cultural diversity
research history #1
Attempting to fit in the round
hole:
researching diverse sites and speeches,
verifying all sources
participating in various
conferences on cultural diversity
research history #2
these are half the quantity of sites and
documents I researched without finding
clearly articulated, well-defined policies
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wsis gazette.pdf
wg-b_e.pdf
grant_vf.pdf
Hanley.pdf
PLNNAT03-te.pdf
canadian.pdf
9901pospaper.pdf
acheson_culture.pdf
CBC_Submission_May_ 2002.pdf
Lachapelle.pdf
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:OxHnoz0
XxYsJ:www.manhattaninstitute.org/hazlett/canadian.pdf+british,+canadia
n+television+policies&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://www.pch.gc.ca/pc-ch/pubs/infonews/vol_01/no_03/culture_e.cfm
http://www.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/international/diversiteculturelle/eng/network.html
http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/INFO_SHT/b308.htm
http://www.pch.gc.ca/progs/ai-ia/ridpirpd/02/quebec_e.cfm
Patrimoine Québec and Heritage Canada sites
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http://www.crtc.gc.ca/ENG/publications/reports/Po
licyMonitoring/2002/gic2002.htm
http://www.chin.gc.ca/English/Intellectual_Propert
y/Developing_Policies/goals.html
http://www.cpa.ca/cjbsnew/1996/ful_noel&cle.htm
l
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:PxZPdzup
SN0J:www.incore.ulst.ac.uk/home/policy/eval/can
adian.pdf+anglophone+and+francophone+televisi
on+policy&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://www.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/international/diversiteculturelle/eng/speeches00.html
http://www.cdcccd.org/Anglais/Liensenanglais/events/meeting/m
ccaskill_eng.html
http://216.239.39.104/search?q=cache:6qg_kurQ
ZOsJ:www.iigr.ca/conferences/311003/pdfs_3110
03/Lachapelle.pdf+cultural+diversity+and+sheila+
copps+and+louise+beaudoin&hl=en&ie=UTF-8
http://www.mcc.gouv.qc.ca/international/diversiteculturelle/eng/review2003-2.html
The speeches of Sheila Copps and Louise
Beaudoin
research history #3
since unable to find succinct, well-defined
policies to compare, at any of the sites
with the exception of…the unesco
universal declaration on cultural diversity,
(paris,november 2nd); which is made up
of 12 articles, and 20 steps to be used
towards implementation. which can be
found at…
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php@URL_ID=2977&URL_D
O=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html or the pdf
127160m-2.pdf
scope
 I decided, to instead of focusing on macrosocial, and comparing policies of different
nations, to take the micro-social or intrapersonal approach
 …meaning I will not be taking cities,
countries, nations, or continents and their
policies as samples…instead, I will be taking
myself in the context of the concepts learned
in this class, to make an attempt at
expressing my own paradigmatic views as
‘politique’…comparing how they differed
before and after ‘the accident’
what were we supposed to learn
in this course?
2 overt goals
 -understand globalisation

-understand comparative analysis
1 covert goal
 -as a p.h.d. student one is expected to
not only understand these
concepts…but to develop one’s own
point of view relative to each of these
goals
(a self-reflexive p.o.v.)
…because I was unable to find
clear, concise, and meaningful
policies to compare, I decided to
use my own experience to create
some policies of my own.
But to do so credibly meant that:
-I had to translate my own paradigms
into policies (‘politiques’)
-demonstrate an understanding of
globalisation
-demonstrate an understanding of
comparitive analysis
cultural diversity
…and moi
definition of terms used in this
presentation
 globalisation (my understanding of the term)
 comparative analysis
 culture
 cultural diversity
 Me x 5 (incarnations, disguises, or ‘chapeaux’)
-
me1: television professional
me2: accident victim
me3: dysfunctional handicapped member of society
me4: student
me5: director
…and still counting
globalisation
primarily an economic phenomenon,
involving the increasing interaction, or
integration, of national economic
systems through the growth in
international trade, investment and
capital flows .
 Which also involves a rapid increase in
cross-border social, cultural and
technological exchange as part of the
phenomenon of globalisation.
comparative analysis
to use Smelser’s definition:
-a form of analysis permitting the
discovery of specific variation between
human beings, social arrangements,
and the fruits of their endeavours.
-now, in a sense, all description, all
explanation, and in fact all language
itself is based on comparative analysis.
-Smelser defines it as follows: the
description and explanation of
similarities and differences (mainly
differences) of conditions and
outcomes, among large-scale social
units, usually regions, nations,
societies, and cultures.
culture
At its simplest level, is any
form of epistemic community.
Any group with shared
knowledge.
Cultural diversity
…an acceptation, and
sometimes a celebration of
the extent to which
individuals in that community
vary (both a reduction and
vulgarisation).
Me x 5 (disguises, or ‘chapeaux’)
 me1: television professional
 me2: accident victim
 me3: dysfunctional handicapped member
of society
 me4: student
 me5: director
…and counting
our context
north american, quebecois, montrealais,
uqam-ien, student of communications,
at the doctorate level:
– very multicultural, very multilingual, multiexperiential, and very diverse in general
– strong ‘bonhommie’ + mutually
encouraging
– -an extremely postmodern setting
my ‘politiques’: differences
in the sense that Gaetan Tremblay explained…
Le politique : secteur des relations de pouvoir.
 I used to think…
 I used to (and still do, to an
extent), think of being
handicapped as ‘other’
 use to think that being
handicapped means that
you one is functionally,
intellectually, and
psychologically impotent
 growing up in Montreal, I
used to think that
speaking a different
language constitutes
being diverse
 I now believe:
 I now think being
handicapped definintely
places you as ‘other’, but I
now realise so does
everything else in life…
 it definitely places
you…one…me, into a
group that is limiting; both
by members of that group,
and by the society in
which it lives
 I now believe that many
things constitute being
diverse, and that it is up to
the desire and force of the
individual to accept them,
or reject them in part or in
their entirety
my ‘politiques’: differences
in the sense that Gaetan Tremblay explained…
Le politique : secteur des relations de pouvoir. La gouvernance de soi par
rapport aux autres. A cultural studies point of view.
 I used to think…
 I now believe:
 In terms of (social) power,
one had none when and if
one is put in the
handicapped stereotype
 that social status very
much affects how you are
percieved and treated by
others
 That there is a wealth of
latent strength and power;
whether one accepts the
sterotype, or if one plays
with it
 I can now confirm how
critical one’s social status
is, that it goes wayyyyy
beyond one’s physical
appearance, manners,
grooming and politeness
in determining how you
are percieved and dealt
with
conclusion:
 Everybody in society should undergo an
extreme accident
For two reasons:
 to undergo extreme shock and severe trauma to
force an alternate perception of reality
 to experience what it is like to being ‘diverse’ first
hand
…, perhaps imposing the extreme shock is
impractical and unrealistic, but a role-playing
exercise complete with assets to gain and lose,
AND with different strategies to use