Canadian Cultural Mosaic - racial and ethnical relations in modern Canada

During the eight edition of the Canadian Culture Festival, organized by the American Studies Students’ Research Society of the Jagiellonian University in cooperation with the Institute of American Studies and Polish Diaspora, we wish to draw a particular attention to the topic of relations within and in between Canadian racial and ethnical groups. We would like to dedicate this year’s students’ and graduate students' Academic Conference, to discussing various aspects of Canadian cultural mosaic.

Canada is one of the most culturally and ethnically diverse countries in the world. At first inhabited by First Nations and Inuits, then colonized by Franco- and Anglophones, with time Canada became a promised land for immigrants from all over the world. As a result of unique multiculturalism policies and many migration waves, a nation that we know today was born - diverse and colorful, full of many cultures, languages and religions. Canada became widely known for its tolerance, lawfulness and ethnic diversity. We would like to investigate those opinions and look deeper into Canadian reality. We will be interested in ways Canada has been trying to reconcile with its past and how it's trying to restitute for the wrongs formerly committed on the indigenous population: residential schools, relocations, 60s’ Scoop and forced sterilizations. More and more often we hear voices pointing out the signs of racism in many aspects of life, from healthcare to police misconduct. We see propositions of controversial bills such as the secularism bill in Quebec. We will seek the answers to the following questions and more: Is the current Prime Minister Justin Trudeau really an embodiment of progressive ideals? How does a life in reserves and in the Arctic look like? What is The REDress Project and what is the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls crisis? How does Canada's refugee system work? What was the influence of Black Lives Matter Movement on Canada, and what does Canadian public conversation about racism and tolerance look like? Is the popularity of Jordan Peterson a symptom of a growing resistance to cultural changes and enforcement political correctness? How does the issue of health security during COVID-19 pandemic look like for minority communities? How is Polish diaspora doing in this cultural mosaic? What are the specific characteristics of Canadian multiculturalism? Is Canada facing the same racial problems as its southern neighbor? During Canadian Culture Festival we will seek the answers for those and other questions.