Intergroup Relations and Group Maintenance

The integration of the Chilean community into Canadian society has not been particularly difficult. Chileans have never suffered systematic discrimination. Yet the process of integration has been easier for some Chileans than for others. Two main reasons seem to account for such differences. First, some Canadian institutions, and some individual Canadians, are more welcoming to immigrants than others. Secondly, Chilean immigrants may have different attitudes towards Canada. Some Chileans have reacted to the upheavals of Chilean society by adopting Canada as their home, an attitude that has facilitated their process of integration. Others, faced with the same upheavals, considered emigration to Canada as a short-term measure, a period in which they waited for the appropriate moment to return to Chile. For such people, integration has been more difficult.

Many groups within the Chilean community maintain relations with groups from other Latin American countries. Some Chileans have supported leftist causes on behalf of Nicaragua and El Salvador. Their main contribution has been to organize solidarity work, helping Nicaraguan and Salvadorean groups to organize political meetings, educating Canadians about the situation in Central America, and pressuring Canadian organizations to adopt new policies for that region.

Relations between Chileans and other Latin American groups are not limited to political issues. There are a myriad of informal relationships that take place in the areas of leisure. Given the similarities of language and history, many Chileans spend their leisure time with other Latin Americans, playing soccer with Argentinians and Uruguayans during the weekend, dancing with Central Americans on Friday night, or conversing informally as they shop for food in Latin American stores.

Chileans, however, preserve their own identity in relation to other Latin American groups. Similarities in language and history do not erase hundred of years of distinctiveness among the different Latin Americans nations. Chileans tend to be nationalistic and see clear differences between their social and political background and that of other Latin American groups. For example, they are proud of Chile’s political structure and consider themselves unique in Latin America for their commitment to democracy and political participation. Thus, they are not always comfortable with being identified as Latin Americans or Hispanics.

These issues of identity, however, may apply only to first- and second-generation Chileans in Canada. It is difficult to predict what the attitude of future generations will be since ethnic identity is related to a multitude of issues such as immigration policies, the organizational capabilities of the ethnic community in Canada, and Chile’s economic performance. Given the recent history and characteristics of the Chilean community and the social framework of Canadian society, it is reasonable to predict that, in the future, a relatively well-integrated Chilean community will be able to maintain important aspects of its own culture and identity within a Canadian setting.