The Liminality of Culture: Second Generation South Asian Canadian Identity and the Potential for Postcolonial Texts

Abstract

This article problematizes the issues surrounding the schooling experiences of visible minority Canadians. It highlights some of the exclusionary practices through a critical examination of recalled memories as well as theories which support the notion that “visible minority” Canadian students experience feelings of “racelessness” and identity confusion in the face of exclusionary literacy practices in Canadian schools. This study is particularly significant in light of new research that questions the efficacy of official multiculturalism for the children of visible minority Canadians who exhibit “a more profound sense of exclusion than their parents” (Jimenez, Globe & Mail, January 12, 2007, A1).