Debra Black Canada's Immigration System Lacks Heart Critics Say Summary

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Canada's immigration system lacks heart, critics say by Debra Black The concept of the nation-state is recent, dating back in its present form to the 19th century. The term nation and “state” do not mean the same things (Sociocultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach, 2016). Anthropologists argue that nation-states and nationalism are one form of an ‘imagined community’ (Anderson, 2006) in which human groups organize, relate to each other and construct identities about themselves and others. This short essay will explain the main issue that is discussed in the article “Canada’s Immigration System Lacks Heart, Critics Say” by Debra Black. It will discuss the words, phrases and sentences that are used in the article that connects to questions …show more content…

I will highlight what the overall message is being conveyed about Canadian national identity and culture in Debra’s Black’s article; what messages are being conveyed about Canada as nation-states; and what kind of stories Canadians tell themselves about themselves and others in this piece. As well, I will mention how these messages relate to what was discussed about nationalism and the nation-state in David Murray’s lecture and the “Sociocultural Anthropology: A Problem-Based Approach” book. Globally, Canada has been known for a place of safety and asylum for refugees around the world. However, in the piece “Canada’s Immigration System Lacks Heart, Critics Say” by Debra Black, there are conflicted opinions in regards to the Canadian refugee system. It is not the same today as it was in 1986, and the federal government tightens rules …show more content…

It’s correlation both explain that Canada is built on the idea of tolerance and acceptance. Nation-state is defined as a political community that has clearly defined territorial borders and centralized authority, whereas, nation is a collection of people who share a common language, worldview, and ancestry. (Sociocultural: A Problem-Based Approach, 2016) Most states have more than one nation, as in Canada, where there are many First Nations; moreover, one nation can be scattered across many states, either by choice or by force. This is the case not only for refugees, but disasporic communities as well. (Sociocultural: A Problem-Based Approach, 2016). The Mountie myth is one of the stories that employ the ideas of Canada’s open-mindedness and justice towards its minorities to create national identity. The Quebec referendums from the 1980s to 1995 and the Calgary pact that were made in September 1997 present the past as a ‘heritage’ of tolerance. The story of Canada’s tolerant nationhood has often been framed in terms of its policy of “multiculturalism”, a policy defined in official government ideology as a ‘fundamental characteristic of Canadian heritage and identity’. Canada is often described as a ‘cultural mosaic’ in order to distinguish it from the American culture ‘melting pot’ (Mackey, 1998). In the addition to