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Canadian identity refers to the unique culture, characteristics and condition of being Canadian, as well as the many symbols and expressions that set Canada and Canadians apart from other peoples and cultures of the world. Primary influences on the Canadian identity trace back to the arrival, beginning in the early seventeenth century, of French settlers in Acadia and the St. Lawrence River Valley and English, Scottish and other settlers in Newfoundland, the British conquest of New France in 1759, and the ensuing dominance of French and British culture in the gradual development of both an imperial and a national identity. Throughout the 16th, 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, First Nations played a critical part in the development of European colonies in Canada, from their role in assisting exploration of the continent, the fur trade and inter-European power struggles to the creation of the Métis people. Carrying through the 20th century and to the present day, Canadian aboriginal art and culture continues to exert a marked influence on Canadian identity. The question of Canadian identity was traditionally dominated by three fundamental themes: first, the often conflicted relations between English Canadians and French Canadians stemming from the French Canadian imperative for cultural and linguistic survival; secondly, the generally close ties between English Canadians and the British Empire, resulting in a gradual political process towards complete independence from the imperial power, and, finally, the close proximity of English-speaking Canadians to the military, economic and cultural powerhouse of the United States. With the gradual loosening of political and cultural ties to Britain in the twentieth century, immigrants from Europe, Asia, Africa and the Caribbean have reshaped the Canadian identity, a process that continues today with the continuing arrival of large numbers of immigrants from non British or French backgrounds, adding the theme of multiculturalism to the debate.〔John Ralston Saul, ''Reflections of a Siamese Twin: Canada at the End of the 20th Century,'' Toronto: Viking Canada, 1997, p. 439〕〔Philip Resnick, ''The European Roots of Canadian Identity'', Peterborough: Broadview Press Ltd, 2005 p. 63〕〔Roy McGregor, ''Canadians: A Portrait of a Country and Its People'', Toronto: Viking Canada, 2007〕 Today, Canada has a diverse makeup of nationalities and cultures (see Canadian culture) and constitutional protection for policies that promote multiculturalism rather than a single national myth.〔Saul,''Reflections of a Siamese Twin'' p. 8.〕 The issue of Canadian identity remains under scrutiny. Journalist Andrew Cohen wrote in 2007: "The Canadian Identity, as it has come to be known, is as elusive as the Sasquatch and Ogopogo. It has animated—and frustrated—generations of statesmen, historians, writers, artists, philosophers, and the National Film Board... Canada resists easy definition."〔Andrew Cohen, ''The Unfinished Canadian: The People We Are'', Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2007, p. 3〕 In true Canadian fashion, however, even the search for an identity has become itself an object for self-criticism.〔MacGregor, ''Canadians'', at p. 40: "I've often thought myself that Canadians ingeniously use this endless 'search' for identity as a handy excuse to wallow in their own self-righteousness—particularly at those moments when America has put the stuck-up Canadian nose out of joint. It could be construed as a sort of verbal party trick to turn the conversation around to oneself and all the comforting goodness of being Canadian〕 ==Basic models== In defining a Canadian identity, five key distinctive characteristics have been emphasized: #First, special emphasis is placed upon the bicultural nature of Canada and the important ways in which English-French relations since the 1760s have shaped the Canadian experience.〔"Biculturalism", (''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (2010) online )〕 #Second, Canada had quite a different historical experience in resisting revolution and republicanism compared to the U.S., leading to less individualism and more support for government activism, such as wheat pools and the health care system.〔Lipset (1990)〕 #Third, British parliamentary system and the British legal system, augmented by the conservatism associated with the Loyalists and the pre-1960 French Canadians, have given Canada its ongoing collective obsession with "peace, order and good government".〔 #Fourth is the social structure of multiple ethnic groups that kept their identities and produced a ''cultural mosaic'' rather than a ''melting pot''.〔Magocsi, (1999)〕 #Fifth, the influence of geophysical factors (vast area, coldness, northness; St. Lawrence spine) together with the proximity of the United States have produced in the collective Canadian psyche what Northrop Frye has called the ''garrison mind'' or ''siege mentality'', and what novelist Margaret Atwood has argued is the Canadian preoccupation with ''survival''.〔Margaret Atwood, ''Survival: A Thematic Guide to Canadian Lieterature'', Toronto: House of Anansi Press Limited, p. 32.〕 For Herschel Hardin, because of the remarkable hold of the ''siege mentality'' and the concern with survival, Canada in its essentials is "a public enterprise country." According to Hardin, the "fundamental mode of Canadian life" has always been, "the un-American mechanism of redistribution as opposed to the mystic American mechanism of market rule." Most Canadians, in other words, whether on the right or left in politics, expect their governments to be actively involved in the economic and social life of the nation.〔The typology is based on George A. Rawlyk, "Politics, Religion, and the Canadian Experience: A Preliminary Probe," in Mark A. Noll, ed. ''Religion and American Politics: From the Colonial Period to the 1980s.'' 1990. pp 259-60.〕 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Canadian identity」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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