[ecrea] CFP: Multiculturalism, the Final Frontier? Representations of Diversity in Canadian Mass Media and Popular Culture

Conference

May 14th 2014

Organized by Canadian Studies Student Circle,

at Canadian Studies Centre, Institute of English Cultures and Literatures,

University of Silesia,

Sosnowiec, Poland

Multiculturalism, the Final Frontier? Representations of Diversity in 
Canadian Mass Media and Popular Culture



Key Note Speaker:

Prof. Michelle Laflamme

University of Fraser Valley

BC, Canada

Call for Papers

In the 1960’s one of the most famous Canadian actors, William Shatner, 
paved the way towards ethnic diversity on American television, leading a 
multicultural cast in the cult TV series Star Trek. Fifty years later, 
Gene Roddenberry’s Utopia is reflected by the Canadian policy of 
multiculturalism. Not only is the framework of multiculturalism employed 
in Canada to describe the diverse composition of its population but – as 
a social ideal – it also places emphasis upon the growing Canadian 
ethno-racial and ethno-cultural pluralism functioning as the Canadian 
way of life.

More precisely, what is brought to the fore is the possibility of 
integration of members of diverse ethnic groups into mainstream Canadian 
society, simultaneously encouraging equal participation in social and 
cultural production, while at the same time maintaining attachment to 
their cultural background and taking pride in their ancestry. 
Consequently, at the heart of the Canadian social mosaic is the belief 
in inter-ethnic along inter-racial harmony, stressing a mutual respect 
for social differences as well as precluding the mutual exclusion of 
individual needs for fulfillment and ethnic group cohesion.

As a result, whilst Canadian popular culture has been dominated by 
Anglophone consumption and products, closely linked with US-dominated 
global culture, multiculturalism has put pressure upon Canadians to 
launch into developing ethnic approaches popular in regional, ethnic 
senses. Literature and especially soft media – characterized by a more 
eclectic range in their content than print, such as drama, community 
affairs, music, art, and religion – provide minorities with a more 
fertile ground for cultural maintenance and a multi- layered identity 
capable of long-term survival, proving that popular culture can serve as 
a prime vehicle for cultural transmission and major manifestation of a 
particular culture – one that bridges the gap between the world of 
academia and more layman approaches to cultural consumption. 
Nonetheless, Canadian mass media is still dominated by instances of 
American popular culture, where representations of diversity are highly 
problematized, and home entertainment industry has yet to develop truly 
visible strategies of reflecting the country's multicultural mosaic. The 
aim of the Conference is to analyze both the extent of implementation of 
the ideal of multiculturalism into Canadian mass media, and the issues 
raised by questionable representations of ethnic and racial minorities 
in Canadian popular culture.

We particularly encourage contributions (15-20 minutes) that deal 
specifically with the main topic of the conference. Papers developed 
from such presentations will be reviewed and considered for 
post-conference publication. Presentations may concern the following 
categories (themes):

§ Indigenous approaches to popular culture in Canada;

§ representations of hybridity and multiculturalism in Canadian 
speculative and science fiction literature and TV shows;

§ Others and aliens—narratives of encounter in Canadian speculative and 
science fiction;

§ race and hybridity in Canadian variety programs and reality TV;

§ multiculturalism and the news;

§ representation of hybridity and multiculturalism in daytime TV/soap 
operas;

§ approaches to multiculturalism in children’s TV and literature;

§ influences of Canadian multiculturalism on the music industry;

§ new media and the transcultural dialogue

§ comic books as venues for exploring the issues of 
multiculturalism/hybridity

§ stand-up comedy in the context of the debate on multiculturalism in 
modern-day Canada

Paper submission details:

(1) Please, send a 250-word proposal for a 15-20-minute presentation (in 
English), explaining the overall focus. Include your name and institute.

(2) Proposals should be submitted via email to:

(dcc.conference2014 /at/ gmail.com)

(3) Conference fee: PLN 70

(4) Deadline for abstracts: 2 March 2014

(5) Conference website: http://dccconference2014.blogspot.com

(6) About Canadian Studies Centre and Canadian Studies Student Circle:

http://www.csc.us.edu.pl

Conference organizers:

Rafal Madeja, M.A. (CSSC Supervisor, Head of the Organizing Committee)

Agnieszka Podruczna, M.A. (Conference Secretary)

Kinga Kowalska, B.A. (Head of CSSC)

Best regards,

Kinga Kowalska

University of Silesia



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