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Caribbean Journal of Education

A Platform for Social Change: The Challenges of Teaching Caribbean Studies in Canada

Pages: 
233-258
Publication Date: 
September 2010
Issue: 
Abstract: 

Canada’s multicultural policy has been in effect since 1971, and corresponding changes to immigration policy since then have resulted in a significant shift in ethnoracial demographics. What was once seen as the “great white north” is becoming, especially in large urban centres such as Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal, increasingly non-white in terms of population. About 20 per cent of students in Canadian public school are of visible minority or immigrant status; in Toronto closer to 50 per cent of secondary students are ethnic and racial minorities, yet teachers and administrators of colour are sorely lacking (Fleras and Elliot, 2007). Since the inception of multiculturalism, one of the major migrations to Canada has been from the Caribbean, predominantly Jamaica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago (Plaza, 2004). The establishment of these Caribbean populations, which now includes second and third generation offspring, has certainly contributed to the diversity of Canada’s cultural and social fabric. In the field of post-secondary education, Caribbean Studies has been a part of university curricula in Canada for more than three decades, and is a growing field in regard to student interest and enrollment. However, there still remains a determined lack of common knowledge about the Caribbean region, its people and its history by the majority of Canadians, regardless of background.

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