Open AccessCrowns and Cages: A Sikh Woman's Reflections of the Sikh Community in Canada
Author(s) -
Sonia Aujla-Bhullar
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
cultural and pedagogical inquiry
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 1916-3460
DOI - 10.18733/cpi29532
Subject(s) - contest , identity (music) , gender studies , legislation , service (business) , perspective (graphical) , genealogy , sociology , political science , law , history , art , aesthetics , visual arts , economy , economics
This article adopts a subjective and reflective voice to convey my emotional response (in Boler’s, 1999 terms) to the passing of a recent Bill in Quebec. The article explores the question: How does one reconcile a Sikh identity that is worthy, respected and admirable in Quebec, and by extension in Canada, in light of Quebec’s Bill 21? Further, through the lens of a racialized minority, that of a Sikh woman calling Canada home, and from the perspective of my family who have lived in Canada for several generations, I contest the recent legislation in Quebec’s Bill 21, for having erected a very strong, man-made cage that effectively bars anyone with a Sikh identity from working in the civil service.