...Question: do you think of Canada just as your country, the place where you live, or do you think of Canada as a nation- people who share your values and beliefs? Is being Canadian part of your identity? Write a written response of 1 page double space. The concept of nationhood is a complex one. What makes a country a nation? What is a nation? In this essay, i will attempt to gain an understanding of what a nation is, and why Canada is in fact a nation, not merely because we meet certain criteria, but because we, as Canadians, believe it is so. To define the term “nation” is quite a challenging task. The Student’s Oxford Canadian Dictionary defines a nation as, “a community of people forming a state or inhabiting a territory”. Compared to other resources, this is fairly a simple one. The same dictionary defines a state as “an organized political community under one government” By these definitions, Canada clearly classifies as a nation. Canada is without a doubt, a nation because the country has satisfied the dictionary’s requirement. Still, not all definitions are so clear. One of the most commonly accepted definitions of a nation is one that is ripe with complex and challenging requirements. These definitions often involve a group of people who share a common culture, ethnic origin and language, and they must either possess or be actively seeking an independent government. Even at a quick glance, we can see that Canada does not meet all of these...
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...Language and ethnicity Language and ethnicity are known to be closely intertwined (Giles &ump; Coupland 1991). However, prior to analyzing interrelation between language and ethnicity I faced the problem of identifying the concept of ‘ethnicity’ itself. Thus, Fishman (1997: 327) points out that ‘ethnicity’ like other notions it is in a close association with, i.e. ‘race’, ‘people’, ‘nation’, ‘nationality’, is not “an exact scientific term”. Therefore it is not clearly defined and thus is open to interpretations (Ibid). In my search I came across a number of rather vogue explanations, and the most common aggregated dictionary definition of ‘ethnicity’ is ‘a belonging to a particular social group that has a common national or cultural tradition’ (MacMillan Dictionary, Oxford Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Dictionary, etc.). Dictionary of Cultural Literacy does single out and include language into the ethnicity definition saying that it is an “identity with or membership in a particular racial, national, or cultural group and observance of that group's customs, beliefs, and language”. However, is language always an inevitable part of one’s ethnicity or the ethnicity of a group? Definitely, the most understandable case of interrelation between language and ethnicity is the one when a person is born and lives on a specific territory which historically had one dominant ethnos and one dominant language, so ethnicity is predetermined by close bound between language and territory (Fishman...
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...Javier Cepeda Harris SYD4700 Reaction Paper #1 1. According to Farley, the concept of race consists of two components: social and physical. Social recognition and identity as a distinct group is important for a group of people to be considered a race. Also, every race is considered to be somewhat distinct in appearance from others. However, the fact that physical appearances matter when defining race is what makes it a “socially constructed” concept. The different races that are known to us today each carry a physical characteristic in which it identifies with, but what is important to note is how these differences were chosen. Society as a whole is what chooses the physical component in race and because of this it varies from time to time and place to place. 2. To support the statement that race is a “socially constructed” concept one must consider that racial formation, which is the process in which race operates as a central axis of social relations (Gallagher 19), is said to be a result of diverse historical practices (Omni and Winant). It is clear that racial terms and identities are something that has been shaped by the general public over time. For someone to claim they are black or white is nothing out of the ordinary in our society today, but what is intriguing is the fact that as recent as the late 19th century such racial grouping would have been quickly challenged. The term “black” came about when the distinction of indentured servitude and racial slavery...
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...Ghosh centers around a young boy, the narrator, whose growth in age and maturity is traced slowly through his understanding of the memories that connect him and his family members. Through the book, we watch him move backwards and forwards in time as bits and pieces of stories, both half-remembered and imagined, come together in his mind until he arrives at an intricate, interconnected picture of the world where borders and boundaries mean nothing, mere shadow lines that we draw dividing people and nations. The title ‘The Shadow Lines’ is the author’s commentary on the artificial nature of cultural, ideological, geographical and psychological borders, which he asks us to disregard in favour of a broader humanism. The titular ‘shadow lines’ can refer to many different things, but I believe the fundamental allusion he makes is to the borders that separate nations from each other. Divisions between nations - shadow lines Amitav Ghosh asserts that the borders that separate nations are nothing more than artificial lines created by men. Thus, the ‘shadow lines’ of the title are the borders that divide people, and one of the main emphases of the novel is on the arbitrariness of such cartographic demarcations. Why are these lines ‘shadowy’ then? Because like shadows, they lack substance, they lack meaning. Ghosh believes that these ‘shadow lines’, these meaningless borders, can and should be crossed – if not physically, then at least mentally through our imagination and through...
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...Canada’s current peacemaking mission to Afghanistan is not achieving its stated goals of stabilizing the country. My solution to the problem is consistent with the Canadian national identity because we are still using multilateralism to compromise with other countries and diplomacy to end the armed conflict. I believe we should continue the peacemaking mission with a few different solutions to improve it. We could assemble an additional battle group of 1000 soldiers to be assigned to Kandahar by NATO and/ or other allies before February 2009. Another solution could be to get the government to secure new, medium lift helicopters and high performance unmanned aerial vehicles for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance before that date. Lastly, we could address Afghanistan’s government and make it more effective. We also need to include the international community to assist in developing a peaceful, self-reliant Afghan country.Canada’s current peacemaking mission to Afghanistan is not achieving its stated goals of stabilizing the country. My solution to the problem is consistent with the Canadian national identity because we are still using multilateralism to compromise with other countries and diplomacy to end the armed conflict. I believe we should continue the peacemaking mission with a few different solutions to improve it. We could assemble an additional battle group of 1000 soldiers to be assigned to Kandahar by NATO and/ or other allies before February 2009. Another...
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...Obama Inaugural Address 20th January 2009 My fellow citizens: I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition. Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents. So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans. That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet. These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics...
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...Group Project 2/24/2014. Arguments FOR and AGAINST trade liberalization leading to a "race to the bottom" in environmental standard Many affiliates of congress fear that trade liberation has been leading the country to go on a “race to the bottom”, when it comes to environmental protection. And as a result, this has led many countries to place tough trade restrains due to the fear of what could happen to the country down the line. In my opinion, I do not agree with that statement. I don’t think that trade liberation could be the only thing that would lead to a “race to the bottom” in terms of environment safekeeping. I believe that free trade is important in dispensing the economy of a country with means that will allow it to embrace measures that will supplement the safety of the environment. That means that free trade is a compulsory element in stimulating economic growth. Without a country’s growth, it would be even harder for the country to provide the mandatory or necessary protection amongst its people. For them to be able to enhance environmental protection, they should first be able to enlarge the wealth of the country. The truth is, some of the poor countries cannot supply to provide environmental protection more than they can provide fundamental needs such as food and healthcare. Most of these environmental groups refuse to allow trade promotion authority because they are afraid that it will lead to environmental distractions. Therefore, they persuade that trade...
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...1) What is diversity? Why is diversity valued? Diversity is the variance of every culture, race, sex, religion, or group. Which it us leads to accept and respect of every individual. We come to understand that each individual is different and unique and to accept our own differences from others. This is because there are different ethnicity, genders, cultures, sex orientation, socio-economic status, and religion among everyone in this country. Diversity is valued because the multicultural education is a big asset to this country. It highlights the contributions of every culture, group, religion, sex, or race from around the world. Accepting the individually of a person also allows us to understand that we are all different and similar at the same time. All of these things is what make American today. 2) What is ethnocentrism? In what ways can ethnocentrism be detrimental to society? Ethnocentrism is when one judges another culture by the standard and values of our own culture. The language, customs, behavior, and religion are what show the distinctions of the multi cultures that exist. Ethnocentrism can be detrimental to society because it can lead to misunderstand cultures. Generalizations can be made and can turn into misjudging individuals intentionally. In my many occasions it can discontinue communication between human’s beings. In doing so this often leads to discrimination and racism. 3) Define emigration and immigration. Emigration is...
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...and that they shall involve and permit henceforth no secret understandings of any kind. The day of conquest and aggrandizement is gone by; so is also the day of secret covenants entered into in the interest of particular governments and likely at some unlooked-for moment to upset the peace of the world. It is this happy fact, now clear to the view of every public man whose thoughts do not still linger in an age that is dead and gone, which makes it possible for every nation whose purposes are consistent with justice and the peace of the world to avow nor or at any other time the objects it has in view. We entered this war because violations of right had occurred which touched us to the quick and made the life of our own people impossible unless they were corrected and the world secure once for all against their recurrence. What we demand in this war, therefore, is nothing peculiar to ourselves. It is that the world be made fit and safe to live in; and particularly that it be made safe for every peace-loving nation which, like our own, wishes to live its own life, determine its own institutions, be assured of justice and fair dealing by the other peoples of the world as against force and selfish aggression. All the peoples of the world are in effect partners in this interest, and for our own part we see very clearly that unless justice be done to others it will not be done to us. The programme of the world's peace, therefore, is our programme; and that programme, the only possible...
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...trafficked through several indicates of coercion or techniques of hoaxing for plenty of aggressive and exploitation rifle scopes. It has been noticed that most the sufferers exchanged from Southern to Main and European European countries and also to Northern The united states and Japan, are females trafficked for pressured prostitution. Although due to the surreptitious personality of this criminal activity, any available figure or data does not signify the real condition of the things. The visitors in reasons other than prostitution, such as pressured weddings and pressured labor etc, does not entice enough attention of the law organs; therefore the potential of the sufferers to get help is restricted. The state policies and the rules of many nations have the propensity to decrease the chance of getting some complicated actions on the matter of the issue of visitors with purpose of pressured prostitution. Although, in the last several years, within the structure of worldwide controversy and especially in the material of UN records, has showed up a confidence that the reasons for which the individuals are trafficked and the methods in which it is done are different and completely modifying, the platform components of this kind of visitors stay the same. Thus, a common conform which regards the meaning of visitors, such as both the one with females and with men with whatever aggressive and required objective, was reached. The first worldwide meaning of the individual beings’ visitors...
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...as both insider and outsider that is of equal interest to the native Londoner and foreign reader alike. Chiang Yee is an author who is endearing in his modest humility, cheerful narrative and superior wisdom and whose style of writing allows him to be as enlightening as he is entertaining. Chiang embraces his identity as a foreigner and begins his book by defining himself as an Oriental, “One of those strange Chinese people who ‘belong to an age gone by’”(ix). He is not embarrassed by his race or ethnicity and does not attempt to hide his background as he travels. Chiang celebrates his Chinese upbringing and the alternative perspective that this experience brings to life in London by disputing the fundamental differences between nations and nationalities. Chiang negates the idea that the peoples of the world are capable of differing greatly from one another given our fundamental sameness; “They may be different superficially, but they eat, drink, sleep, dress, and shelter themselves from wind and rain in the same way”(ix). The strangeness that Chiang feels as an outsider is not a product of human nature since similarities in taste and experience exist far beyond geographical borders; it is instead an opportunity to look at things from a different perspective and to share that perspective with the world. The Silent Traveller in London presents foreign identity or ‘otherness‘ as an opportunity to comment on Western culture by comparing it to home....
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...Discuss the importance of multicultural unity in developing a culture of peace in the Mauritian Nation. Mauritius is one of the polyethnic country that has the most peaceful and stable democratic government. Mauritius is also known as a multicultural unity and being that the Mauritian population enjoys a rich ethnic background, consisting of Hindus, Muslim, Tamils, Africans, Malagasy descents and Chinese. The main religions are Hinduism, Christianity and Islam. Mauritius is a small country where religious festivals, rituals, customs and traditions abound in all their splendors. In any multicultural society, the degree of tolerance and respect plays an important role in determining whether a multicultural society is an advantage or not. The presence of tolerance in a society amongst members of different backgrounds and ethnic groups can ensure a stable political situation as well as a stable economy. This enables the society itself to cultivate friendship amongst members of different cultures and helps the country to grow and prosper. The Mauritian population should develop an attitude of sharing. The national output should also be equally distributed among people of different communities. It is not fair when one community is richer than the other is. Similarly, it is not just when one community is the victim of exclusion. Whenever there is injustice, in a multiethnic country at the expense of the weaker races, there is bound to be rebellious against the authorities. Then...
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...Anglophone Socio-cultural Environment “Nations have always existed” Mihaela Vasileva Savova Matriculation № 025067 17.05.2004 In my opinion this statement-“Nations have always existed”-is not true. There are several stages of the human evolution until the word “nation” appears as a term. In fact these stages are three - ethnos, nationality and nation. “Nation” is the last level of social development. My thesis is based on historical evidences and views of famous historians. The conclusion I made, after getting acquainted with some sources, is that nations have developed during the XVth or XVIth century, more precisely after the Great French Bourgeois Revolution in 1789. The nation is not the first step in human development. According to Professor Lachesar Dachev’s textbook “Studies for the state”: “The humans form many and different unions. The most general and basic is the “ethnos”. … The ethnos is the first and the original characteristic of every man. There is no man without an ethnos.” Another definition of ethnos is made by J.V.Bromlay and V.I.Kozlov: “The ethnos is strange historically formed kind of social group of people, united form of their existence. It is set up and develops in natural-historical way; it does not depend on the resolution of the individuals in it and is capable of existence in many centuries thanks to its reproduction.” The first kind of ethnical union is the tribe. Tribes are formed on the base of blood relationship which is...
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...Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion Adriana Sardinas SOC/315 January 17, 2011 Professor Joyce Mackey Thinking About Diversity and Inclusion In this content, the author will be using her critical thinking skills to answer questions based on the readings from Understanding and Managing Diversity and Racial and Ethnic Groups. The questions to be answered and discussed are: What are the dimensions of cultural diversity; with what ethnic, cultural, or other groups does the author identify herself; what is the difference between diversity and inclusion; what is the importance of workplace diversity training; and what is the author’s experience with workplace culture. Critical Thinking Questions Cultural diversity, inclusion, groups, diversity in the workplace, and identifying oneself with one or the other is controversial and can become aggressive if society remains close-minded. The author is putting into discussion questions that will help break down the understanding of what it truly is and the importance of it in society. Question One What are the dimensions of cultural diversity? Identification and a brief explanation of dimensions provided. Answer. The dimensions of cultural diversity range from racial groups, a group socially set apart by obvious physical difference; ethnic groups, groups set apart by culture patterns or nationality; religious groups, gender groups and other subordinate groups. Ageism is also considered a dimension. Minorities generally...
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...Globalization and Technology Amazon is a worldwide sensation, and can be found by a click of a button. To be ahead of the game they will have to keep up with the forever-changing times. “Globalization is a process of interaction and integration among the people, companies, and governments of different nations, a process driven by international trade and investment and aided by information technology. This process has effects on the environment, on culture, on political systems, on economic development and prosperity, and on human physical well-being in societies around the world.” (Sillicon Valley 2007) Amazon ships too places like Japan, China, and even Canada. They have different fees and limitations for different countries and trade with countries. Globalization goes hand-in-hand with technology; Amazon can see who the leading companies to trade are. With technology the way of the future Amazon has taken their company to the next step. People are able to buy and sell thing by web or their smart phones. Amazon uses the technology to track products which are coming and going out. They can organize their sales revenue throughout the year. People are allowed to sell items on line; Amazon can control what items are sold and if the customers are not receiving the product. Consumers can go online and track where their products are and how long it will take to be shipped to them. To run a businesslike Amazon they will have to be organized and be ahead of their...
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