Multiculturalism: An antidote to racism or untouched inequalities? A comparative study of second-generation Jamaicans and second-generation Portuguese in Toronto

Esra Ari

doi:10.25071/1929-8471.50

Abstract

This research examines the effects of “race” and “class” on the economic and social integration of second-generation Jamaicans (n=23) and Portuguese (n=20) in Canada. This qualitative study uses interview data to compare the role of multiculturalism in the integration of two second-generation immigrant groups. I find that the integration of these two groups differs based on their visible minority status and their social class. These results are important to develop policies for the integration of racialized native-born youth into a multiethnic society.

Highlights

One out of twenty people in Canada is foreign-born (Statistics Canada, 2015) and the number of children born to foreign-born immigrants in Canada -second-generation- is growing fast (Statistics Canada, 2015; Statistics Canada, no date-a)
This paper is based on forty-three interviews with second-generation Jamaicans (N=23) and second-generation Portuguese (N=20) in Toronto, which I conducted for my PhD dissertation
Diverse integration experiences of second-generation youth have shaped their perception of multiculturalism

Summary

Introduction

One out of twenty people in Canada is foreign-born (Statistics Canada, 2015) and the number of children born to foreign-born immigrants in Canada -second-generation- is growing fast (Statistics Canada, 2015; Statistics Canada, no date-a). The increasing ethnic diversity of Canadian society made this challenging, and led to the rise of the official policy of multiculturalism in 1971 The specific focus of this paper is to understand the effectiveness of Canada’s official multiculturalism policy in 4|P a g e integration into Canadian society for young second-generation immigrants of colour, Jamaicans, and young secondgeneration non-visible minority group, Portuguese, in Toronto. My interviews with these two groups highlight the explanatory power of ‘segmented assimilation’ theory in Canada (Ari, 2016). Multicultural ideology, works in diverse ways for young second-generation immigrants

Methodology

Background

Findings

Conclusion