Encountering the Metropole: Stuart Hall, Race, (Un)Belonging, and Identity in Canada: Exploring the African Caribbean Immigration Experience

Isolation within the Black and/or Caribbean Community: Implications of Identity, Cultural Transference, and Belonging

“…Racism is a systematic barrier that has been identified as a daunting barrier to integration of racialized peoples in Canada (Hogarth, 2014). Although Canada paints a façade that all are welcomed through their multicultural policies, the true reality is that only some are really welcomed as anti-Blackness is deeply embedded in Canadian society, which is demonstrated through the racial violence that African Caribbean immigrants face (Gooden & Hackett, 2020). There is a denial that the legacy of slavery, which has produced racism, white privilege, and power, exists within Canada.…”

“…There is a denial that the legacy of slavery, which has produced racism, white privilege, and power, exists within Canada. This denial is often fuelled by the sentiment that slavery in Canada did not develop on the same grand scale as it did the United States of America (USA) (Gooden & Hackett, 2020). This delusionary thought has led many Canadians to believe that Canada is not impacted by the oppressive institution of colonialism, and this demonstrates a sense of benevolence, and being welcoming of Black folks (Gooden & Hackett, 2020).…”

“…This denial is often fuelled by the sentiment that slavery in Canada did not develop on the same grand scale as it did the United States of America (USA) (Gooden & Hackett, 2020). This delusionary thought has led many Canadians to believe that Canada is not impacted by the oppressive institution of colonialism, and this demonstrates a sense of benevolence, and being welcoming of Black folks (Gooden & Hackett, 2020). This cannot be further from the truth as historically and systematically anti-Black racism was instituted in Canada, listing Black immigrants as undesirable and essentially not welcomed.…”

“…Racism has created many oppressive barriers for Black immigrants in Canada; it has made it quite difficult for Black immigrants to consider Canada as home, regardless of their length of residence in the country (Gooden & Hackett, 2020. Racism has made a clear divide on who is accepted or who can claim to belong within Canadian society.…”

“…This very notion of belonging, Hogarth (2014) argues, is also built on that of un-belonging, and places a keen focus on the separation that exists in society between 'us 'and the 'other' . To the disappointment of many Black and/or Caribbean immigrants, who hope for a positive or favorable experience when they migrate to Canada, they are met with the harsh reality of not being welcomed (Gooden &Hackett, 2020. Gooden andHackett (2020) highlight that it is "racial exclusion that undergirds Black Canadians' struggle, which carries a potent message about who belongs" (p. 62).…”