CFP: Call for contributions LISA e-journal

Views of Canadian Cultures

For the last hundred years there have been considerable cultural, ethnic,
social, political and economic changes in Canada, notably the shift from the
concept of biculturalism to that of multiculturalism. These processes are
reflected in literary and non-literary texts which reveal people's
perceptions of these developments and the complexity and the dynamics of a
modern multicultural society. The representation of a "national" identity,
of regional, local, ethnic, gender or cultural identities in these texts
influences the images we have of Canada and—at the same time—it is often
suggestive of the differences between US-American and Canadian policies
concerning multiculturalism. The traditional ideas of the American "melting
pot" and the Canadian "salad bowl" are simplified concepts which do not
correspond to the real situation we find in these heterogeneous countries
today.
In the last three decades the voices of "hyphenated Canadians", of "visible
minorities", of "immigrants" or of "ex-centrics" (to use Linda Hutcheon's
term) outside the "mainstream" have gained ground. They show the gap between
the discourse of the centre (anglophone culture and francophone culture) and
the discourses of the margin (Native Canadians and ethnic minorities).
Furthermore, if we compare the Canadians' view of their country with the
Eurocentric perspective we notice that stereotypes—both auto- and
hetero-stereotypes—play a considerable role in describing cultures. As
stereotypes may be of great importance in introducing a multi-faceted
country at school and at university we may also consider the educational
aspects of Canadian multiculturalism. Thus the views of cultures are closely
related to representation. In this perspective, Smaro Kamboureli states in
her anthology Making a Difference. Canadian Multicultural Literature:

I believe that we reside forever within the realm of representation: we
represent ourselves through language and through our bodies, but we also see
ourselves represented by others. No image, no story, no anthology can
represent us or others without bringing into play – serious play –differing
contexts, places, or people. (p. 2)

This number of LISA e-journal will focus on three main topics within
literature, cultural studies and education:
1) the Canadians' view of their culturally heterogeneous society,
2) the non-Canadians' view of cultural diversity in Canada,
3) the teaching of Canadian multiculturalism at school and at university.

Contributions, in English or French, should be submitted by January 31,
2005, preceded by an abstract of about 8-10 lines and a short
bio-bibliography of the authors.
Illustrations can be provided on the express condition that no copyrights
are to be paid. Contributions accepted for this project will be reviewed by
at least two reviewers with the understanding that the materials have not
been submitted to and accepted by another journal. All submissions should be
double-spaced, and conform to the MLA style. Articles should not exceed 20
pages (5,000 words) in length, excluding notes and references. For other
details, please check on LISA e-journal's web-site:
http://www.unicaen.fr/mrsh/anglais/lisa.

Contact: Dr. Matthias Merkl, University of Würzburg (Germany)
e-mail: matthias.merkl_at_mail.uni-wuerzburg.de

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Received on Tue May 25 2004 - 00:18:18 EDT