ANTH 1120D Novel Study: Applying Anthropology to 'Scarborough'

This essay provides an anthropological analysis of Catherine Hernandez's novel, 'Scarborough,' focusing on systemic processes and issues within the community. It examines the relationship between Hina Hassani and Jane Fulton, highlighting systematic oppression and structural inequalities. Th...Read More

Running head: SCARBOROUGH
SCARBOROUGH:
CATHERINE HERNANDEZ
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Scarborough is a written by the Canadian writer, Catherine Hernandez. The book was
shortlisted in the Toronto book Awards in the year 2017 and Edmund White Award in the year
2018. She is well known for her other written plays as well including Singkil, Eating with Lola,
The Femme playlist and Future Folk. The writer lived in Scarborough for the maximum period
of her life and to her it is an inspiring place for writers. The novel Scarborough offers an intense,
raw and empathetic glimpse of the place. The community of Scarborough that has located its
dignity in the most unanticipated place. The place is unique in its own way involving a
neighborhood that refuses to be undone. The paper aims to discuss the novel from an
anthropological perspective by explaining in details the systematic processes as well as the issues
that appear in everyday life.
Answer1
One of the important gravitational center of the story is relationship between Hina
Hassani and Jane Fulton. The introduction to the character was through the exchange of letters
that was taking place between the two women. Jane Fulton was Hina Hassani’s boss. The hijabi
women, Hina Hassani was hired by her boss for the school who was responsible for taking care
of many kids that have appeared in the novel. The letters exchanged between the two women is
entirely dispersed throughout the novel. The relationship takes shape in various ways and slowly
a tension is formed in the relation which is only grown. The tension keeps growing when her
boss overwhelms Hina with demands of more labor without extra pay from her downtown
Toronto office.
The tension began rising since between Hina Hassani and Jan Fulton was related through
work. Systematic oppression can be noted in the relationship that is shared between two women.
Oppression by institution is when an unequal treatment exists in the institute towards a particular

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group of people. The specific group of people can be receiver of unequal treatment due to other
social issues such as social identity or social position. In the novel, Hina Hassani is a Muslim
woman which is one reason, her supervisor was overseeing her reports for Ontario Reads
Literacy Program. Hina is the worker that tries to fight poverty in the neighborhood however, in
doing so she comes across various other related problems that make combating poverty difficult.
Also, the structure and agency is one of the issue that the writer wanted to illuminate. An agency
possess the power of implementing free will and to make social change. A structure can be
defined as the patterned social arrangements that have impact on agency. The structure and
agency in the Scarborough novel highlights the inappropriate structure of the neighborhood. The
reason that raised the conflict between Ms Hina and her supervisor was for the limited resources
including time, energy, food and other necessary. The ignorance of Jane Fulton was the cause
that made Hina under oppression. Due to the tension being between a boss and a worker, there is
a clear presentation of structure and agency along with system inequality. The unequal treatment
is caused due to her social identity of a Muslim women in the work place. The gender comes into
the perspective as being women she advocates for the children and families who come to the
center. Also, she faces Islamophobia in multiple sources and areas of her life during her program
at the Rough Hill Public school location.
Answer 2
The restaurant, Everything taste good Caribbean is located in the Scarborough. Winsum
is the owner of the restaurant where she serves traditional Trinidadian food. The food she serves
such as Doubles is associated with her deceased mother’s food. She gets help from her nephew
who helps her and modernizes the restaurant although Winsum do not want the change. Winsum
wanted to use the recipe of her origin that she implemented in her West Indian restaurant. The

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white people were explained by her regarding the spice levels and usages. In the novel she is a
character that is struggling to keep it together. Although the mention of Winsum and its
restaurant is only a cameo in the novel, it adds a depth to the novel and enhances the texture to
the book.
Globalization is the term that can be described as the process of growth that takes place
through international influence. Globalization has been made possible by the immense growth
technology. Globalization can help small business grow as it comes in contact with the large
population. Since Scarborough was one of the low-income, culturally diverse neighborhood east
of Toronto it can be benefitted with various range. With the plight of the Everything Tastes good
restaurant, it requires understanding the culture. The white people are unfamiliar with the taste of
West Indian restaurant however, it has proven to be the fact that the popular culture is the culture
of masses. Globalization has brought tremendous change in the culture pattern. People are more
familiar with cultures that are not encountered physically. The gap between the elite culture and
the local culture have minimized to a very minimum level. Through the globalization, the
Everything tastes good restaurant could use their culture and origin as the unique feature of the
restaurant. Development and proliferation of complex interdependent and connection beyond the
local is globalization. It is done through movement of natural resources, capital, culture,
information and people across national borders. This involves the cultural and social resistances
and receptions to varied movements. The anthropological way to improve the restaurant would
be to use the social and cultural aspects in the restaurant. This would help attracting people
across the town and tourists that would visit from outside. The new culture is the popular culture
that is the choice of the mass. However it has to be considered that the area is a low income
neighborhood and the process of globalization involves investment that can be difficult for the

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poor population. The restaurant would involve market development, access some imports,
competitive advantage and comparative advantage and the most important technology.
Answer 3
Sylvie Beaudoin is the indigenous child in the novel that lives at the Gallway Shelter with
her mother and her little brother. She has a Forever box where she keeps her treasures and
weaves intricate stories. At Rough Hill Elementary school, she studies in grade three. Bing
Espiritu is her best friend. Bing, full name Bernerd Espiritu is a Filipino boy. He studies with
Sylvie in the same grade. He is a gifted student with an angelic singing voice with the dream of
becoming a saint or a country singer. In the novel, his character shows the perspective on
identity, gender and sexuality. It was only simple friendship between two children who liked to
be in each other’s company.
Multi-multiculturalism can be defined as the acceptance and encouragement of existing
more than one culture. Although multicultural exists in Canada, it is not like any other states but
it help the setting example for the other states. It is one of the significant accomplishment that
distinguishes Canada from the rest of the world. According to data, Canada has significantly
fostered a much advanced accepting society for the immigrant. It is not just providing immigrant
with the most appropriate society but also their culture than any other society. The friendship
between Sylvia and Bing as well as manifests the multiculturalism nature of Canada. Despite the
differences between them, the novel has shown the way multiculturalism operates in Canada.
Even today amidst the tempest of race, Canada successfully remains a state free of racial and
ethnic tensions that are profoundly highlighted in America and Europe. Mutual respect is
observed in Canada for every culture. It is through multiculturalism that Canada recognizes its
full potential of the Canadian. Also, it encourages Canadians to integrate into their society.

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Overall it takes an active part in cultural, economic, social, political affairs. Sylvie Beaudoin is
the indigenous child and Bing is the gay Filipino boy, yet there is presentation of friendship
among the two children belonging from very different cultural background. Cultural diversity is
present in every society it depends on race, ethnicity, religion, culture, language and many other
aspects. In the end, it can be concluded that the novel Scarborough has manifested the Canada’s
extraordinary element of multiculturalism in Canada. . It is one of the significant
accomplishment that distinguishes Canada from the rest of the world.
Catherine Hernandez have manifested through the novel various aspect of the
neighborhood. Each member of the novel plays role that are vital to understand the society. The
way social issues are raised, the ways systematic processes and issues appear in everyday life are
portrayed by the author coherently through the novel. The community of Scarborough that has
located its dignity in the most unanticipated place and the author has represented it in a very
organized and raw format to theaudience.

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Bibliography:
Hernandez, Catherine. 2017. Scarborough. ISBN13: 9781551526775