The cultural mediation of the margin

Identities are never fully unified but are considered fragmented and a process of becoming rather than being, in which the process of identification privileges some and excludes others. Identities also become complicated through the cultural and technological mediation of the dominant ideologies within the mechanisms of power and control. Hence, it requires a cross-cultural fluidity to unpack the alienation and entanglement brought about by the everyday spatial practices of the dominant culture into a space that is also occupied by other ethnocultural groups. The research does not rely on a particular discipline. Rather, it draws on several interdisciplinary fields of study including Canadian Cultural Studies, Visual Culture Studies, Marginality Studies, Ethnic Studies, Identity Studies, and Spatial Studies, as Communication and Culture by nature is interdisciplinary. It challenges the discursive practices perpetuated by the dominant ideologies that shape the identities of marginalized groups in an otherwise hybrid living environment in Canada.

The research uses a triangulation of methodologies: a visual narrative, an analysis of images from two newspapers, and participant interviews to explore the cultural mediation of the margin. The visual narrative analyzes the images shared by the participants as well as the photos taken by the researcher. It also analyzes the images used in two newspapers. The images shared by the participants explore their homes, workplaces, and social spaces, including their culture, festivals, family life, leisure activities, etc. The analysis of the images supplements the interviews, while the visual narrative provides an introspection of the marginal space along with their struggle.

The findings suggest the existence of a hegemonic culture, a set of ideologies and body politics that privilege the dominant group(s) to reproduce a specific national discourse and pedagogy. However, a hybrid form of living also constantly challenges this narrative to facilitate the voices of the other: the marginalized, the displaced, and the immigrants. The research thus expands our knowledge of the cultural production of identities within the national discourse of the so-called multicultural Canada.