This project uses ethnographic methods of participant observation and interviews to explore the masquerade (mas) band ‘Euphoria’ which participated in the 2015 edition of the Toronto Caribbean Carnival (Caribana). The major objective of this project was to discover the factors that influence members of the mas band between the ages of 18 and 35 to take on influential roles in the band that both demonstrate proactivity and are indispensable to the band’s operations.

The salient factor influencing the assumption of such roles was family relations, whether through a spouse, offspring or extended family. The family relations identified in this work yielded fruitful comparisons to Francis Henry’s seminal ethnography, The Caribbean Diaspora in Toronto: Learning to Live with Racism (1994), in terms of male/female relations. Based on the three case studies of this project, this comparison reveals a movement away from basic survival concerns and a movement towards gender equality among women in Toronto’s Caribbean community.

This talk is supplemented with audio-visual recordings of mas band participants in the form of a documentary film.

Speaker: Bronwyn Frey, M.A. student, Festive Arts program, University of Limerick

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Join us in the Ethnography Lab Seminar Room, located in the Anthropology Building, room 330, on Friday, February 26th, 5-6pm for a stimulating discussion.

This event is open to the public. Free coffee and snacks.