ABSTRACT
Muddled as an idea and flawed as a public policy, multiculturalism in Canada advocates conformity to a unitary culture in the public place and tolerance of diverse cultures in the private place. This tolerance of cultural heterogeneity in the sphere of the intimate, as a reaction to assimilationism which demands public and private compliance, is often upheld as a defining characteristic of Canadian society. Yet multiculturalism is not without its criticisms. For one, multiculturalism in terms of an insistence on a public/private divide is at odds with the desire of the children and grandchildren of the Chinese immigrants in Canada to adapt themselves to their host society, thus transforming themselves, their families and communities, as well as the larger society in which they have chosen to live. A multicultural policy that continues to hark back to the past turns a blind eye to the fierce generation and gender politics within the Chinese family. While the parents see Canada as refuge or shelter, their children see Canada as their new home. Also, the Chinese women would like to sample a wider range of ‘identity options on offer’ (Rex and Josephides 1987) than those endorsed by their husbands or fathers. To do that, women and children may need to debunk the myth of the public/private divide by forcing open the family and the ethnic community for change.
