KINE 1000 Chapter Notes - Chapter 17: Double Consciousness, Socalled, Black Canadians
4 Jul 2018
School
Department
Course
Professor
‘I Feel Like A Trini’: Narrative of a Genereation-and-a-Half Canadian (Race and Racism: Lived
Experiences of Discrimination) by Carl E. James
The author establishes that Mark, the person he was interviewing, was born in Trinidad
and had immigrated to Canada in March 1995 at 13 years of age
When asked by the author how he identifies himself (question that is frequently asked
by white Canadians from immigrants and minorities), Mark answers by saying “definitely
Trini”
oMark reasoned that his values, perspectives on life, and education were
different, hence could not be considered Canadian
oWhat are these differences? And what are the perceived Canadian norms that
Mark believed he did not possess and therefore made him different
Mark was one of thee 20 young Black Canadians living in the Toronto area who
participated in the author’s study entitled Product of Canada in which the author
explored the settlement processes and the experiences and the educational and
occupational outcomes of Caribbean Canadians between the age 18-29
oThe focus of this study was to understand how young Black Caribbean people
constructed, understood, and talked about their sense of Canadian identity and
belonging in the face of the public discourse in which young black Caribbean
makes were constructed as foreigners
In the study, the term ‘Generation-and-a-half Caribbean Canadians (1.5 generations)
was defined as those who immigrated to Canada between the ages of 8-12 with or
without their parents
Sport played a big role in Mark’s adjustment in Canada
oRegardless, it was Trinidad that provided the opportunities to showcase is talent
and gain the inspiration and satisfaction he needed to maintain his ambitions
The personal stories of minority group members like Mark, Black Caribbean, can be an
effective source of counter-hegemonic insights because they expose the viewpoint
embedded in a dominant ideology
The Move to Canada
According to Mark, his mother moved from Trinidad with the plan to bring us (Mark and
the kids) here, to set a home, and give is an opportunity to get a better education
Mark wanted to come to Canada for 2 reasons:
oTo live with his mother
oTo make a better future for himself
As Palmer, a Caribbean Canadian writes, “this probing of our ancestry keeps us forever
foreign, forever immigrants to Canada… Their faulty (or racist) logic assumes that
because you are not White you could not be Canadian
Mark perceived that he had not hanged his values or made that cultural shift that would
make him a Canadian; he felt that this was not necessary, nor did he wish to do so
because he was enjoying the best of both worlds (the opportunity in Canada and the
nostalgia in Trinidad)
find more resources at oneclass.com
find more resources at oneclass.com
Document Summary
I feel like a trini": narrative of a genereation-and-a-half canadian (race and racism: lived. The author establishes that mark, the person he was interviewing, was born in trinidad and had immigrated to canada in march 1995 at 13 years of age. When asked by the author how he identifies himself (question that is frequently asked by white canadians from immigrants and minorities), mark answers by saying definitely. And what are the perceived canadian norms that. Mark believed he did not possess and therefore made him different. In the study, the term generation-and-a-half caribbean canadians (1. 5 generations) was defined as those who immigrated to canada between the ages of 8-12 with or without their parents. Sport played a big role in mark"s adjustment in canada: regardless, it was trinidad that provided the opportunities to showcase is talent and gain the inspiration and satisfaction he needed to maintain his ambitions.
