Description
Book SynopsisThe Canadian Multicultural Mosaic has long been recognized as an – if not the – outstanding characteristic of the Canadian nation at home and abroad. It has, further, come to be regarded as a model worldwide of a well-functioning culturally diverse society. This first book-length study of Canadian multicultural children’s literature sets out to explore how literature for the young has contributed to the creation of the country’s multicultural discourse as well as to the construction of its national identity. In this context, children’s literature possesses particular significance, as juvenile literature by nature serves an educational purpose which extends to forming and informing the next generation of a country’s citizens. In order to achieve a deeper understanding of the complex structures at work, not only the fictional works themselves but also Canada’s policy with regard to children’s culture and literature have been examined. In order to provide an optimally comprehensive picture, chapters include, among other aspects, information on public library services for immigrant children, on Canadian research collections specializing in children’s literature, on Canadian publishing for children, and on promotional activities. The works of fiction examined cover the period from 1950 to 1994 – thus illustrating the development of the nation’s multicultural discourse – and include various Canadian regions as well as protagonists belonging to different ethnic groups. While the approach is interdisciplinary, the novels discussed are above all read against the tenets of Canadian multiculturalism as manifested in such core documents as Prime Minister Trudeau’s 1971 parliamentary declaration and the 1988 Canadian Multiculturalism Act. The chief objective of the present study is to understand the interdependence between ideology, children’s literature, and the creation of a national discourse.
Table of ContentsAcknowledgements List of Illustrations Introduction National Identity-Formation Aspects of Nation-Building The Contribution of Literature to National Identity-Formation Children’s Literature and National Identity-Formation The Canadian Situation Canadian National Identity Multiculturalism Multicultural Children’s Literature Canadian Cultural Policy with Regard to Children’s Culture and Literature Public Libraries’ Children’s Services Canadian Research Collections Specializing in Children’s Literature Canadian Publishing for Children Canadian Children’s Book Awards Promotional Activities Guides to Canadian Children’s Literature State of Research The Immigrant Experience as Depicted in Anglo-Canadian Youth Fiction 1950–1994 Criteria of Choice for the Corpus of Primary Literature Pioneering Multicultural Children’s Literature: The 1950s — Lyn Cook: The Bells on Finland Street — Lyn Cook: The Little Magic Fiddler The Beginnings of Official Multicultural Policy: The 1970s — Jean Little: From Anna and Listen for the Singing — Frances Duncan: Kap-Sung Ferris Steering Towards the Canadian Multiculturalism Act: The 1980s — Monica Hughes: My Name is Paula Popowich! Consolidating Multiculturalism in Multicultural Canadian Children’s Literature: The 1990s — Paul Yee: Breakaway The Development of Canadian Multicultural Children’s Literature: Conclusion and Outlook for the Future Bibliography Index
