The Social Construction of the Chinese by Canada
Abstract
This study aims to investigate why contemporary Chinese individuals in Canada continue to be affected by discriminatory practices of the past. Drawing on Michel Foucault’s theoretical work, the following questions are addressed: (1) How did Canadian discipline impact the social construction of the Chinese and what it means to be Chinese?; (2) How did the Chinese become discursively marked as racial subjects?; (3) What are the discourses responsible for the social exclusion of the Chinese in Canada? To answer these questions, this study uses Foucault’s genealogical approach to unearth the discursive practices responsible for legitimizing and normalizing the ‘othering’ of the Chinese. The findings depart from previous studies in that it explores how Canada has come to manage the Chinese, in Canada, by reinforcing and sustaining racial lines.