Causes for immigration:The Caribbean Diaspora in Toronto
Causes for immigration: Push and Pull Two factors of discrimination Examples of Racism Hall's view of differential incorporation and its applicability to Canadian cases Caribbean population in Canada Features of Caribbean immigration Relationship Breakdown: Reasons Coping Mechanisms
The myth of the Caribbean Paradise has traditionally been linked
with another that of the New World as promised
land. For the early European explorers, the Caribbean
was the gateway to the fabled treasures of Central and South America, and,
above all, to "the Great and Golden Citie of Manoa." On this basis,
Paradise and El Dorado are mythic symbols of the
migrant's dream, both for newcomers to the hemisphere and for migrants
within it. (Brown1 p. 2 ) . . .
"The tradition remains a powerful one in our own time. . .
Caribbean immigrants to Canada, therefore, stand at the intersection
of two powerful myths: one reflects the outsider's limited
perception of the Caribbean as idyll, and the other reflects the islanders'
idealistic expectations of Canada. (Brown1 2)
West Indian immigration
Like many groups from the non-white Commonwealth and from the Third
World in general, West Indians were long effectively barred from
Canada unless they fell into a few specific categories. For West
Indians these categories were student and (female) domestic help.
. . .Since the mid-sixties, three factors have changed the pattern drastically.
Recurent Themes:
The personal themes of exploitation and racial rejection in the lives
of "the domestic servants."
The black nationalist themes
Canada as a mosaic—West Indians have developed an uneasy and
fairly complex relationship with Canada. It is a
promised land of sorts, a haven from Caribbean poverty and neo-colonialism.
But the El Dorado of the north is also fellow
victim of a colonial heritage. Canada's history and international
status would seem to encourage affinities with the Third world, but her
questionalbe role in the Caribbean economy encourages the suspicion that
the fellow colonial has become a member of the global imperial elite.
Black ethnic pride both encourages the solid sense fo a West Indian community
within Canada, and stimulates hostility towards Canada's exclusive whiteness.
The ideal of a Canadian mosaic is particularly attractive to West Indians
who have always had to forster a coherent West Indian regionalism; but
the palpable limitations of Canaidan attitudes towards non-white citizens
encourage the suspicion that the proclaimed ideal is another example of
Canadian hypocrisy. (Brown2 379)
By the end of 1950's, the strategy of 'Black assimilation' had already been cast aside¡K
Next came the strategy of 'acceptance' which meant that Blacks took on and accepted the role of second-class citizens¡KHall writes that 'what was primarily at issue here was the differential incorporation of the Black community into the White respectable working class. Its outcome would have been, not fusion with, but "informal segregation" within, the culture of a subordinate class. ¡K
Another strategy was to separate West Indians even further from mainstream society. In order to do this, West Indians had to form an enclave community, or what Hall calls 'a colony society':
The analysis of the data gathered on and about Caribbean people in
Canada suggested that the group as a whole was not structurally or culturally
integrated into Canadian society. The concept of differential incorporation¡Xwhich
is defined in this context as the inability to access fully the economic,
social, and cultural rewards of this society¡Xwas used to described
this position. The major barrier preventing incorporation is racial discrimination,
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[undercounting] A better estimate is that there are approximately 455,000 persons of Caribbean birth in the country .
As of the 1986 census, 135,055 Caribbean-born persons lived in the Toronto
area.
1991¡X74 percent in Ontario, 9.1 per cent in Quebec, 15.9 per
cent in other provinces.
Ontario¡Xparticularly the 'Golden Horseshoe' area comprising London, Toronto, and Kingston¡Xcontains the largest numbers. Two major areas of concentration are metropolitan Toronto and the areas surrounding it, particularly Missisauga and Brampton. In Toronto itself, Caribbean migrants are increasingly residentially concentrated. The Vaughan Road, Bathurst, and Bloor areas are almostly entirely populated by people of Caribbean origin, and while the Jane-Finch area is ethnically mixed, most of its residents are of Caribbean origin. The city of Scarborough also has a large contingent of Caribbean people.
Features of immigration
(Frances p. 30)
--parent-child conflict
--the concept of marriage change with migration
The Jane and Finch area in which a substantial number of people on welfare, mother's allowance, and other forms of subsistence live. These area have also been identified as high-crime zones, especially for the distribution of drugs.
Even poor districts provide that sense of security and togetherness that people cliam makes them feel more comfortable. However, it can also be argued that MTHA's [Metropolitan Toronto Housing Association] apparently deliberate policy of putting Black people together into the same housing units exacerbates the potential for urban social disorder. Examination of MTHA's allocation policy shows that of over eighty housing projects, Blacks are over-represented in eight projects, creating housing zones in which Caribbean-origin people predominate. [choice] Thus methods of housing allocation leading to concentrations of poor Blacks reinforces the differential incorporation of this segment of the community into mainstream society. Frances 230
[none can be described as a ghetto in the sense of the large-scale ghettos
characteristic of American cities.]