Abstract

Using the marriage registers of Montreal's two Antiochian Orthodox churches as its primary source, this thesis concludes that the Orthodox Syrian community in Montreal has undergone slow but substantial cultural and social change over three generations. The first-generation immigrants were characterized by cultural preservation and continuity. They established a vibrant ethnic community characterized by social and cultural traditions that were heavily influenced by religious, family, and hometown ties. The second generation, having been born in North America, is characterized by cultural and social integration. Although largely still attached to its ethnic cultural roots, a Canadian identity had emerged among the second generation which mitigated against its full identification with Orthodox Syrian culture. However, this new self-consciousness is well integrated and has produced a unique Syrian-Canadian identity. The third generation, in contrast, is characterized by cultural and social assimilation. Forces such as increased access to higher education, occupational diversification, as well as social and residential mobility, facilitated a process of assimilation among a majority of the third generation who by 1980 shared little in common with the pioneers who founded the Montreal community.