Page - 172 - in Media – Migration – Integration - European and North American Perspectives

Augie Fleras | Ethnic and Aboriginal Media in Canada 172 The paradoxes implicit in an official multiculturalism may well parallel those of ethnic and aboriginal media. To one side, ethnic media in general conform to a modernist notion for living together with differences, in part by acknowledging the need for new and racialized Canadians to be treated equally regardless of their differences. To the other side, ethnic media by definition constitute a postmodern reflection of an official multiculturalism. Cultural differences are important and may have to be incorporated in some circum- stances into the existing institutional framework. That is, equal treatment as a matter of routine; differential treatment when the situation arises. In other words, ethnic media confirm the need for respecting cultural diversity and ethnic community while pursuing the goals of institutional inclusiveness and social justice, while facilitating dialogue where the two principles intersect (Alliance of Civilizations 2006). By contrast, aboriginal media are unlikely to endorse the principle of multiculturalism. For those at the political forefront in politicizing the concept of a new postcolonial social contract, a multicultural governance cannot possibly cope with the politics of deep diversity, especially when addressing aboriginal demands for self-determining autonomy over land, identity, and political (Maaka and Fleras 2005). Aboriginal difference is key to survival, and aboriginal media play a key role in securing a special relationship with central authorities, with its corresponding flow of powers and entitlements. And yet aboriginal media also acknowledge that aboriginal peoples require the same kind of information and community as new Canadians, especially for those aboriginal peoples who live in cities (over one half of aboriginal peoples are urban although this urbanity may be fluid and imprecise). Aboriginal media content must be customized to address these concerns for integration through pathways of information and connection. To the extent that aboriginal media are expected to convey this complex dynamic of difference yet commonality, the challenges are striking. Notwithstanding these limitations and insecurities, both aboriginal and ethnic media remain in the forefront of Canada building. In reflecting, reinforcing, and advancing the inclusiveness principles of Canada’s multicultural model, ethnic and aboriginal media play an integrative role for advancing a cooperative coexistence. Aboriginal and ethnic media are simultaneously inclusive and insular: Insofar as aboriginal and ethnic media concurrently promote social integration and cultural insularity without sacrificing a commitment to community or to Canada they are both inward and outward looking. Aboriginal and ethnic media also reflect a reactive and proactive dynamic: reactive, in buffering minorities from the negativity of mainstream media; proactive, in building bridges by capitalizing on alternative media discourses. In doing so, they serve as a reminder: Before mainstream