By Davis Chevrier

Canadian culture is hard to define because Canada, a multi-cultural country, has so many different cultural backgrounds that almost every person is going to have different beliefs, morals and values. I, for instance was brought up in the Queen Charlotte Islands around the Haida native culture. I believe it to be part of my culture, because it affected me in a multitude of ways. My morals, beliefs and values were shaped by learning things about their culture.

What this means is that Canadian culture is more individual than national. Sure, most of us consider ourselves Canadian; we share the same money system and are governed by the same laws, but we don't all share the same religion or beliefs which, at least anthropologically, defines culture. Interestingly enough the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade believes that "Canadian books, magazines, songs, films, new media, radio and television programs reflect who we are as a people." This stresses the individual nature of culture set by the people who have made books, magazines, songs, films, etc.

Another thing that makes it hard to define culture is that although you might belong to a certain cultural group--like French Canadian--you might also belong to another or several other distinct cultural groups at the same. This makes it hard or impossible to group you in a larger cultural picture. There is also the fact that in Canada, not every one speaks the same language so there are many cultural barriers. One aspect of culture is language, so with Canada you have a lot of sub-cultures resulting from this language-defining condition. "Census data from 1991 indicates English as the mother tongue of 16.1 million Canadians, and French, the language of 6.5 million. These are Canada's two official languages. However, many Canadians have a mother tongue other than English or French, including Italian, Chinese, German, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek or other languages". (Canada Fact Sheets). Yes, most of us can all talk English, but there are certain cultural aspects when you speak Chinese or Punjabi that set you apart from all others. When learning a language you end up learning a lot about the culture using the language, because it is so interconnected within the fabric of the language.

I believe that Canadian culture is so hard to define because we don't just have one culture--we have many cultures to define Canada. We have native cultures, strong English and French cultures, as well as American, Italian, Chinese, German, Portuguese, Polish, Ukrainian, Dutch, Greek and many others. We all have different cultural backgrounds and our own personal backgrounds are formed throughout our lifetimes.

Enculturation

Now that I've talked about Canadian culture, I would like to talk about how the Internet is a great enculturation tool. Enculturation is "the process by which a society's culture is transmitted from one generation to the next" (Haviland, Anthropology). Most of this process is started soon after birth and is performed by the people that a person is surrounded by. Now, with the Internet becoming more and more of an educational tool, kids will be affected by the Net's multi-culturalism and affect part of the enculturation process. Kids will be able to learn about different cultural ideals, religions, values and morals. The Internet also directly affects the enculturation process, in that instead of trying to tell what it is to be "Canadian" or "Chinese," you can go on-line and find out. You can find out about your history or your parent's home country and feel more connected to who you are and where you came from. You could also visit a Buddhist web site to get a better feel for your religion or even try to find a religion that fits your ideals. What exists in society today also exists on the Internet and the Internet will strengthen cultural identity, which is important to the enculturation process.

Revitalization Movements

Revitalization movements are "Social movements, often of a religious nature, with the purpose of totally reforming a society" (Haviland 662). Examples of these movements are Melanesian cargo cults, or Mormonism in the U.S. A good example is the Branch Davidians as well as the Zapatista National Liberation Army. In his book Fuzzy Logic, Matthew Friedman talks about how the Internet is an advocate for these types of movements, because it makes local issues global. He also says that "the Net could circumvent traditional media and serve as a powerful medium for disenfranchised voices" (108). Just think about it: if you're trying to get someone to notice you, you can either walk outside and scream and yell until the local authorities come, or you can go on the net and actually connect with a few million people. The Net is still censorship free so you don't have to worry about something like a gatekeeper who may dead-end your movement.

Please write me with any comments you might have. I have a link at the bottom and I hope the links I've provided are interesting and useful.

Please email me if you have any questions.