ABSTRACT
Racism discourse evokes responses that are often either passionate, self-reflective, or fiercely self-critical, creating a sense of disbelief and denial in some and opening up old wounds in others. Canada’s relatively peaceful and diverse inhabitants, social safety net, universal health care, and relatively higher standard of living provide its citizenry with a quality of life that is considered exceptional compared to life in many other countries. The line that separates this strange binary of denial versus passionate recognition is usually defined by social location. Those located within North America’s dominant group tend to deny that race is an issue in their lives. The roots of this perceptual disconnect between the dominant group and the minoritized run deep. It stems from centuries of European imperialist expansionism and the notions of “modernity” that both inspired and sustained this expansionism. Goldberg describes “modernity” as one of the defining concepts that has influenced the unfolding of Western history.
