The code that limits: Black Canadian anthologizing and anthologies

This chapter documents and analyzes the contribution of anthologists to the anthologizing process of Black Canadian literature from the 1970s to the present. This chapter situates the discussion in the absence of blackness in mainstream Canadian literature anthologies of the period, offering a rationale for this absence by virtue of a code, a way of reading that determines acceptance as to whether a work is Canadian literature that is mapping a national consciousness through a national convention. More than documenting the timeline of the publications, the discussion offers a glimpse into the intent of each anthology from the perspective of the anthologists. In capturing their voices, this chapter provides a more intimate discussion and overview of the anthologizing process, showcasing what each anthologist perceived as hurdles or moments of pride in their contribution. This chapter provides more of a spirit in reading about the evolution of the anthologizing journey, rather than a chronological documentation with no interest in or focus on what the needs of Black literary communities might have been at the time of publication. This chapter refuses the absented voices of the anthologists that is a distinct feature of most existing secondary material that has covered this topic.