Canada is Canada
(To be published in India)
Canada is Canada
---On the trend of Canadian Americanization
He Jiantao
College of Sociology and History, Fujian Normal University, Fujian, China
Abstract: Among all the countries influenced by Americanization, Canada undoubtedly is a typical one because of the close relationship with America in politics and economy, which caused Canadian nationalists worried that Canadian cultural identity would be engulfed by American culture. Such a worrying is understandable. However, seen in essence and in the long run, due to the Canadian government’s protection and the development of the multi-culture, Americanization can influence the surface of Canadian culture, but can not destroy the essence of Canadian culture. Canada is still Canada and will never lose her unique identity in culture.
Key words： Canada, Americanization, Culture identity
Since the beginning of 20th century, especially the Second World War, with the rising and expansion of America, American popular culture full of the modern characteristics such as movies and TVs, books and magazines, art and sports, fast food and supermarkets, mass education and theme parks, folkways and customs, etc, has been spreading quickly all over the world. And during such a process, many countries have found clearly that their national culture being influenced and reshaped by American popular culture and their own culture converging to American popular culture to some degree. This process is called Americanization, which has made these countries face the grave threat that their own culture identities would be possibly engulfed by Americanization. Among such countries, Canada is a typical one.
I. The bird's-eye view of Canadian Americanization
About the history of Canadian Americanization, we can trace back to the beginning of the 20th century, at that time, the influences of Americanization over Canada had got people’s attention. As early as 1907, Samuel E. Moffett studying at Columbia University of America published his doctoral dissertation called The Americanization of Canada. In the paper, after investigating American influences on the Canadian society during the late 19th century, he pointed that Americans and Canadians speaking English had already merged into a nation because of the entry of American capitals, goods and culture, and Canadians and Americans had been linked tightly through the same language, systems and customs, although Canada was still British colony. Canadians said they would never become Americans, but they “became” Americans unconsciously finally. Seven years later, another Canadian scholar also admitted that American culture media had an important effect on Canadians’ thoughts in his published paper.
After that, especially after the Second World War, as European countries like Britain declined in economy and international status, the Canada’s connections with European countries weakened and the relationship with the superpower, America, got strengthened, Canada has been gradually appearing in the international community as a real North America country. Under such a background, because of the huge gap in comprehensive national strengths, Canadian Americanization has been more obvious.
In the culture markets of Canada, American popular culture has been occupying the absolute predominance since the Second World War. For example, In the 1990s, 95% of feature films, about 70% of retail sales of sound recordings, 60% of television programs come from abroad, overwhelmingly from the United States. 80% of magazines, 70% of books come from abroad, of which overwhelmingly from the United States especially in the educational publication, only 25 %of educational book publishers in Canada were Canadian. At the supermarkets, the shops such as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart chain stores went into Canada on a larger scale. Wal-Mart, Wendy's and Pizza Hut, achieved an overwhelming superiority.
Moreover, many Canadians are also crazy about American popular culture. American movies, music and television programs have become the fashions during Canadians’ leisure time. 50% of Canadians believe that American TV programs are superior to Canadian, in 1980, Gallup found that 68% of Canadians thought America made the best TV Programs Canadians, like the other people all over the world, were the greedy consumers of American culture such as American television programs, movies, popular music, magazines, books, fashions and fast food. So much so that, Canada may simply be the most advanced case of U.S. domination of a foreign-entertainment market .
II. Canada will never lose the identity of culture
The waves of Americanization were so heavy that some Canadian nationalists think Canadian culture has lost the self-expression ability, because the self-expression tools have been occupied by American cultural companies, and American life styles, ideologies, values and social modes have been portrayed as the universal models of modern life.
In Canadian nationalists’ eyes, as a mixture of culture and consumption American poplar culture has the strong ability of assimilating Canadians’ subconscious and interpersonal relationship. and Because of Americanization, Canada has been threatened by American cultural imperialism and the superabundant entry of American cultural products has been making the world's longest fenceless border that they felt proud of rapidly disappear, and it is more and more difficult to distinguish Canada and America in culture, economy and society. Canada's standards and value orientation and Canadian creativity have been weakened, so that Canadians are unable to construct a new future by themselves. and Canada is almost unable to develop its cultural identity Even some scholars have proposed more radical views declaring Canada had ended as a sovereign state in culture , and Canadians’ fighting for the uniqueness is over because of Americanization.
Objectively speaking, Canadian nationalists’ worrying is understandable, but I think , Although Canada is facing and will face the severe challenges on the way to defending her cultural sovereignty, Canada still will not lose the cultural identity passed down from generation to generation.
1. The inner layer of Canadian culture has the strong vital energies.
National culture is multi-layered. Every national culture has its unique inner layer and surface layer. The former mainly includes national characteristics, social structure, value orientation, historical tradition and self-ideology and so on; the latter includes fashion, folkways, customs, lifestyles or something. Comparatively speaking, the surface layer of culture can be influenced easily during the cultural exchanges, but the inner layer can not be changed easily in essence. For instance, between the 1600s and the 1700s, “Chinese wind” once blew across Europe for many times, Chinese cultural products such as Chinese pictures, china and tea, were popular with Europeans, but seldom brought about a significant social effect. So does American cultural products. Indeed, today many countries are facing the embarrassment of Americanization. But that do not surely means the decline of these countries’ cultural identities. That is to say, one person’s clothing, eating, reading and other consumption patterns may be similar with Americans’, but it is still difficult for his heart to break away from the cultural tradition in which he has lived. Just as 'sushi'-eating Americans do not feel that they are Japanese, even if you drink Coca-Cola, wearing cowboy Li Wei, smoke Kent cigarettes, it does not mean that you become Americans.
Before 100 years, the problem of Americanization had happened to Europe. After the First World War, the problem became more obvious. For example, In Germany of the 1920s, many common Germans were crazy about American music, dance, film, popular sports and other entertainment consumption, American dances such as Beauty Dance, Charleston, and tango were very popular. Even American Tiller Girls were regarded as a symbol of the American-style modern living. American movies also had obvious advantages, in 1922 there were 360 German film companies, but only several ones were left in 1925 because of the competition of American movies, After the World War II, with the development of US-Europe relationship, American popular culture entered into Europe more than ever. Fast food, bowling, vending machines, credit cards、super markets, drive-in theaters are very popular with Europeans, In the film aspect alone, in 1995 American films took up 75% of the European box office revenue ⋯ 70% of European TV programs were from America.
Facing the Americanization of Europe, some Europeans expressed their worrying, for example, French nationalists have repeatedly warned that the indulgence in American culture will lead France to become "American fifty-second states." But more scholars believe that the Americanization of Europe is only symbolic, and the initiative is under the control of Europe, the reason that American cultural products enter into Europe is that they meet the need of Europe, not that American culture has beaten Europe, and the foundation of European elite culture is still strong.
Compared with Europe, Canada was impacted by Americanization much deeper undoubtedly, so the voices of anti-Americanization from Canada are very high. These voices are the instinctive responses of the weak cultures that want to survive and develop. But these patriotic voices also have a subjective color, and the influences of Americanization were exaggerated. In fact, the soul of the Canadian national culture can not be taken away by Americanization. In fact, "Canada and America are ultimately and always different and they were born to be different ". Concretely speaking, just in the aspect of national characteristics, at least, there are the following key points that can not be changed easily.
1). Canadians pay more attention than Americans to the public order and collectivism at home.
America and Canada both belong to the capital democratic countries, but they still have their own differently political features in the organization and management. Due to different historical traditions, Canada's political culture founded on Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, is distinct from the Presidential-Congressional republic model of the United States. America stresses the state power, and Canada stresses the Federation power. Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are the traditions of American Constitution. The peace, public, order and good governance are the backbones of the Canadian constitutional framework. Such differences determine that Canadians and Americans are delicately different in the social management, public order and collective.
In American culture, individualism is put in a particularly important position and the whole society lays particular stress on personality. But Canada relatively pay more attention to the government and social stability, they think public order and the whole society are more important than individuals. Quasi-socialization of education, even distribution of income and universal welfare all reflect this point
2). Canadians are more mild-mannered and conservative.
In Canadian history, conservativeness and moderateness were Canadians’ typical identities. Firstly, the independence and development of Canada was a peaceful and quiet process. In history, almost no wars happened on the way to the impendence and development. Canada was not founded by bloodshed, violence and conquering but with a base of comprise: The native Indian people comprised to France, France comprised to Great Britain, and Great Britain comprised to America. Later Industrial Revolution and Western Development were both carried out in good order. Secondly, Canadian earliest immigrants were mostly conservative and mild-mannered. Besides the original French immigrants, many British immigrants moved to Canada after Seven Year’s War, most of them were funded by the British government and loyal to British kings. Later after the French Revolution, Some Catholics moved to Canada, and during the War of Independence and about 100 thousands royalists entered Canada, these people opposed the radical revolution, laid the foundation of the moderate conservative cultural. Because of such a difference, we can see that American social movements such as civil rights, anti-war, abortion and homosexuality are most vigorous and radical. But Canada is more cautious and quiet, and even Quebec independence movement in the1990s was also conducted in calm.
3).Canadians respect more than Americans the equality and diversity. This is first embodied through the multi-culture. As early as the colony period, Canada did not expel, kill Indians and had no the dirty record of the slave trade. Canada was also the first region where the slavery was abolished in British Empire, unlike the United States, where there was a sharp problem of black people. On the contrary Canada, as early as the early 19th century, had become a paradise for black Americans. In Canada since the 1950s, with the entry of numerous non-French and non-British immigrants, multiculturalism has been Canadian national policy, and various cultures live peacefully with each other, not as American big melting pot assimilates other immigrant culture. This is also reflected in Canada's foreign relations, unlike American continuous expansions, Canada not only never invaded other countries or colonized the lands of other nations, Canada respects other countries’ culture and modes of development in the world and also has played the important part in helping the poor areas and mediating disputes for many times.
2. The protection in culture of the Canadian government can resist Americanization to a great extent.
When talking about Americanization, Some Canadian nationalists will attribute Americanization to the Canadian government criticizing the government for its invalid measures to limit American culture. In fact this opinion is untenable. Because, just the opposite, The Canadian government has played an indispensable role in resisting Americanization and even, it can be said it is the Canadian government that has resisted Americanization to a great extent.
Since the Second World War, in order to keep her cultural independence, the Canadian government has taken many measures to sustain and develop the industry of culture while facing each climax of Americanization.
Firstly, Canada established some specialized agencies to protect and develop national culture. For example, as early as 1949, Canada established Massey Royal Commission on Culture and Arts to investigate and subsidize cultural organizations such as movie & TV companies, libraries and museums etc. which could display "national spirit ". In 1958, Canadian Broadcasting Commission (CBC) was established to direct broadcast industry, and then "Royal Publishing Committee" was founded in 1960 to promote the periodical industries. Thereafter, from the 1960s-1990s, such agencies as Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Telefilm Canada and Department of Canadian Heritage were built one after another, which furthered the development of Canadian culture in order.
Secondly, Canada also pumped a lot of money into the culture industry. For instance, only in the year of 1984-85, the Federal government allocated 14.094 million Canadian dollars to the Canadian cultural departments such as arts, libraries, social sciences, broadcast and screen culture. And in the year of 1985-86, Canadian Parliament appropriated 302 million Canadian dollars for the Department of Communication (called Department of Canadian Heritage since 1993) .After that, in the year of 1995-96, Canadian governments at all levels subsidized 6.1 billion Canadian dollars in culture. All of these gave a powerful transfusion to the department of Canadian culture.
Thirdly, Canada made some laws to protect the domestic culture. In 1970, the CRTC demanded that domestic TV and Broadcasts should ensure that 50% of their contents should be about Canada (two years later increased to 60 percent). 40% of the prime time television programs should not come from the same foreign county. In 1975, the Time / Reader's Digest, or Bill C-58 was passed and it prescribed that the foreign magazines published in Canada must add the contents of Canada. And in 1995, Canada enacted a law about the royalty which prescribed that foreign magazines printed in the second edition in Canada did not enjoy tax cut. And in 2000, Canada began carrying out the act of C – 55, which stipulated that the Canadian enterprises are forbidden to publish advertisements in the foreign magazines, or would be fined .All of these gave Canadian culture the necessary protection in law.
In addition, Canada also put some diplomatic pressure on America to protect her own culture. For instance, in 1988, when negotiating with America about the NAFTA, Canada insisted on excluding cultural products from the agreement. Under Canadian insistence, the NAFTA in 1994 enshrined Canada's right to impose "Canadian content" requirements on radio and television, restrict foreign investment and ownership, and to permit government subsidies of cultural industries such as publishing, music, and cinema. Later, in June, 1998, the nineteen culture ministers met in Ottawa, to discuss about the importance of maintaining national culture in the globalization, and America was refused to attend. The main American newspapers all considered this meeting as an anti-Americanization party. half year later, in order to protect its own culture from the attack of American publications, movies, and televisions, the Canadian government even disputed with America, which nearly bred the trade war between the two countries.
These measures have played an important role in resisting Americanization, and Canada's cultural industry has achieved certain development. In the industries of broadcasting, TV and movies have realized surplus. For example, the private radio stations got the net profits of 92 million Canadian dollars in 1998, the private TV stations got net profits 30 million Canadian dollars in 1998 and the net profits of CATV was 148 million Canadian dollars in 1998. Since the 1990s, the production capacity of Canadian movies has multiplied by five, and a powerful film Strip centered in Montreal has been formed. Till now, Canadian movies have been granted over 1600 awards in 35 countries. During the 1960-80s, the publication industry began expanding rapidly from Quebec and Ontario to the whole country, the book circulation in1969 was 220 million, in 1985 was 1.4 billion. At the same time, Canadian literature was also on the rise. Although all of these can not overpower American cultural industries, seen in the long run, all of these will play an important role in resisting Americanization.
3. The multi-culture of Canada possesses the great potentialities in resisting Americanization
Compared with American melting-pot culture, Canadian multi-culture is scattered. America emphasizes the integration of various nationalities' cultures, “based on the spirit of mutual respect and shared values", and finally various cultures are formed into the same American culture, so American culture has a strong cohesion. However, Canada emphasizes the independence of each culture, which makes the already small population of Canada divided into smaller units in the cultural field and unable to unite to resist American popular culture. But as single culture, their respective viability can not be destroyed easily and their respective core essence can not be changed easily.
Canada is the first and only one country that multi-centralism is the national policy. Since the 1970s, Canada has taken many measures to protect and develop the domestic multi-culture, for one thing, Canada made some national laws such as Canadian Multicultural Act, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. For another, Canada allocated more funds to further the multi-culture, 29.80 million Canadian dollars in 1983 and 41 million dollars in 1990 was given to subsidize the multi-culture . In addition, Canada also found some official department s such as Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism in 1973, Department of Canadian Heritage in 1993 to prompt multi-culture
Supported by the Canadian government, after decades of development of multi-culture, the multiculturalism has become the basic principle, basic policy and law foundation of Canada. As the legacy of history of Canada, not only has Canadian multi-culture not disappeared under the pressure of American culture, but also it has been developing continuously, which furthers the harmonious relationship among different culture, and what is more, “the multiculturalism is the essence of Canadian identity.” The cultural identity is strengthened in the polynary form, which has prompted in return the cultural imagine of Canada and national self-pride. According to the investigation, 47% of Canadians were proud of being a Canadian in the 1970s, in the 1990s, 87% thought so .without the multiculturalism, such a development would have been impossible. American popular culture is one single mode and it can not meet the need of all the culture modes, Americanization will only stay at the surface of culture partly.
Conclusion
To conclude, we should treat the Americanization of Canada dialectically. For one thing, we must recognize that Americanization is indeed a grave treat and challenge to Canadian identity and sovereignty in culture. And it is reasonable for the Canadian government to take measures to counterattack Americanization. For another, we can't be too pessimistic with this either, because there is no almighty culture in the world. American poplar culture can impact other culture in the weak condition during some historical period, but the essence of the weak culture can not be removed. Canada will not lose national identity which makes America and Canada distinguish. Canada is still Canada, its special history and the present culture will not be ruined. “The fears for Americanization have been exaggerated and probably reflect nostalgia among cultural nationalists for a putatively pure past”. The opinions that Canada will lose herself are excessively pessimistic.
Canada is Canada
---On the trend of Canadian Americanization
He Jiantao
College of Sociology and History, Fujian Normal University, Fujian, China
Abstract: Among all the countries influenced by Americanization, Canada undoubtedly is a typical one because of the close relationship with America in politics and economy, which caused Canadian nationalists worried that Canadian cultural identity would be engulfed by American culture. Such a worrying is understandable. However, seen in essence and in the long run, due to the Canadian government’s protection and the development of the multi-culture, Americanization can influence the surface of Canadian culture, but can not destroy the essence of Canadian culture. Canada is still Canada and will never lose her unique identity in culture.
Key words： Canada, Americanization, Culture identity
Since the beginning of 20th century, especially the Second World War, with the rising and expansion of America, American popular culture full of the modern characteristics such as movies and TVs, books and magazines, art and sports, fast food and supermarkets, mass education and theme parks, folkways and customs, etc, has been spreading quickly all over the world. And during such a process, many countries have found clearly that their national culture being influenced and reshaped by American popular culture and their own culture converging to American popular culture to some degree. This process is called Americanization, which has made these countries face the grave threat that their own culture identities would be possibly engulfed by Americanization. Among such countries, Canada is a typical one.
I. The bird's-eye view of Canadian Americanization
About the history of Canadian Americanization, we can trace back to the beginning of the 20th century, at that time, the influences of Americanization over Canada had got people’s attention. As early as 1907, Samuel E. Moffett studying at Columbia University of America published his doctoral dissertation called The Americanization of Canada. In the paper, after investigating American influences on the Canadian society during the late 19th century, he pointed that Americans and Canadians speaking English had already merged into a nation because of the entry of American capitals, goods and culture, and Canadians and Americans had been linked tightly through the same language, systems and customs, although Canada was still British colony. Canadians said they would never become Americans, but they “became” Americans unconsciously finally. Seven years later, another Canadian scholar also admitted that American culture media had an important effect on Canadians’ thoughts in his published paper.
After that, especially after the Second World War, as European countries like Britain declined in economy and international status, the Canada’s connections with European countries weakened and the relationship with the superpower, America, got strengthened, Canada has been gradually appearing in the international community as a real North America country. Under such a background, because of the huge gap in comprehensive national strengths, Canadian Americanization has been more obvious.
In the culture markets of Canada, American popular culture has been occupying the absolute predominance since the Second World War. For example, In the 1990s, 95% of feature films, about 70% of retail sales of sound recordings, 60% of television programs come from abroad, overwhelmingly from the United States. 80% of magazines, 70% of books come from abroad, of which overwhelmingly from the United States especially in the educational publication, only 25 %of educational book publishers in Canada were Canadian. At the supermarkets, the shops such as McDonald’s, Wal-Mart chain stores went into Canada on a larger scale. Wal-Mart, Wendy's and Pizza Hut, achieved an overwhelming superiority.
Moreover, many Canadians are also crazy about American popular culture. American movies, music and television programs have become the fashions during Canadians’ leisure time. 50% of Canadians believe that American TV programs are superior to Canadian, in 1980, Gallup found that 68% of Canadians thought America made the best TV Programs Canadians, like the other people all over the world, were the greedy consumers of American culture such as American television programs, movies, popular music, magazines, books, fashions and fast food. So much so that, Canada may simply be the most advanced case of U.S. domination of a foreign-entertainment market .
II. Canada will never lose the identity of culture
The waves of Americanization were so heavy that some Canadian nationalists think Canadian culture has lost the self-expression ability, because the self-expression tools have been occupied by American cultural companies, and American life styles, ideologies, values and social modes have been portrayed as the universal models of modern life.
In Canadian nationalists’ eyes, as a mixture of culture and consumption American poplar culture has the strong ability of assimilating Canadians’ subconscious and interpersonal relationship. and Because of Americanization, Canada has been threatened by American cultural imperialism and the superabundant entry of American cultural products has been making the world's longest fenceless border that they felt proud of rapidly disappear, and it is more and more difficult to distinguish Canada and America in culture, economy and society. Canada's standards and value orientation and Canadian creativity have been weakened, so that Canadians are unable to construct a new future by themselves. and Canada is almost unable to develop its cultural identity Even some scholars have proposed more radical views declaring Canada had ended as a sovereign state in culture , and Canadians’ fighting for the uniqueness is over because of Americanization.
Objectively speaking, Canadian nationalists’ worrying is understandable, but I think , Although Canada is facing and will face the severe challenges on the way to defending her cultural sovereignty, Canada still will not lose the cultural identity passed down from generation to generation.
1. The inner layer of Canadian culture has the strong vital energies.
National culture is multi-layered. Every national culture has its unique inner layer and surface layer. The former mainly includes national characteristics, social structure, value orientation, historical tradition and self-ideology and so on; the latter includes fashion, folkways, customs, lifestyles or something. Comparatively speaking, the surface layer of culture can be influenced easily during the cultural exchanges, but the inner layer can not be changed easily in essence. For instance, between the 1600s and the 1700s, “Chinese wind” once blew across Europe for many times, Chinese cultural products such as Chinese pictures, china and tea, were popular with Europeans, but seldom brought about a significant social effect. So does American cultural products. Indeed, today many countries are facing the embarrassment of Americanization. But that do not surely means the decline of these countries’ cultural identities. That is to say, one person’s clothing, eating, reading and other consumption patterns may be similar with Americans’, but it is still difficult for his heart to break away from the cultural tradition in which he has lived. Just as 'sushi'-eating Americans do not feel that they are Japanese, even if you drink Coca-Cola, wearing cowboy Li Wei, smoke Kent cigarettes, it does not mean that you become Americans.
Before 100 years, the problem of Americanization had happened to Europe. After the First World War, the problem became more obvious. For example, In Germany of the 1920s, many common Germans were crazy about American music, dance, film, popular sports and other entertainment consumption, American dances such as Beauty Dance, Charleston, and tango were very popular. Even American Tiller Girls were regarded as a symbol of the American-style modern living. American movies also had obvious advantages, in 1922 there were 360 German film companies, but only several ones were left in 1925 because of the competition of American movies, After the World War II, with the development of US-Europe relationship, American popular culture entered into Europe more than ever. Fast food, bowling, vending machines, credit cards、super markets, drive-in theaters are very popular with Europeans, In the film aspect alone, in 1995 American films took up 75% of the European box office revenue ⋯ 70% of European TV programs were from America.
Facing the Americanization of Europe, some Europeans expressed their worrying, for example, French nationalists have repeatedly warned that the indulgence in American culture will lead France to become "American fifty-second states." But more scholars believe that the Americanization of Europe is only symbolic, and the initiative is under the control of Europe, the reason that American cultural products enter into Europe is that they meet the need of Europe, not that American culture has beaten Europe, and the foundation of European elite culture is still strong.
Compared with Europe, Canada was impacted by Americanization much deeper undoubtedly, so the voices of anti-Americanization from Canada are very high. These voices are the instinctive responses of the weak cultures that want to survive and develop. But these patriotic voices also have a subjective color, and the influences of Americanization were exaggerated. In fact, the soul of the Canadian national culture can not be taken away by Americanization. In fact, "Canada and America are ultimately and always different and they were born to be different ". Concretely speaking, just in the aspect of national characteristics, at least, there are the following key points that can not be changed easily.
1). Canadians pay more attention than Americans to the public order and collectivism at home.
America and Canada both belong to the capital democratic countries, but they still have their own differently political features in the organization and management. Due to different historical traditions, Canada's political culture founded on Westminster-style parliamentary democracy, is distinct from the Presidential-Congressional republic model of the United States. America stresses the state power, and Canada stresses the Federation power. Life, liberty and pursuit of happiness are the traditions of American Constitution. The peace, public, order and good governance are the backbones of the Canadian constitutional framework. Such differences determine that Canadians and Americans are delicately different in the social management, public order and collective.
In American culture, individualism is put in a particularly important position and the whole society lays particular stress on personality. But Canada relatively pay more attention to the government and social stability, they think public order and the whole society are more important than individuals. Quasi-socialization of education, even distribution of income and universal welfare all reflect this point
2). Canadians are more mild-mannered and conservative.
In Canadian history, conservativeness and moderateness were Canadians’ typical identities. Firstly, the independence and development of Canada was a peaceful and quiet process. In history, almost no wars happened on the way to the impendence and development. Canada was not founded by bloodshed, violence and conquering but with a base of comprise: The native Indian people comprised to France, France comprised to Great Britain, and Great Britain comprised to America. Later Industrial Revolution and Western Development were both carried out in good order. Secondly, Canadian earliest immigrants were mostly conservative and mild-mannered. Besides the original French immigrants, many British immigrants moved to Canada after Seven Year’s War, most of them were funded by the British government and loyal to British kings. Later after the French Revolution, Some Catholics moved to Canada, and during the War of Independence and about 100 thousands royalists entered Canada, these people opposed the radical revolution, laid the foundation of the moderate conservative cultural. Because of such a difference, we can see that American social movements such as civil rights, anti-war, abortion and homosexuality are most vigorous and radical. But Canada is more cautious and quiet, and even Quebec independence movement in the1990s was also conducted in calm.
3).Canadians respect more than Americans the equality and diversity. This is first embodied through the multi-culture. As early as the colony period, Canada did not expel, kill Indians and had no the dirty record of the slave trade. Canada was also the first region where the slavery was abolished in British Empire, unlike the United States, where there was a sharp problem of black people. On the contrary Canada, as early as the early 19th century, had become a paradise for black Americans. In Canada since the 1950s, with the entry of numerous non-French and non-British immigrants, multiculturalism has been Canadian national policy, and various cultures live peacefully with each other, not as American big melting pot assimilates other immigrant culture. This is also reflected in Canada's foreign relations, unlike American continuous expansions, Canada not only never invaded other countries or colonized the lands of other nations, Canada respects other countries’ culture and modes of development in the world and also has played the important part in helping the poor areas and mediating disputes for many times.
2. The protection in culture of the Canadian government can resist Americanization to a great extent.
When talking about Americanization, Some Canadian nationalists will attribute Americanization to the Canadian government criticizing the government for its invalid measures to limit American culture. In fact this opinion is untenable. Because, just the opposite, The Canadian government has played an indispensable role in resisting Americanization and even, it can be said it is the Canadian government that has resisted Americanization to a great extent.
Since the Second World War, in order to keep her cultural independence, the Canadian government has taken many measures to sustain and develop the industry of culture while facing each climax of Americanization.
Firstly, Canada established some specialized agencies to protect and develop national culture. For example, as early as 1949, Canada established Massey Royal Commission on Culture and Arts to investigate and subsidize cultural organizations such as movie & TV companies, libraries and museums etc. which could display "national spirit ". In 1958, Canadian Broadcasting Commission (CBC) was established to direct broadcast industry, and then "Royal Publishing Committee" was founded in 1960 to promote the periodical industries. Thereafter, from the 1960s-1990s, such agencies as Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC), Telefilm Canada and Department of Canadian Heritage were built one after another, which furthered the development of Canadian culture in order.
Secondly, Canada also pumped a lot of money into the culture industry. For instance, only in the year of 1984-85, the Federal government allocated 14.094 million Canadian dollars to the Canadian cultural departments such as arts, libraries, social sciences, broadcast and screen culture. And in the year of 1985-86, Canadian Parliament appropriated 302 million Canadian dollars for the Department of Communication (called Department of Canadian Heritage since 1993) .After that, in the year of 1995-96, Canadian governments at all levels subsidized 6.1 billion Canadian dollars in culture. All of these gave a powerful transfusion to the department of Canadian culture.
Thirdly, Canada made some laws to protect the domestic culture. In 1970, the CRTC demanded that domestic TV and Broadcasts should ensure that 50% of their contents should be about Canada (two years later increased to 60 percent). 40% of the prime time television programs should not come from the same foreign county. In 1975, the Time / Reader's Digest, or Bill C-58 was passed and it prescribed that the foreign magazines published in Canada must add the contents of Canada. And in 1995, Canada enacted a law about the royalty which prescribed that foreign magazines printed in the second edition in Canada did not enjoy tax cut. And in 2000, Canada began carrying out the act of C – 55, which stipulated that the Canadian enterprises are forbidden to publish advertisements in the foreign magazines, or would be fined .All of these gave Canadian culture the necessary protection in law.
In addition, Canada also put some diplomatic pressure on America to protect her own culture. For instance, in 1988, when negotiating with America about the NAFTA, Canada insisted on excluding cultural products from the agreement. Under Canadian insistence, the NAFTA in 1994 enshrined Canada's right to impose "Canadian content" requirements on radio and television, restrict foreign investment and ownership, and to permit government subsidies of cultural industries such as publishing, music, and cinema. Later, in June, 1998, the nineteen culture ministers met in Ottawa, to discuss about the importance of maintaining national culture in the globalization, and America was refused to attend. The main American newspapers all considered this meeting as an anti-Americanization party. half year later, in order to protect its own culture from the attack of American publications, movies, and televisions, the Canadian government even disputed with America, which nearly bred the trade war between the two countries.
These measures have played an important role in resisting Americanization, and Canada's cultural industry has achieved certain development. In the industries of broadcasting, TV and movies have realized surplus. For example, the private radio stations got the net profits of 92 million Canadian dollars in 1998, the private TV stations got net profits 30 million Canadian dollars in 1998 and the net profits of CATV was 148 million Canadian dollars in 1998. Since the 1990s, the production capacity of Canadian movies has multiplied by five, and a powerful film Strip centered in Montreal has been formed. Till now, Canadian movies have been granted over 1600 awards in 35 countries. During the 1960-80s, the publication industry began expanding rapidly from Quebec and Ontario to the whole country, the book circulation in1969 was 220 million, in 1985 was 1.4 billion. At the same time, Canadian literature was also on the rise. Although all of these can not overpower American cultural industries, seen in the long run, all of these will play an important role in resisting Americanization.
3. The multi-culture of Canada possesses the great potentialities in resisting Americanization
Compared with American melting-pot culture, Canadian multi-culture is scattered. America emphasizes the integration of various nationalities' cultures, “based on the spirit of mutual respect and shared values", and finally various cultures are formed into the same American culture, so American culture has a strong cohesion. However, Canada emphasizes the independence of each culture, which makes the already small population of Canada divided into smaller units in the cultural field and unable to unite to resist American popular culture. But as single culture, their respective viability can not be destroyed easily and their respective core essence can not be changed easily.
Canada is the first and only one country that multi-centralism is the national policy. Since the 1970s, Canada has taken many measures to protect and develop the domestic multi-culture, for one thing, Canada made some national laws such as Canadian Multicultural Act, The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom. For another, Canada allocated more funds to further the multi-culture, 29.80 million Canadian dollars in 1983 and 41 million dollars in 1990 was given to subsidize the multi-culture . In addition, Canada also found some official department s such as Canadian Consultative Council on Multiculturalism in 1973, Department of Canadian Heritage in 1993 to prompt multi-culture
Supported by the Canadian government, after decades of development of multi-culture, the multiculturalism has become the basic principle, basic policy and law foundation of Canada. As the legacy of history of Canada, not only has Canadian multi-culture not disappeared under the pressure of American culture, but also it has been developing continuously, which furthers the harmonious relationship among different culture, and what is more, “the multiculturalism is the essence of Canadian identity.” The cultural identity is strengthened in the polynary form, which has prompted in return the cultural imagine of Canada and national self-pride. According to the investigation, 47% of Canadians were proud of being a Canadian in the 1970s, in the 1990s, 87% thought so .without the multiculturalism, such a development would have been impossible. American popular culture is one single mode and it can not meet the need of all the culture modes, Americanization will only stay at the surface of culture partly.
Conclusion
To conclude, we should treat the Americanization of Canada dialectically. For one thing, we must recognize that Americanization is indeed a grave treat and challenge to Canadian identity and sovereignty in culture. And it is reasonable for the Canadian government to take measures to counterattack Americanization. For another, we can't be too pessimistic with this either, because there is no almighty culture in the world. American poplar culture can impact other culture in the weak condition during some historical period, but the essence of the weak culture can not be removed. Canada will not lose national identity which makes America and Canada distinguish. Canada is still Canada, its special history and the present culture will not be ruined. “The fears for Americanization have been exaggerated and probably reflect nostalgia among cultural nationalists for a putatively pure past”. The opinions that Canada will lose herself are excessively pessimistic.
canada
2007-12-05 22:09:53
评论:0
阅读:502
引用:0