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Race, Ethnicity and Aboriginality
1. What does it mean to say that race is a social
construct?Race, refers to the physical characteristics that define
an individual from other groups of people
living in a specific part of the world. The phrase, race is a
social construct means that race can
be used to categorize or classify an individual or a groups of
people according to their physical
characteristics e.g. skin color, hair color or the abilities of
certain individuals. Societies
2. What are the pros and cons of multiculturalism? Should
Toronto have proceeded withAfricentric schools?
Multiculturalism is the state of having more than one culture in
a certain area, institution or
gathering. Multiculturalism has certain pros and cons which
include
Pros
Multiculturalism allows for the easy analysis of race and ethnic
relations. This is important in
understanding the causes of conflicts and hence informs the
decision making process during
conflict resolution. Multiculturalism been used to deal with
racism in areas where cases of racial
discrimination are high. Such places include: learning
institutions and correctional facilities.
Cons
Multiculturalism is divisive and it reduces the sense of
identity of a society. Multiculturalism
leads to the slow death of cultural norms that define a society
and with the increased interaction,
it leads to a loss of identity for the individuals of that
society. The history of an area and the
beliefs of a community are embedded in the cultural beliefs of
that community and when they are
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Race, Ethnicity and Aboriginality
lost, the society loses its sense of identity. About the
question whether Toronto should have
proceeded with Africentric schools, the answer would be a
succinct No because this would
further encourage racist views and separation along this divide.
The paper highlights that racism
has been a persistent problem, and the solution does not rely on
Africentric schools but rather
in a complete overhaul of the peoples and societys thought
process and cognitive abilities as far
as this issue is concerned. Then and only then, can the tenets
of multiculturalism be truly
embraced.
3. Is the collective rights model favored by many Aboriginal
leaders compatible withCanadas Charter of Right and Freedoms?
Canada, being the only country to be the only official
multicultural society faces many
challenges in dealing with the increasing population of
immigrants. The never ending dilemma
of retaining its original identity versus integrating the
international immigrants into the country
has been a major battle in its administration for many years.
The government has continually
reviewed the policies governing the Aboriginal rights and the
Indian rights so as to sustainably
manage its resources. The collective rights model has several
policies that are not in line with the
interests of the majority Canadians. A good example is the
increasing Indian expenditure.
4. Where do you situate yourself in the Flanagan/Cairns
debate?The Flanagan debate about the Indians living in Canada is a
contemptuous issue that has been in
Canada for a long time. Whether registered Indians should be
recognized as full citizens of
Canada should be an issue to be discussed by the government and
the citizens. The advantages
and the disadvantages of having the immigrants in the country
should be weighed and a decision
