캐나다에서 북방의 의미 탐구

An Inquiry into the Meanings of the North in Canada

This study aims to explore what the north symbolizes and how Canadians understand it. In order to conduct an inquiry into the meaning of the north for Canadians, we followed the tradition of hermeneutic inquiry. As it is not easy to understand fully the word ‘north’ through its verbatim meaning, we have investigated the use of the word in settings such as the natural environmental, geo-political, and social cultural aspects and identified the meanings of ‘the north.’ Next, it is argued that the meanings are concerned with the identities of Canada and Canadians. It is also claimed that the meanings are related to the etymology of the word and to the immigration policies of Canada at the beginning of the 20th century. However, as the meaning of language changes over time, so the meaning of the word “north” can also change in the future. In other words, the meaning of “north” may be reinterpreted at any time by considering the context.