I am indebted to a number of people who have helped me during the various stages of the development of this book. Because the research for this book was originally prepared for my Master's dissertation I am most indebted to my adviser, Professor Sandra Wallman, who helped me throughout the research and writing stages of the thesis with her critical commentary and suggestions, and who finally encouraged me to publish it. I am also indebted to Professors of the University of Toronto, Shuichi Nagata, Stuart Philpott, Raymond Breton, Wsevolod Isajiw and Andrew Rossos for their constructive criticism and encouragement. My thanks go also to my colleagues, the participants of the seminar on Advanced Research Methods in the Department of Anthropology at the University of Toronto during the 1974/85 academic session, for their patience and suggestions.
The success of my research depended on the cooperation of many Torontonians of Macedonian origin who often sacrificed their valuable time and spent long hours answering my questions. I would like to offer special thanks to Foto Tomev and Paul and Zorka Basil. My wife Ruth deserves a special acknowledgment for her help in all stages, from reading the preliminary drafts to her valuable comments on form and style, not to mention the patience she showed during the critical times when deadlines had to be met.
Finally my thanks go to the Ontario government whose financial assistance in the form of an Ontario Graduate Scholarship made research on this book easier.
The domination of a particular type of occupation by one ethnic group is a phenomenon which has been observed by many anthropologists in the non-industrialized societies of Africa and Asia (Cohen, 1969; Haaland, 1969, Leach, 1964, Furnivall, 1939). In complex industrial poly-ethnic societies, like Canada, the same phenomenon has been reported for most part by sociologists using macro-level analyses of census data. In Canada, in particular, this kind of study is the basis of the work done by John Porter (1965), B.R. Blishen (1973), A.H. Richmond (1964) and O.Hall (1973). All of these works echo the view that "... the study of occupations on the Canadian scene today turns out to be in a fundamental sense also a study of ethnic relations and of large scale organizations" (Hall, 1973:46).
This book is a micro-level analysis of this phenomenon which focuses on the concentration of Macedonian immigrants in the restaurant industry in Toronto. The main objectives of this study are to explain the reasons for this occupational concentration, to see how it arises and to point out its consequences for the immigrants and for their children.
To arrive at these explanations it is essential to begin by considering the political, economic and social history of the Macedonians in order to explain the causes of their emigration, and the social and economic climate in Canada at the time of their arrival in order to point out their patterns of accommodation to the new environment.
As a second step it will be necessary to engage in a discussion of the nature of ethnicity, particularly Macedonian ethnicity, in order to explain whether and/or how this ethnicity is used by the immigrants in the process of integration into the social and economic life in Canada. This discussion will shed light on the question of whether ethnicity constrains individuals in all their activities, or whether it can have positive effects as well. Further questions examined in this discussion include whether ethnicity is a flexible and manipulative resource; whether it is a rigid and imposing boundary; or whether it can be both, depending on the particular situation. The works of Max Weber, Fredrik Barth, Abner Cohen and others will provide the theoretical basis for the discussion of ethnicity. Max Weber was the first to express his views on ethnicity, and they will seem to be the most illuminating on its general nature. For Weber ethnicity is a sociological category, and like all
continued
"The over-representation of members of a single ethnic group in a particular occupation is a phenomenon that has been noted by sociologists investigating complex industrial multi-ethnic societies like Canada. Macro-level studies of Canadian society, such as John Porter's, seem to show that ethnicity limits occupational choice and socio-economic mobility.
Herman's documentation of the surprisingly high concentration of Macedonian immigrants in Toronto's restaurant industry appears at first to be a striking case in point. But this micro-level study indicates instead that ethnicity does not have to be restrictive but can in fact be manipulated to secure both economic and social gains.
The significance of Men in White Aprons lies not only in its revelations about ethnicity but also in the intimacy of its portrait of Toronto's Macedonian community. Including a brief history of the Macedonian people, a survey of the social and economic conditions in Canada at the time of their arrival, a description of family ties and responsibilities and a discussion of how the Macedonians adjusted to their new environment, the book is a valuable contribution to Macedonian ethno-history.
Harry V. Herman was born in Zagreb, Yugoslavia. He teaches anthropology at the University of Waterloo.