Reconsiderations of Frameworks of Ethnic History: A Comparison of Metis and Ukrainian-Canadian HistoriographiesEthnic historians in Canada have tended to use ethnicity as a

Authors

  • Aya Fujiwara

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21971/P74G6N

Abstract

Ethnic historians in Canada have tended to use ethnicity as a methodological framework without defining it or questioning the origins of ethnic consciousness. Many tend to conceptualize ethnicity strictly in terms of a place of origin, despite the fact that ethnic boundaries and consciousness are often transformed in the host nation. Taking the history of Ukrainian-Canadians as an example, this article argues that definitions of ethnicity based on the national and/or racial origins of immigrants must be reconsidered. It suggests that scholars of Metis history, focusing on factors that shape ethnogenesis such as economy, gender, religion, and settlement patterns, provide certain theoretical insights useful for ethnic historians. Yet the categorical division between ethnic and Native histories has hitherto hindered communication between these fields.

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Author Biography

Aya Fujiwara

Aya Fujiwara is a third-year Ph.D candidate in the Department of History and Classics at the University of Alberta. A specialist in ethnic and immigration history, her dissertation focuses on the transformation of Canadian identity from Anglo-conformity to multiculturalism between 1919 and 1971.

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Published

2008-02-22

How to Cite

Fujiwara, A. (2008). Reconsiderations of Frameworks of Ethnic History: A Comparison of Metis and Ukrainian-Canadian HistoriographiesEthnic historians in Canada have tended to use ethnicity as a. Past Imperfect, 9. https://doi.org/10.21971/P74G6N

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Articles