Settler Mentality: Research Project and Mirna Carranza

settler mentality: For the most part, Canadians have been welcoming to newcomers who resemble them, according to Rabble. More recently however, we like to think that our hearts and arms are open to anyone fleeing the ravages of famine, war, and persecution. Some of us feel more entitled to be here than others depending on our country of origin, how many generations of ancestors we can claim, and our ability to integrate into what has historically been a white, British based colonial society. But, have we really evolved from our settler mentality and transformed into a truly welcoming, caring, accepting society We Are Not The Others is a unique play based on a two-year research project conducted by Mirna Carranza. Etemadi used the women's voices to breathe life into their experiences of immigration, trauma, loss, mental health, assimilation, resiliency, disappointment and hope for a better life in Canada. After Carranza interviewed female immigrants living in Hamilton, playwright Izad Etemadi crafted the findings into a powerful one hour play. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.