Calder Tomlinson ASTU 100A-G04 Dr.

Costantino October 27, 2009 Addressing Canadian Multiculturalism From the Standpoint of Fred Wahs Hyphen n Hyphenating the Hybrid I: (Re)Visions of Racial Mixedness in Fred Wah s !ia"ond #rill, !"lie #cGone$al assesses t%e anal&tical si$ni'icance o' (a%)s ree*amination o' %&bridit& 'rom t%e +ers+ecti,e o' t%e %&+%en. #cGone$al asserts t%at t%is "ni-"e inter+retation t%at (a% $i,es, +ro,ides a $en"inel& alternati,e met%od to addressin$ %&bridit& in +ostcolonial st"dies. T%is alternati,e +ers+ecti,e is ac%ie,ed b& +rom+tin$ readers o' !ia"ond #rill to re-ima$ine %&bridit& 'rom t%e ,ie.+oint o' t%e %&+%en as not onl& a meta+%orical de,ice "sed to "nderstand t%e 'l"idit& at .%ic% a raciall& mi*ed indi,id"al s%i'ts bet.een c"lt"ral, racial, and lin$"istic s+aces and identities, b"t also as a +oetic tool to em+%asi/e t%e ,er& %&bridit& o' t%e te*t itsel'. #cGone$al di,ides t%e %&+%en across 'o"r main as+ects in an e''ort to better "nderstand (a%)s "se o' t%e %&+%en in %is .or0, as .ell as +romotin$ a reconsideration o' common ,ie.s on %&bridit&. T%e 'irst 'oc"ses on %&+%enated identit&1 common conce+ts o' identit& are 'oc"sed on race, .it% societal disco"rses +rolon$in$ t%e +erce+tion o' t%e indi,isibilit& o' racial identit&. T%ese in%erent -"alities o' societ& tar$et raciall& mi*ed indi,id"als, leadin$ s"c% indi,id"als to e*+erience con'"sion, alienation and o++ression. 2o.e,er .it% t%e %&+%en, a raciall& mi*ed s"b3ect ma& embrace t%e 'l"idit& at .%ic% t%e& can tra,erse bet.een e*+eriences and .it% t%at, t%e& 'orm a "ni-"e identit& "nto t%emsel', renderin$ t%e %&+%en in a sense, a 4+aradi$m o' liberation5 6#cGone$al 1789. T%e second as+ect to #cGone$al)s anal&sis concl"des t%at 4contact /ones5 : t%e interc"lt"ral,

Tomlinson 2 interracial and interlin$"istic medi"m in .%ic% t%e raciall& mi*ed d.ell, and in ;red (a% !r)s case t%e door.a& o' t%e Diamond Grill : can be bot% a tool o' se$re$ation t%at s"++resses di''erences and selecti,el& e*cl"des, and also an instr"ment t%at enables crossc"lt"ral comm"nication and liberation 'or t%e raciall& mi*ed. T%e t%ird addresses %o. code-s.itc%in$, .%en contrasted .it% t%e %&+%en, can ill"strate t%e ease and 're-"enc& at .%ic% a raciall& mi*ed indi,id"al s%i'ts bet.een e*+eriences. Code-s.itc%in$ also re,eals t%e alienation t%at a raciall& mi*ed indi,id"al ma& e*+erience d"e to t%e 'eelin$ o' inade-"ac& res"ltin$ 'rom t%e lac0 o' a sin$le de'inin$ lan$"a$e. T%e 'inal as+ect entails (a%)s <%&+%enation) o' %is te*t : %is combination o' +oetr& and +rose, r"n-on sentences and 'ra$ments, bio$ra+%& and 'iction, +rom+ts t%e reader to e*+erience some de$ree o' con'"sion, as a mimicr& to .%at raciall& mi*ed indi,id"als e*+erience re$ardin$ identit&.

Tomlinson 8 #cGone$al em+%asi/es t%e notion t%at t%e 4contact /one5 is a +artic"larl& "se'"l tool beca"se o' its nat"re as a medi"m o' comm"nication bet.een c"lt"res, races and lin$"istics. As .it% (a%)s e*am+le o' t%e door.a& o' t%e Diamond Grill, t%e contact /one acts as t%e ,e%icle t%ro"$% .%ic% ;red !r. can s%i't bet.een ser,in$ t%e .%ite c"stomers) needs, as a member o' t%e .%ite comm"nit&, and +la&in$ a +art in t%e 43ar$on o' c"rses, 3o0es, and cr&+tic orders = on t%e ot%er side o' t%e doors5 6(a% 19. >rin$in$ t%e conce+t o' t%e contact /one into a broader sco+e, incor+oratin$ it .it%in Canadian societ& to citi/ens e*+eriencin$ c"lt"ral %&bridit&, t%e %&+%en can become a liberatin$ instr"ment in addressin$ t%e +arado* o' Canadian m"ltic"lt"ralism. T%e #"ltic"lt"ralism Act o' 197? s+eci'ies t%at in "+%oldin$ 4m"ltic"lt"ralism @,A = a '"ndamental c%aracteristic o' = Canadian = identit&5 6#"ltic"lt"ralism Act 89, .e m"st enco"ra$e t%e de,elo+ment o' $reater Canadian %erita$e .%ile sim"ltaneo"sl& +reser,in$, en%ancin$ and s%arin$ o"r +ersonal c"lt"ral %erita$e 6#"ltic"lt"ralism Act 89. To establis% and s"stain a m"ltic"lt"ral societ& in .%ic% c"lt"ral di,ersit& and c"lt"ral "ni'ormit& are e-"al c%aracteristics o' t%e +o+"lo"s, eac% indi,id"al : .%et%er raciall& mi*ed or +"re : m"st reali/e t%e +otential o' t%e %&+%en and establis% t%eir o.n contact /one. (it% t%e mass a.areness o' t%e %&+%en : incl"din$ its alienatin$ ca+abilities : and mass ado+tion o' t%e conce+t as a contact /one, +eo+le .ill be able to +ass 'l"entl& bet.een t%eir o.n c"lt"ral %erita$e and common Canadian c"lt"re. T%is .ill allo. 'or $reater "nderstandin$ bet.een citi/ens belon$in$ to di''erent c"lt"ral minorities and t%e $rad"al +%asin$ o"t o' t%e sin$"lari/ation o' raciali/ed identit& .it%in societal disco"rses, bene'ittin$ t%e raciall& mi*ed d"e to t%e %&+%en)s +o.er to 4trans'orm racial ambi,alence 'rom a state o' o++ression into a str"$$le 'or liberation5

Tomlinson 4 6#cGone$al 17B9. All citi/ens m"st ado+t t%e %&+%en %o.e,er, and onl& .it% t%at $eneral a.areness, ma& t%e raciall& mi*ed be able to 'ind solace in t%e "nderstandin$ t%at e,er&one s%ares some sense o' c"lt"ral a.areness and di,ersit&. T%o"$% 'oolis%l& idealistic, t%is a++roac% to t%e iss"e o' m"ltic"lt"ralism in Canada .it% t%e "se o' t%e %&+%en %i$%li$%ts t%e si$ni'icance t%at bot% #cGone$al and (a% stress abo"t t%e liberatin$ as+ects o' t%e %&+%en.

Tomlinson ? Works Cited #cGone$al, !"lie. 42&+%enatin$ t%e 2&brid < )C 6De9Eisions o' Dacial #i*edness in ;red (a%)s !ia"ond #rill.5 $ssays on %anadian Writing. 7?. 6(inter 20029C 177-19B. (a%, ;red. !ia"ond #rill. FdmontonC Ge(est Hress, 199B. ICanadian #"ltic"lt"ralism Act.I !epart"ent of &'stice %anada. !"l& 1977. Go,ernment o' Canada. 17 Oct. 2009 J%tt+CKKla.s.3"stice.$c.caKHD;KStat"teKCKC-17.7.+d'L.