Canada, white supremacy, and the twinning of empires
| Date | 01 December 2013 |
| Author | John Price |
| DOI | 10.1177/0020702013510675 |
| Published date | 01 December 2013 |
| Subject Matter | The Lessons of History |
International Journal
68(4) 628–638
!The Author(s) 2013
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DOI: 10.1177/0020702013510675
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The Lessons of History
Canada, white
supremacy, and the
twinning of empires
John Price
Department of History, University of Victoria, Victoria, BC,
Canada
Abstract
Taking a transnational approach, this essay explores the dynamic circuits of global
racisms, resistance, and imperial politics that obliged Canadian policymakers to
secure racist exclusions while simultaneously obscuring them. The case studies exam-
ined in this essay—British Columbia’s denial of the franchise to First Nations and
Chinese, adoption of the Natal Act, and the comprehensive federal exclusions adopted
after the 1907 white race riots in Vancouver—illustrate how racist immigration policies,
both provincial and federal, had to take into account resistance and international factors
as perceived by the British Colonial Office. Taken in conjunction with Indigenous his-
tory, the history of transpacific migration to Canada offers important insights into the
role of white supremacy in a colonial settler state such as Canada.
Keywords
Pacific Canada, immigration, racism, anti-racism, exclusions, empire, Natal Act,
franchise, 1907 Vancouver riot, white supremacy
Wherever we turn, we are confronted by Canada’s colonial past: Idle No More,
court decisions regarding land claims, the murdered women inquiry, and revela-
tions about residential schools and scientific experiments on First Nations peoples
are constant reminders of the country’s colonial legacy. The revelations of social
history regarding indigeneity, patriarchy, and elitism are like burrs in the saddle of
traditionalists—irritatingly disrupting the narrative of Canada’s smooth transition
from colony to nation.
Seldom integrated into the critique, however, are the intersections of social his-
tory with the politics of race and empire. As legal historian Constance Backhouse
Corresponding author:
John Price, Department of History, University of Victoria, P.O. Box 3045, Stn CSC, Victoria, BC, V8W
3P4, Canada.
Email: joprice@uvic.ca
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