Erased, Displaced, Misplaced: Reclaiming [Chinese Canadian] National Identity through Co-op Radio

Abstract

This paper explores some of the conversations currently taking place within Asian Canadian studies as they relate to coalitional spaces and community building. Specifically, I look at a co-op radio program from Vancouver called Pender Guy which aired in the 1970s. The members of Pender Guy were comprised of artists and activists from the Asian Canadian community attempting to establish and solidify their own collective identity during a time when minority communities and people of color were often sidelined or else considered as “surplus” to a national narrative that privileged Anglo- and Franco-Canadian identities.

Keywords

• Chinese Canadian community
• co-op radio
• Vancouver
• coalition
• activism
• multiculturalism