''Canadian Mosaic'' is a book by
John Murray Gibbon
John Murray Gibbon (12 April 1875 – 2 July 1952) was a Scottish-Canadian writer and cultural promoter.
He was born in Ceylon on 12 April 1875 the second son of William Duff Gibbon a tea planter and Katherine née Murray. Gibbon was educated at ...
, published in 1938. Gibbon's book, the full title of which is ''Canadian Mosaic: The Making of a Northern Nation'', heralded a new way of thinking about immigrants that was to shape
Canadian immigration policy in the latter part of the 20th century. The idea of a mosaic, in which each cultural group retained a distinct identity and still contributed to the nation as a whole, was in contrast to the
melting pot
The melting pot is a monocultural metaphor for a heterogeneous society becoming more homogeneous, the different elements "melting together" with a common culture; an alternative being a homogeneous society becoming more heterogeneous throug ...
, a popular metaphor for the more assimilationist American approach to immigration.
The idea of a mosaic of cultures forming a nation was adopted by Canadian sociologist
John Porter John Porter may refer to:
Politicians
* John Porter (portreeve), 1390–94, Member of Parliament (MP) for Taunton
* John Porter (Illinois politician) (1935–2022), Illinois politician, U.S. Representative
* John Porter (MP for Bramber) (died 1599 ...
in his study of social class, entitled ''Vertical Mosaic: An Analysis of Social Class and Power in Canada''. The mosaic theme became a part of Canadian
multiculturalism
The term multiculturalism has a range of meanings within the contexts of sociology, political philosophy, and colloquial use. In sociology and in everyday usage, it is a synonym for "Pluralism (political theory), ethnic pluralism", with the tw ...
policy in the 1970s, which envisioned Canada as a "
cultural mosaic
"Cultural mosaic" (french: "la mosaïque culturelle") is the mix of ethnic groups, languages, and cultures that coexist within society. The idea of a cultural mosaic is intended to suggest a form of multiculturalism, different from other system ...
".
References
*Gibbon, J. 1938. ''Canadian Mosaic: The Making of a Northern Nation''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart.
*Henderson, S. 2005. "'While there is Still Time...': J. Murray Gibbon and the Spectacle of Difference in Three CPR Folk Festivals, 1928–1931." ''Journal of Canadian Studies'', Winter 2005.
Books about immigration in Canada
Sociology books
Canadian non-fiction books
1938 non-fiction books
Books about Canada
Governor General's Award-winning non-fiction books
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