“Triumph through Diversity”? The War of 1812 Commemoration and Settler-Colonial Myth Making

Abstract

Canadian Studies scholars have tended to explain former Conservative Prime Minster Stephen Harper’s nationalist vision as one focused on creating an image of Canada as a “Warrior Nation.” Studies of the commemoration of the bicentennial of the War of 1812 from 2012–15 situate it within this attempt to erase liberal multicultural narratives in favour of an emphasis on whiteness, Britishness, and military masculinity. This article argues, however, that the 1812 commemoration relied upon discourses of diversity, multiculturalism, inclusion, and reconciliation at the same time that it reinforced settler-colonial whiteness. A new monument unveiled on Parliament Hill in 2015, for example, represents the War of 1812 as a moment of “Triumph through Diversity.” In the context of polarizing debates around nation, monuments, and reconciliation, this article illustrates that attempts to produce a more “diverse” commemoration do not necessarily challenge settler colonialism.