Unit One Blog Entry

This was my parent’s perspective at first... Since they pratically hate technology but after a while they got used to this 'blog thing'!

 

Unit Reflection:

1) In this unit I learned that there is such a term as 'contending loyalties'. It means that you have loyalties to two different entities that might not be on the same side of an issue. I also learned many other things. I learned things such as what a nation-state is, what patriotism is, what a civic nation is, what collective conscience is, and what inflation is.

2) I found it really interesting that Michaëlle Jean is a Francophone from Quebec and is Haitian by birth. Another thing I found interesting was that when she became Canada's governor general she voluntarily renounced her French citizenship.

3) I can connect what I have learned in class to my Calm class because in that class we talked about what makes a person, and because we saw a movie in that class in which the main character felt different from other people due to financial reasons (he didn't believe he belonged to a nation). Also, Mr. OBrien is rather patriotic towards Australia.

4) What surprised me this unit was that there are actually some sovereignists who want Quebec to become an Independent nation-state.

5) One concept that I am still having difficulty with is 'reconciliation'. My teacher has done a great job on explaining everything but I still seem to be having difficulties with this term.

6) One question I still have is regarding Contending Loyalties in Quebec. I want to know that: "Why do some Quebecois want to separate Quebec from Canada?"

7) One skill or learning strategy I found helpful was the "Analyzing Sources" sheet because I found that I made it easier for me to interpret the sources. Also, it has a list of different types of things to interpret in the source (The 5ws), I found this really helpful. If I was to teach someone how to use this, I would tell them to first take out this sheet and your sources. Then, read the first question on the "Analyzing Sources" sheet after look at the sources carefully, and answer the question on a separate piece of paper. Finally, keep doing the previous step for all the sources and keep writing the answers down on a separate piece of paper. This will help them learn how to interpret sources better when they need to analyze the sources.

Rise of Nationalism:

1) Consider the case study that you researched. Provide a short summary of the rise of this nationalist movement. Comment on the differences and similarities between your nationalist movement and the rise of nationalism in France after the French Revolution.  

Answer: The case study I researched was the Indian Independence. The Indian Independence Movement was somewhat affected by a historical event but mainly by Ghandi. In India, Ghandi was the person who united the people and made them go against the British in peaceful protests; he was the leader. Indian people were treated poorly, they were starving, the British were taking advantage of them and all that these Indians needed was a push. Ghandi provided this push and soon enough with Ghandi in charge the Indians reclaimed that, which was rightfully their own. We can find a similarity between the French Revolution and Indian Independence since in both events the people were the ones who brought upon the change. Also, in both cases the monarch lost power. A difference would be that the Indian’s didn’t kill their monarch while the French did. Also in both cases the people created a nation with the same goals.

2) Find someone in the class who researched a different case study. Briefly (2 or 3 sentences) summarize that case study and comment on the differences and similarities between the two.

Answer: American Revolution is a different case study. American Revolution: A revolution that made America separate from its British rule and became an independent state. This case study is similar to my case study (Indian Independence) because in both events the people wanted Self-determination. Also, in both cases the British were the rulers. A difference between the two case studies would be that, the American Revolution was more violent, there was even a war, and it was called The American Revolutionary War. In the Indian Independence Movement the people showed their point in a more peaceful manner, without a war. Another similarity would be that in both case studies the people succeeded in getting their Self-determination.

3) After learning about the rise of nationalism in this unit, do you that the pursuit of nationalism is negative or positive? Provide evidence to support your answer.

Answer: I believe that to an extent the pursuit of nationalism is a positive thing but after it crosses that line it becomes negative. It becomes negative in the sense that it can lead to social injustice, hatred, and racial segregation. An example of negative nationalism would be ‘Nazism’. It can be positive because it can help people achieve freedom and also promotes national pride. Overall I find that pursuit of nationalism is a positive thing since just look at French Revolution, nationalism united them and made them achieve what they wanted.

Contending Loyalties:

1) What are 'contending loyalties'? Find 2 images online that reflect the principle of contending loyalties and explain them.

Answer:

In this picture on one side we see earth with legs while on the other side we see a tin can that has oil written over it. In this picture the earth represents the environment while the tin can represents Alberta's oil sands. In this picture there are two contending loyalties in conflict between each other: Ideological and Regional Loyalties.

 

In this picture we see a Sikh in RCMP uniform however he is not wearing the hat instead he is wearing a turban. The contending loyalties in conflict are Religious and Political loyalties. At first he wasn't allowed to wear the turban but after arguing that the turban was a religious duty he was allowed to wear it.

 2) How have nations reconciled contending loyalties? Provide examples.

Answer: There is more than one way for a nation to reconcile their contending loyalties. They can live with their contending loyalties, choose one loyalty over another, or bring about a change in the nation. For example the people who followed Falun Gong (formed a nation) were forced to choose one loyalty over another. Another example would be that you have two good friends that are both running for the same office on your school’s student council. However, you choose one friend over another, so in this case you choose one loyalty over another.

3) Summarize contending loyalties in Quebec. Use the terms: Anglophone, Francophone, Federalist, Sovereignists, Bill 101, Quiet Revolution and Referendum.
 

Answer: Contending loyalties in Quebec are Francophone and Anglophone loyalties. The sovereignists want Quebec as an independent nation-state while the Federalists want Quebec to stay with Canada. To better reconcile contending loyalties in Quebec, Bill 101 was introduced and there was a referendum on separation of Canada. Also, there was The Quiet Revolution that modernized Quebec.

4) Canada has often been described as having many nations within its nation. What challenges AND opportunities does this provide?
 

Answer: Cultural Pluralism comes to mind after reading this question. Having many nations within Canada makes Canada an unique place since it has different types of cultures within itself. The opportunities this provides is that there is more diversity and more people to meet and more cultures to learn. Also, it's always great to meet people of other cultures. Furthermore, when children grow up accepting and understanding such diversity it strips away cultural stereotypes and creates understanding towards other cultures. Challenges that this can bring is racism and also people have to sometimes change their lifestyle to better accommodate others and make everyone else happy.

 

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