“In 1988, Canada enshrined multiculturalism into law, a democratizing maneuver that allowed practitioners of non-Western and non-classical forms of music to agitate for equitable access to public arts funding. This agitation ultimately forced government-funded Canadian arts councils to re-examine their Eurocentric granting programs and to expand the parameters by which they fund music. Today’s arts council peer assessors must now assess applications covering a broad range of musical genres and differing aesthetic values, and must incorporate into their evaluations the councils’ sociopolitical  priorities emphasizing diversity and inclusivity. Yet, few assessors understand why and how identity politics informs the contemporary music-making of ethnocultural minorities and how collectively held stereotypes influence Canadians’  expectation for ethnocultural representation.”

Parmela Attariwala, Ph.D. from “Eh 440: Tuning into the Effects of Multiculturalism on Publicly funded Canadian music”

The SKDVP provides an opportunity for Brandon University to have visiting scholars with an international reputation for excellence in research/scholarship in their discipline or interdisciplinary area, related to comparative public policy with Canadian content.

Dr. Attariwala was in residence at the School of Music from January through April, 2017.

Stanley Knowles Distinguished Visiting Professor