By: Victoria Merianos
Have you ever been to a foreign place and found that so many people have similar features, ways of talking and dressing? You can sometimes tell someone is from a certain culture just by their face, speech and/or mannerisms.
Canada is not like this. Immigration has allowed Canada to grow in population as well as cultural distinctiveness. Toronto, for example, has tangible and inescapable examples of foods, languages and ideals that all derived from immigrant people.
Having so many Canadian citizens from other countries has left people wondering: what am I and where do I belong?
I remember when I first arrived at Ryerson University, I was looking around at the clubs and groups. I came across a group for people of colour. I opened the door and was warmly welcomed. After having a nice chat and explaining my situation, I couldn’t help but wonder again if I belong. If I was raised by a Canadian Caucasian woman and a Greek father but my appearance was Chinese, should I be allowed in?
Many people, including myself, have parents of different cultures. My mother’s family originated in Wales but her family has been in Canada for a number of generations. My father’s parents immigrated from Greece. I, myself, am adopted from China but speak solely English and don’t practise Chinese traditions.
I grew up celebrating certain Greek traditions, eating Greek food and hearing the language at family gatherings. My father, along with his siblings, learned Greek as their first language. He maintains Canadian citizenship but identifies as Greek-Canadian. For him, his knowledge of the language, practices and appearance makes him feel confident in his identity.
I on the other hand, have a continued struggle and unfortunately, I am not alone.
Diana Verdi is a 19-year-old Philosophy student at Ryerson University. She was born and raised in Canada but her parents, having immigrated from Peru, raised her with more influence from their native culture.
She explained how people put pressure on her to identify her culture, asking: “Okay, where are you really from?” Her conflicts with cultural identity are further intensified by other comments such as, “So you’re not Canadian,” and “Okay, so you’re not Peruvian.”
She is just one of many examples of people who were born and raised in one place with influence from a different country.
Verdi explained that the Peruvian-Canadian label allows both the past and the present to be represented. That she has parts of her life in both places and therefore is not one or the other, but both.
Many adopt a hyphenated cultural label like Verdi to remedy the situation, though for some this has not solved the problem.
Andy Haung, is an English student at Ryerson who was also born and raised in Canada but his parents immigrated from China. “I would consider myself Chinese-Canadian because even though I was born in Canada, my ancestors and background is Chinese,” he said. Huang feels that still being born in Canada and growing up with Canadian culture is also of equal importance to him, thus the hyphen.
In terms of the future, Haung explained he would raise his kids to identify as Chinese-Canadian as well, teaching them the traditions, family history and languages he knows.
As a person who does not speak the language that part of my family speaks, I find it separates me from them at times. At family get-togethers when they speak a combination of languages, including Greek, I may miss parts of a story or a joke. This often makes me feel disconnected.
Verdi also experiences this, as even though she speaks Spanish with her family from Peru, she sometimes faces judgement for not having a Peruvian accent.
Political and Opinion journalist JJ McCullough, who has written articles pertaining to immigration and identification, explained his perspective on this divide felt by those like Verdi. “Being in Canada would require them to follow certain rules and rights and as a result them adapting to Canada,” he said. “As a result, Canadian would become their primary way of conceptualising themselves in the world.”
His idea of culture goes beyond food, dress and language. McCullough said people who immigrated should not be expected to abandon the culture from which they came. He explained that despite this, there are many similarities we all experience while living in Canada. “These are the experiences that make living in Canada and thus being Canadian different than almost anywhere else in the world,” he said.
The identity of being Canadian is, at its core, that of citizenship. The cultural, ethnical and racial identity of as person can take from many influences.
“I think [identity] is something children of immigrants struggle with,” said McCullough. “They feel pressure to identify with the culture of their parents particularly if the parents are very proud of that culture. They might feel insecure if they feel that their identity is not strong enough in that sense.” said McCullough.
Issues with cultural identification is a problem more common than people might think, especially with new immigrants coming to Canada every day. The future may allow for a new culture to be created.
Families of mixed race parents, multilingual, multicultural backgrounds are already all around us. As Canada’s culture continues to grow, more influences from other cultures continue.
Eventually what we consider foreign will be normalized and assimilated into our daily occurrences to the point where they won’t seem as ‘exotic.’
“Influences of multiculturalism will create the future Canadian norm,” said McCullough.
Though some cultural practices may fade with generations, what does remain will build an ever changing Canadian basis for generations to grow up, take influence from and make it their own.
As for myself having influences from multiple cultures, one thing I can truly and proudly identify as is Canadian.