Second-Generation Youth’s Belief in the Myth of Canadian Multiculturalism

Second-generation youth in Toronto, growing up in low-income neighbourhoods, interact primarily with other racialized and ethnicized people. Within this environment they do not experience racial prejudice or discrimination, appreciate the cultural diversity around them, and attribute it to Canada’s ideology of multiculturalism. However, they are beginning to realize their own subjectivity in relation to the power of White people and institutions. These confident, ambitious, and globally connected young people are likely to get deeply disappointed as they uncover the myths of Canada’s multiculturalism in the world beyond their ethnically concentrated schools and neighbourhoods. Acknowledging and addressing their marginality is critical to their inclusion in Canadian society.

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Categorised in: Academic Literature