Past Projects

LIST OF REPORTS OF THE RESEARCH PROJECTS AND CONFERENCES IN ALPHABETIC ORDER

For reports of the research projects published in French, see the list at
http://www.iim.qc.ca/projets/passes.html

Caring for the Elderly in Ethnocultural Communities. Reference Guide. Kalpana Das, Lomomba Emongo. Institut Interculturel de Montréal, Montréal, 45 pages, 2003.

Based on the narratives, life experiences and needs expressed by seniors met during a research-action project, this is a reference document for any one who deals with elderly people in ethnocultural communities: family members, community leaders, community workers, social workers, etc.

Communities - Community sector - Interculturality: report of a research-action project .Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 16 p., 1997

A preliminary phase report (1996-1997) on the first part of the research-action project entilted "Intercultural dynamics in Montreal neighbourhoods". The first axis of this research-action attemps to gather basic information on: the establishment and construction of communities in a migratory context, by focusing on three communities within the neighbourhoods of Mile End, St-Louis-du-Parc and Parc Extension, namely Greek, Portuguese and old-stock French.The idea was to gather information on how they perceived and experienced their coming into these neighbourhoods, how they reacted or proreacted with regard to the outcome of their being uprooted from their respective socio-cultural contexts of origin, and what were their different practices and places of reconstruction of their identities in a migratory context.

Development of Intercultural Modalities for Community Cooperation: Report on Focus-Group Discussions. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 46 p., 2000

In 1998, IIM implemented their research-action project "Development of Intercultural Modalities for Cooperation at the Grassroots". Report of this research-action which the three principal objectives are: To share their experiences and perceptions regarding intercultural relations among the different communities; To discuss the obstacles and difficulties that arise with regard to taking concerted action in the context of cultural diversity; To attempt to identify approaches that would foster conditions and modalities favorable to intercultural joint action.

Environment, Development and Native Nations. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 118 p., 1994

Report of a conference which the objectives are to permit the different Native Nations to share their conception of the relationship between human beings and nature, to share their conception of relationship between the environment and development, to speak about the impact of development projects upon their way of life and about alternatives based on the knowledge found in their own culture, to expresse their views about collaboration between Native nations and non-Natives in resolving problems of the environment and development.

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For the development of a project titled "Community Regeneration in a pluralistic context": Consulting report in the districts of Parc Extention, Saint-Louis-du-Parc and Mile End. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 93 p., 1995

Consulting report addressing itself to organisms working in different community sectors (health, leisure, youth, ethnic organizations, various immigrant aid services, aid to the underprivileged, etc.). The report establishes a picture of this reality, particularly the multiethnic and pluralistic dynamic found in targeted districts. It shares the reactions of the consulted organisms when challenged with the idea of creating a joint community regeneration project in collaboration with families and the community at large.

La gang: une chimère à apprivoiser. Marginalité et transnationalité chez les jeunes Québécois d’origine afro-antillaise. By Marc Perreault; Gilles Bibeau. In collaboration with Kalpana Das. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 357p., 2001.

The strenghts of this particular study lie in the fact that it attempted to gather the narratives of the life experiences of marginalized youth of the Afro-Caribbean communities. These naratives contain discourses of these youth, in their own words, about the questions concerning identity, the family, immigration and status of racial minorities as well as socio-economic conditions that they find themselves in. These discourses have been instrumental in revealing a certain number of crucial social issues and in providing some important insights for understanding the complexities of the process that drive youth of the Afro-Carabbean communities to the margins. the experiences of their immigrant families and of the multifaceted rupture in the family tissue, the host society’s socio-economic dynamics, its norms, its attitudes and social practices, the youth’s quest for identity and their striving the reconstruct a family type unit with others at the margins, all these constitute the body of information compiled in this stydy. A special attempt was made to demystify the negative representations of the youth at the margins, particularly of the black youth.

Identity and Problem Solving Practices in Montreal's Hindu community. 1998 Research project. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 121 p.

Context: Immigration is a stressful process that can destabilise families as well as provoke both conceptual and practical adjustments. With regards to the impact on mental health, it is necessary to consider the dynamic of personal identity and understand the problem solving practices of Hindu immigrants. Objectives: 1) To understand the general perception of mental health and how it is comprehended by the Hindu community; 2) To highlight the knowledge this perception inspires, particularly in regard to the resolution of mental health problems; 3) To evaluate the influence of the Hindu identity in the resolution of such problems, specifically within the context of immigration.

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Les jeunes Noirs d’origine antillaise à Montréal: approche des milieux marginaux.. Research project 1996-1998. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 36 p., 2000.

Context: There is a tendancy to associate an increase in crime with black youth, who are considered as a high risk group. Young Haitians comprise a significant percentage of the ethno-cultural clientele of Quebec's Rehabilitation centres for youth: a condition which appears to go hand in hand with the reality of underprivileged neighbourhoods, while one of the most disturbing results is the phenomenon of street gangs. Objectives: 1) To better understand the environment of black youth in Montreal; 2) To understand this community from within and acquire a global view of these marginalized communities; 3) To consider the impact of role models and images available to immigrant youth in order to better understand their marginalized status; 4) To interpret their self-image and practices that young blacks have identified based on a personal construction that will enable providers of health care and social services to take a more effective approach.

Intercultality, civic participation and community grassroots action Intercultural Institute of Montreal

We have 2 programs of activities which basically deals with the reality of ethnocultural communities. It aims at a better understanding of their difficulties in participating in the Quebec civic life, and at facilitating their specific contribution to it.

Program 1: The interreligious dialogue in social spaces.

In the two activities we have organized during 2002-2003 regarding "The Interreligious Dialogue and Conflict Resolution Approaches" we have identified three major issues concerning religious diversity in Quebec:

- The necessity of sensitizing the Quebec society to its religious diversity.
- The importance of deconstructing the stereotypes about the different religious traditions.
- The importance of bringing to light the contributions and the viewpoints of the different religious traditions regarding the improvement of civic life in various fields like education, social relations and solidarity, etc.

In response to these observations, we have set up a Committee for Action for the Interreligious Dialogue and organized a colloquium on "religious traditions and social responsibility"

The goal of this colloquium was a better identification of the specific contributions of different religious traditions to civic life within a context of cultural and religious diversity. In more concrete terms, we intend to clarify the following points:

- How can the leaders of the various religious traditions contribute to the improvement of the interreligious relationships?
- What are the different religious perspectives regarding social responsibility?
- Are there any concrete suggestions from the different religious traditions regarding civic and social participation?
- Is participation to civic life a matter of concern for the whole society or is it rather limited to their own community?

A colloquium report is available for consultation in french only.

Program 2: Citizenship and social participation of the ethnocultural communities.

This theme has been adopted after taking into consideration the observations made during a series of seminars held in November-December 2001 on the subject "Citizenship Challenged: an intercultural reflection". Although several observations were made during these seminars, two of them have drawn our attention in particular:

- There are different conceptions and practices regarding civic contribution and the exercise of citizenship within the various cultures.
- These cultural gaps may constitute obstacles to the participation of a significant number of ethnocultural communities to Quebec social life.

In other words, and as noted by different Quebec community groups, the lack of participation of a large number of ethnocultural communities to civic life is not due to the these communities' lack of interest. It is rather relevant to the fact that civic life and the exercise of citizenship are understood and practiced with different criteria from the ones generally accepted.

Objectives

In this part, we basically aim at three goals:

- To understand the nature and characteristics of the social cultures of the targeted communities and the existing cultural gap with the culture of the majority in Quebec society.
- To analyze their conception and position regarding the notion and the practice of citizenship.
- To identify the parameters for developing intercultural modes of social participation and the exercise of citizenship of ethnocultural communities.

Three half-day forums for the spring of 2004 have been planned, in three specific ethnocultural environments:

- South Asian communities (Indian, Bangladeshi, Sri-Lankan)
- South-East Asian communities (Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian and Thai)
- East African communities (Somali, Sudanese, Ethiopian)

A report of the three forums is available in french only.

Living Conditions and Mental Health of the Elderly in Ethno-cultural Communities of Montreal. Analytical Report. Kalpana Das, Lomomba Emongo and Anne-Josée Grégoire. Institut Interculturel de Montréal, Montréal, 83 pages, 2003.

This 100-page report, the authors present and analyze the results of a research-action project involving the elderly in the Portuguese, Haitian, South Asian, Latin American and Caribbean commu-nities. In addition to giving voice to the seniors views on their living conditions in Quebec, the authors analyze the process of the research-action itself. Their conclusions cast a new light on intercultural approaches.

Living with the Earth. Cross-cultural perspectives on sustainable development: indigenous and alternative practices (April 30th, May 1st to 3rd, 1992). Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 270 p., 1993.

An essential document to understanding major issues on sustainable development, environment and cultural identity.

A Report of the Second INCA(D) conference-workshop on Knowledge and Livelihoods in the Context of Globalization: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue. Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 26 p., 2000

The international conference, Knowledge and Livelihoods in the Context of Globalization: A Cross-Cultural Dialogue was held from the 8th to the 13th of March, 2000 in Bangalore, India. The goals of this conference were to examine the issue of recovering knowledge systems embedded in local cultures of South Asia; to articulate innovative knowledge inscribed in the various social movements in South Asia; to initiate and strengthen people to people intercultural cooperation within South Asia as well as between South Asia and other regions of the world.

White justice, Native justice, proceedings of the conference (May 24 and 25, 1991). Montreal, Intercultural Institute of Montreal, 144 p., 1993. 12$

Even if certain events or changes have taken place in the interim the conference did raise at least two central questions which are still very pertinent today: Is the imposition of a non-Native legal framework upon Native peoples a fair and lasting solution to the problems of justice administration for Native Nations? Are we ready to accept the existence of two different concepts of justice for Natives and non-Natives, and the need to establish a dialogue between these two rather than the imposition of one over the other?

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