Notes
Key findings
The findings from interviews with Chinese-Canadian youth in Alberta revolve around three themes:
1) racial discrimination and stereotypes in school – immigrants are portrayed as foreigners and competitors, rather than as Canadian citizens and contributors to nation building; racial stereotypes such as “Chinese students are not good at sports or do not have a good command of the English language”
2) biased media representation – mainstream media portrays immigrants as a “problem” or “social threat” to Canadian society; Asian students are depicted as only academically focused while lacking social skills
3) ethnic language and culture maintenance, and sense of belonging in relation to multiculturalism policy – it is difficult for ethnic minority groups to maintain their ethnic culture given that Canada’s multiculturalism policy is created within a bilingual framework which separates language rights from cultural rights
Community organizations
local immigrant service organizations, Chinese bilingual schools and some Chinese professional associations
Location
Edmonton, Alberta; Calgary, Alberta
Key populations
Chinese-Canadian youth
Integration timeline
At what point during the integration process the study was conducted?
Fifteen youth were either born in Canada or immigrated to Canada before the age of six, while the rest came to Canada after the age of six. Their ages ranged between 15-25 years old.
Publisher: Canadian Ethnic Studies Association
