

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Fostering Citizenship

• American citizenship
• Life in the U.S. is flexible. If you go to work
  you will have money. You have all the
  necessities that you need. But if you don't work
  then you won't have any money. I don't have
  much more to say because my whole life surrounds
  only these things. I also have the freedom to
  travel. But if I commit a crime then I will go
  to jail.

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Fostering Citizenship

• Canadian citizenship
• Its just the place that I feel home. I like
  the way the government runs things I guess the
  great support, the multiculture stuff, the social
  assistance. We pay a lot of tax, thats true.
  But the great concern of government, the help for
  the citizens themselves.

• American citizenship
• Life in the U.S. is flexible. If you go to work
  you will have money. You have all the
  necessities that you need. But if you don't work
  then you won't have any money. I don't have
  much more to say because my whole life surrounds
  only these things. I also have the freedom to
  travel. But if I commit a crime then I will go
  to jail.

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Citizenship in the United States and
Canada,Adult Immigrants, 1900-2001
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Index of Foreign-Born Representation in Federal
Legislature, Canada and USA, 1900-2001
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Conclusions and Caveats

• Multicultural recognition and support foster
  inclusive, participatory citizenship

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Conclusions and Caveats

• Multicultural recognition and support fosters
  inclusive, participatory citizenship
• promoting pluralism direct public service
  provision or local contracting?

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Conclusions and Caveats

• Multicultural recognition and support fosters
  inclusive, participatory citizenship
• promoting pluralism direct public service
  provision or local contracting?
• meaningful symbolism how much government
  funding is needed to back official recognition?

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Conclusions and Caveats

• Multicultural recognition and support fosters
  inclusive, participatory citizenship
• promoting pluralism direct public service
  provision or local contracting?
• meaningful symbolism how much government
  funding is needed to back official recognition?
• beyond multiculturalism other social policies