Webinar: The Impact and Roles of Japanese Community Centres in Canada
Time: Monday, 25 March, 18:00-20:00 MDT (in person and online)
Online, via Zoom (please register here: https://www.ualberta.ca/prince-takamado-japan-centre/research/ptjc-webinar-series/2023-2024.html), and also in person, at Telus Centre 134, University of Alberta, Edmonton. Refreshments will be provided.
Featured presentations (to be followed by roundtable discussion)
- Aya Fujiwara, Department of History, Classics, and Religion, University of Alberta. “Constructing Identity at the Crossroads: Historical Roles of Japanese Canadians’ Community.”
- Roger Teshima, Chair, Calgary Japanese Community Association Legacy Project and formerly President, Calgary Japanese Community Association. “The CJCA Legacy Project: An Homage to Our Founders and Builders of Our Community.”
- Henry Tsang, Associate Professor, RAIC Centre for Architecture, Athabasca University. “Designing a Nikkei Community Centre: Where East Meets West and Past Meets Future.”
- Michelle Day Miles, Executive Director, Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden. “A Reflection of Diversity and Story Telling.”
Immigrant communities have left many significant political, economic, and cultural legacies in Canadian history. Since their arrival in Canada, Japanese immigrants established various religious and secular associations for self-expression and political strategy. Most notably, Japanese Canadians became the first group to achieve organized reconciliation with the federal government through the 1988 Redress Agreement. As the world is increasingly becoming globalized and interconnected culturally, technologically, and economically, what are the roles of ethnic communities in 21st-century Canada? As ethnic communities diversify due to generational changes and new arrivals, how can ethnic centres respond to dynamic needs? This seminar challenges the view that ethnic centres as focal points of immigrants’ identity are outdated in this changing society and explores how community centres function in a meaningful way for Canada in promoting the awareness of antiracism, equity and diversity, focusing on the Calgary Japanese Community Association Legacy Project (new centre construction project) and the Nikka Yuko Japanese Garden in Lethbridge.
