1. Canada: Past and Present
Canadian Literature and Film: General Introduction
Courtesy of Prof. Kate Liu

2. Outline General Views “Who Are We?” National Identity:
History
Myths
Present Realities
General Themes of our Course

3. Which of the following are Canadians?
Dan Aykroyd
Jim Carrey
MICHAEL J. FOX
Keanu Reeves
Captain Kirk
Megan Follows as Anne of Green Gables
ALANIS MORISSETTE
k.d. Lang
Pamela Ander-son Lee
Celine Dion
Paul Anka, Neil Young, Peter Jennings . . .

4. Internet Jokes on Cultural Differences
Aussies: Dislike being mistaken for Pommies (Brits) when abroad.
Canadians: Are rather indignant about being mistaken for Americans when abroad.
Americans: Encourage being mistaken for Canadians when abroad.
Brits: Can't possibly be mistaken for anyone else when abroad.

5. Internet Jokes on Cultural Differences
Americans: Spell words differently, but still call it "English".
Brits: Pronounce their words differently, but still call it "English".
Canadians: Spell like the Brits, pronounce like Americans.
Aussies: Add "G'day", "mate" and a heavy accent to everything they say.

6. Internet Jokes on Cultural Differences
Aussies: Are extremely patriotic to their beer.
Americans: Are flag-waving, anthem-singing, and obsessively patriotic to the point of blindness.
Canadians: Can't agree on the words to their anthem, when they can be bothered to sing them.
Brits: Do not sing at all but prefer a large brass band to perform the anthem.

7. Canadian History 1534 --New France
Charles II of England established HUDSON'S BAY COMPANY
Canada become a confederation of former colonies (The British North America Act)
the creation of the status of Canadian citizen
expo '67 in Montreal
The Constitution Act ended British control over amendments to Canada's Constitution.
Canadian Multiculturalism Act

8. Canadian Identity
Compared with the States, it merged quite late, slowly and peacefully in the 20th century.
Defined in contrast with the Americans -- White North (but not the West), Irony (but not Innocence), victim mentality (but not heroism), Mounties but not cowboy, etc.
Characteristics (?): Gentleness + violent hockey, Two solitudes.
"As Canadian as possible, . . ., under the circumstances."

9. “The Canadian North”: Its Myths and “Realities”
The Group of Seven

10. Myth 1: Victim Mentality
“Garrison Mentality”
“Victim Mentality” vs.
American individualism
e.g. The central symbol for Canada is Survival. Canada as a whole is a victim, or an "oppressed minority" or "exploited.” –Atwood’s Survival
But who are the victims?

11. Myth 2: Two Solitudes
Duality -- caused by settler-colonization and neo-colonialism
French and English;
British, American & “Canadian”
 The Other Solitudes

12. Myth 3: Mosaic and Multiculturalism Immigrants to Canada
Early 20th century: Italians and Jews discriminated against
the postwar new-comers: at first mainly British, and then Dutch and German
in the 1960s -- Mediterranean peoples, notably Italians, Greeks and Portuguese,
in the 1970s -- a steadily growing number of Asians--from India and China via Hong Kong especially and of people of ultimately African origin via the Caribbean.
V e r t i c a l Mosaic
Ghettoized?

13. Present Realities
Depression  the reduction funding for social programs;
The government seen as ineffective and wasteful;
1995 referendum  separation is no longer impossible.
Global culture

14. General Themes 1. Nation vs. Globalization
2. Gender relations and stereotypes in small towns and in a large city.
3. Voices from the Margins
Other Recurrent themes:
Memory; fragmentary identity; war; body and identity, language and identity, etc.