All non-Aboriginal Canadians and many Aboriginal Canadians can be categorized in some senses as “diasporic.” The degree to which we feel that this label applies to certain kinds of writing is complex. To be “québécois de vieille souche” (of deep roots), or to be of Acadian or Loyalist descent o en means that one is not categorized as “diasporic.” One’s family history here allows an exemption from such labels as “multicultural,” “immigrant,” or “diasporic.” Bearing these historical and theoretical questions in mind, Canadian Literature encourages papers on writers who might be viewed as “diasporic,” in their self-perceptions, style, themes, or theoretical concerns.
Some questions that might spark a response:
- Are Newfoundland writers living o ff the island diasporic?
- Are Aboriginal writers living outside their traditional territories diasporic?
- What are the nuances of sense reflectede in such terms as “diasporic,” “multicultural,” and “immigrant,” and how should we view them in literary discussions?
- What are the generational eff ects of diaspora? To what extent (and for how long) are writers burdened with conveying diasporic histories, representing diasporic communities?
- How have diaspora and related concepts been affected by cheap air travel, the internet, the relative wealth and privilege of at least some categories of new citizens, varying mainstream pressures to assimilate through time, racism, and other social forces?