module six

Question 1

intersectionality

Answer 1

• mainstream feminism wasnt for all women, but for a specific subgroup of women, the white middle-class
• at the micro and macro level, intersectionality is at play and needs to be recognized in feminist work
• believes privilege and oppression can only exist in relation each other

Question 2

intersectionality - micro and macro levels

Answer 2

• micro: we occupy multiple status positions in the larger social structure that all intersect at the micro level in the way we understand ourselves/identities/subjectivities
• macro: larger social structures and processes; intersectionality draws our attention to the ‘matrix of domination’

Question 3

intersectionality - privilege and oppression

Answer 3

• our experiences of privilege and oppression are rooted in those same status positions that we occupy
• within the ‘matrix of domination,’ each one of us might be privileged in certain ways and be oppressed in others
• this is why we see resistance to social changes that lead in the direction of greater equality between groups b/c no one wants to lose their privilege
• e.g. you can only experience privilege if another group is experiencing oppression
• e.g. patriarchal society; a certain man might experience privilege of being a man in a patriarchal society while also experiencing oppression being black, poor, or queer

Question 4

Canadian ethnic patterns

Answer 4

• Canadians have >200 different ethnic origins
• Canadians speak >450 “mother tongues” or “primary languages spoken at home”
• approx. 5% of people are Indigenous
• 23% of people were born abroad
• 32% of youth ages 15 and under have a parent who was born abroad

Question 5

top 3 countries for immigration

Answer 5

1. china
2. india
3. philippines

Question 6

future immigration trends

Answer 6

• 24-30% will be born abroad and come to Canada as immigrants or refugees
• 44-50% will be born abroad or have parents who were born abroad
• 26-31% will have a mother tongue other than English or French
• 35-40% will belong to a visible minority group
• the top cities current for immigration are believed to remain the same; being toronto, vancouver and montreal

Question 7

bicultural/hybrid adaptation patterns

Answer 7

• bicultural/hybrid identity: young people that straddle the boundary between 2 different cultures, their heritage culture and the dominant national culture in the country they currently live in
• adaptation patterns are not solely individual choice; larger structural and systemic issues can reflect how bicultural young people adapt and navigate this experience

Question 8

four core patterns of adaptations

Answer 8

1. integration pattern
2. ethnic pattern
3. national pattern
4. diffuse pattern

Question 9

implications of adaptation

Answer 9

• implications for psychological adjustment = overall mental health and wellbeing
• implications for sociocultural adjustment = extent to which young people felt accepted and like they belonged in their community, at school, etc

Question 10

integration pattern

Answer 10

• reflected young people whose ethnic identities combined both their heritage culture and the dominant national culture
• combining/blending elements of both cultures
• best overall adjustment outcome, meaning they demonstrated high self-esteem, absence of anxiety or depression, positive self-concepts and felt as though they fit in

Question 11

ethnic pattern

Answer 11

• reflected in young people who said their ethnic identities were built primarily or exclusively on their heritage culture
• positive psychological adjustment but more negative socio-cultural adjustment

Question 12

national pattern

Answer 12

• reflected in young people who said their ethnic identities were built primarily or exclusively on the dominant national culture where they currently live/immigrated too
• negative psychological adjustment but positive socio-cultural adjustment

Question 13

diffuse pattern

Answer 13

• reflected in young people who did not report any ethnic identity and don’t identify with either their heritage or national culture
• felt they didn’t fit in anywhere or were a part of either culture
• worst overall adjustment outcome b/c they exhibited low self-esteem and higher anxiety and depression, and felt as though they didn’t fit in anywhere

Question 14

ethnic identity - creese (2019)

Answer 14

• Interviewed young adults of African descent living in Vancouver about their daily lives and ethnic backgrounds
• regardless of how they self-identify or where they were born, the reality was that being Black marks them as “outsiders” and impacted their understanding of themselves and Canadian society
• often asked, “where are you from?” and found that the people posing those questions only took certain answers as being legitimate
• ethnic identities are fluid

Question 15

ethnic identities as fluid

Answer 15

• fluid nature of identity and how their understandings of their ethnicity are shaped by those they interact with and the social contexts they are in
• e.g. visiting their home country, they identify as Canadian but when interacting with white Canadians they identified as black, and when interacting with other black canadians they identify with their heritage culture

Question 16

reconciliation and Indigenous youth

Answer 16

• Indigenous youth have a specific range of experiences in society because of colonization
• this aspect is what makes Indigenous experiences unique from those of immigrants b/c, for immigrants, there is a sense of voluntary assimilation
• several generations of Indigenous children grew up in residential schools rather than with their families
• the exploitation of Indigenous peoples and involuntary coercive assimilation into the dominant culture of the colonizers is still impactful on the culture and experiences of Indigenous youth today

Question 17

proportions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations 14 yrs and under

Answer 17

• 26.7% Indigenous population
• 16% non-indigenous

Question 18

proportions of Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations 15-24

Answer 18

• 16% indigenous population
• 12% non-indigenous

Question 19

average age of the indigenous population in Canada

Answer 19

• the average age of the Indigenous population in Canada is 33.6
• they tend to have higher birth rates and shorter life spans, which contributes to the younger average ages
• over 40% of the Indigenous population is under 24

Question 20

two themes are reflected in the research participants’ views of culture

Answer 20

1. perception of cultural differences
2. elusive concepts of Chinese and Canadian cultures

Question 21

perception of cultural differences

Answer 21

• illustrated in multiple examples such as:
• teaching styles adopted by Canadian versus Chinese school teachers
• parenting styles
• school, workplace and family contexts

Question 22

teaching styles as perceptions of cultural differences

Answer 22

• Chinese education system tends to enforce strict discipline on students, prescribe a rigid academic path, impose heavy academic pressure and emphasize the merits of good grades
• the Canadian education system is characterized by smaller class sizes, laid-back teaching style, play-oriented classes, emphasis on extracurricular activities and interactive, vibrant school atmospheres

Question 23

parenting styles as perceptions of cultural differences

Answer 23

• Chinese parents are more likely to adopt authoritarian parenting in raising their children and hope their children become academically successful, hardworking and overall perfect at everything
• Chinese parents also deem physical punishment acceptable and necessary to achieve those goals.
• it is perceived that Canadian parents often follow an egalitarian parenting style that involves open expression of their love and affection toward their children.

Question 24

contexts as perceptions of cultural differences

Answer 24

• Across contexts, it was noted by participants that power hierarchy, relationship harmony, and unconditional respect for the elderly are endorsed in Chinese culture
• In Western culture, “respect should be something that needs to be earned.”
• In the workplace, participants noted that the influence of Chinese cultural values on work ethic, independence, emotional stability, hard work, and achieving goals through moral means

Question 25

elusive concepts of cultures

Answer 25

- despite cultural differences, many of the participating youth no longer regarded any given culture as a fixed entity with a well-defined boundary, particularly in Canada’s multicultural society - the idea that Canadian culture was hard to define because it was a mix of many other cultures, which makes it difficult to characterize Canadian people by certain traits and a single cultural heritage - participants said they considered having dual affiliations with both Canadian and Chinese cultures an advantage

Question 26

in-between status

Answer 26

- many participating youth mentioned an in-between status in the way how they saw themselves, which was further analyzed to highlight two qualities - first, youth found it rather simplistic to define themselves as either Canadian or Chinese because of simultaneous or competing influences from both cultures - second, many participants considered this in-between position to be a beneficial and resourceful one as they can move between cultural spaces and meet different situational demands in their daily lives