Le jeudi 17 octobre 2013
My Culture is Not a Costume: What’s the difference between appreciation, appropriation and just plain inappropriate?
par Université autrement : Dans les cafés
In 2011, Students Teaching About Racism in Society (STARS) launched a poster campaign to raise awareness about the negative effects of racially simplistic Halloween costumes. Taking inspiration from this campaign and the controversy it caused, this public conversation will consider the unique reality of racism in Quebec. Why do pranks, comments and costumes that would seem outrageous in other parts of North America fly under the radar here? How do these repeated incidents of cultural insensitivity impact the experiences of people of colour? Is it possible to take a stand against cultural appropriation and racism without being labeled as hypersensitive, excessively politically correct, or worse, Anti-Quebec? Together, we will examine the limits of acceptability, the persistence of stereotypes and the costs of reducing a culture to a mere stereotype. What role do our media play in all of this? How can we move from pretending everything is okay to acknowledging and educating ourselves about the challenges we face and the steps required for them to be overcome?
Organized in collaboration with MAI
(Montréal, arts interculturels)
Guest:
Nydia Dauphin is a Food Justice Advocate. Of Haitian heritage, she was born and raised in Montreal. She enjoys blogging about Canadian and international social and political affairs related to the right to food, food justice and structural racism. In addition to holding a B.A double major in Economics and International Development Studies from McGill University, she holds a M.Sc. in International Studies from the University of Montreal.
Moderator:
Anurag Dhir is the Community Engagement Coordinator for the Social Equity & Diversity Education Office at McGill University. His work involves developing programming for community-based learning and engagement as launching points for transformational leadership, social change and personal inquiry. Anurag is currently completing an M.A. in Education and Society in the Department for Integrated Studies in Education at McGill University.
