Chinese Canadians: Voices from a Community

James S. Frideres is associate dean (research) in the Faculty of Social
Sciences, University of Calgary, and author of A World of Communities:
Participatory Research.

This is an ambitious, provocative, and on the whole convincing account
of how members of the Chinese community view the society in which they
chose to live. It contains interviews with Chinese community leaders,
Confucian analects, photos, and a brief historical essay about the
Chinese in Canada by the internationally recognized social scientist Dr.
Peter Li.

The interviews cover topics ranging from the head tax imposed on the
Chinese to the role of multiculturalism in Canadian society. Each
individual is given about five pages of text to voice his/her views,
thoughts, and reflections about Canada. The interview format presents a
collage of images and challenges the reader to encapsulate the many
views into a “Chinese perspective,” if indeed there is one. The
interview subjects tend to be known for their wealth, power, and
influence. If the goal was to provide an ethnic perspective, then people
with ordinary lives need to be included. Nevertheless, the perceptions
and views that are represented here are both informative and
illuminating.