pilipiliĀž»­

 

The politics of identity

What does it mean to be a black citizen of Nova Scotia?

- February 21, 2008

Marilyn Thomas-Houston
Marilyn Thomas-Houston is the Fulbright University Research Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies. (Danny Abriel Photo)

When Marilyn Thomas-Houston tells a student, ā€œI donā€™t know the answer but Iā€™ll look into it and get back to you,ā€ she really means it.

Dr. Thomas-Houston, assistant professor of anthropology and African-American studies at the University of Florida, made the promise more than 10 years ago. While talking about the African diaspora ā€“ the scattering of African people across the globe ā€“ to her students, she mentioned that a significant number of people of African birth, who were brought forcibly to the colonies to provide slave labour, made their way to Nova Scotia following the American Revolution. And thatā€™s when she saw a hand go up at the back of the class.

ā€œNova Scotia?ā€ queried the student. ā€œWhy would they go to Nova Scotia?ā€

ā€œI donā€™t know the answer but Iā€™ll look into it and get back to you,ā€ responded Dr. Thomas-Houston.

Event

Dalhousie Institute on Society and Culture presents:
A Crosscurrents Panel
Race Histories
Friday, Feb., 22, 11:30Ā a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Room 2102, McCain Arts and Social Sciences Building

Panelists include Jean-Pierre LeGlaunec (History, Killam Post-Doctoral Fellow); Marilyn Thomas-Houston (SOSA, Fullbright Chair in Globalization & Cultural Studies); Issac Saney (College of Continuing Education, Race & Revolution: Reflections on Cuba)

Researching this answer has occupied Dr. Thomas-Houston ever since. The anthropologist has visited Nova Scotia every summer for the past decade, meeting with African Nova Scotians to find out about their lives and to explore the ā€œpolitics of identity.ā€ She sees intriguing commonalities in the lives of black Nova Scotians and African-Americans in the south: the hats worn by women to church on Sunday mornings, elaborate wedding celebrations and comfort food.

ā€œThere are ways of being that seem to be a part of black culture,ā€ muses Dr. Thomas-Houston, ensconced at pilipiliĀž»­ for a year as a Fulbright University Research Chair in Globalization and Cultural Studies. ā€œI donā€™t know, for example, how many times Iā€™ve been asked, ā€˜What church do you belong to?ā€™ā€

The South Carolina native and author of two books, ā€œStony the Roadā€ to Change and Homing Devices, admits she first arrived with stars in her eyes, anticipating that in Nova Scotia she ā€œwould see the future for black people in the United States given the difference of years in freedom.ā€ At the time, she entitled her research proposal ā€œHarmonies of Liberty.ā€

Instead, she discovered a difficult history. Promised free land and rations in exchange for their loyalty by the British, the Black Loyalists found those promises had evaporated once they arrived on Nova Scotiaā€™s rocky coast. In any case, most Black Loyalists couldnā€™t make a living from farming because the land was unsuitable for growing crops. Those who didnā€™t have a trade to fall back on were forced to indenture themselves or their children to survive; their lot turned out no better than what they had left behind.

Dr. Thomas-Houston is interested in whether that immigrant experience ā€“ and that of the Jamaican Maroons from the 1790s and refugees from the War of 1812 ā€“ continues to colour the lives of descendants. Sheā€™s also examining more recent migrations of Africans to the Maritimes and whether this further complicates issues of identity and citizenship in Nova Scotian and Canadian society.

ā€œBasically, what I want to know is, ā€˜What does it mean to be a black citizen of Nova Scotia?ā€™ā€ she says.

As a Fulbright scholar based at pilipiliĀž»­, she hopes to set up a Nova Scotia field school, which she envisions as an interdisciplinary, interuniversity centre where students could learn about the socio-cultural history of colonial Nova Scotia and discuss how this history affects the provinceā€™s black population today. Moreover, students would be taught qualitative research design, ethnographic methodology and research ethics. Theyā€™d also be required to carry out individual research projects and ā€œservice learning projectsā€ by volunteering for local community groups.

ā€œI see the field school as an immersion experience in which students might be assigned a family to live with or to live nearby,ā€ says Dr. Thomas-Houston. ā€œI see this as a wonderful, enlightening experience by which students can take their knowledge and make the world a better place.

ā€œThatā€™s not too much to ask, is it?ā€ she says with a laugh.Ā