Quebec nationalism

About Quebec nationalism

(Redirected from Quebec Nationalism)
'Quebec nationalism' is a contemporary nationalism movement similar to what is found in other non-sovereign regions of the world. This article aims at presenting an historical overview of the evolution of Quebec nationalism from its origins until now.

''Canadien'' liberal nationalism

1534 - 1760

1800s - 1880s

Ultramontane nationalism

1840s to 1950s

Contemporary Quebec nationalism

''Canadien'' liberal nationalism

1534 - 1760

Canada was first a French colony. It was founded by Jacques Cartier in 1534. It was part of ''La Nouvelle-France'' (New France), which was constituted of all French colonies in North America. Up until 1760, the Canadian nationalism had developed itself free of all external influences. However, the British army attacked the French colony, and took over in Canada in 1760. Therefore, from 1760s onward, the French-Canadian nationalism, which became the Quebec nationalism around 1960 with the Quiet Revolution to differentiate with other French-Canadians from the rest of Canada, had to develop itself with the constraints imposed by the British Crown. The French-Canadians who were forbidden by the latter to connect with France had to fight against the British army to protect their own rights, and in order not to be assimilated to the English minority.

1800s - 1880s

Still today, opinions are widely spread among the English-Canadian population stating that a French-Canadian (''Canadien'') nationalism only coincides with the birth of many nation-states at the time of the Early Modern revolutions, which began with the independence of the Thirteen British American colonies.
From 1776 to the late 1830s the world witnessed the creation of many new national states with the birth of the United States of America, the French Republic, Haiti, Paraguay, Argentina, Chile, Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Belgium, Greece and others. Often accomplished militarily, these national liberations occurred in the context of complex ideological and political struggles pitting European metropolis against their respective colonies, monarchists against republicans. These battles succeeded in creating independent republican states in some regions of the world, but they failed in other places, such as Ireland, Upper Canada, Lower Canada, and Germany.
There is no consensus on the exact time of the birth of a national consciousness in French Canada. Some historians defend the thesis that it existed before the 1800s, because the ''Canadiens'' saw themselves as a people culturally distinct from the French even in the time of New France. The cultural tensions were indeed palpable between the governor of New France, the Canadian-born Pierre de Vaudreuil and the General Louis-Joseph de Montcalm, a Frenchman, during the French and Indian War. However, the use of the expression ''la nation canadienne'' (the Canadian nation) by French Canadians is a reality of the 1800s as far as we know from historical records. The idea of a ''nation canadienne'' was supported by the liberal or professional class in Lower Canada: lawyers, notaries, librarians, accountants, doctors, journalists, and architects.
A political movement for the independence of the ''Canadien'' people slowly took form following the enactment of the Constitutional Act of 1791. The Act of the British Parliament created two colonies, Lower Canada and Upper Canada, each of which had its own political institutions. In Lower Canada, the French-speaking and Catholic ''Canadiens'' held the majority in the elected house of representatives, but were either a small minority or simply not represented in the appointed legislative and executive councils, both appointed by the Governor, representing the British Crown in the colony. Most of the members of the legislative council and the executive council were part of the British ruling class, composed of wealthy merchants, judges, military men, etc., supportive of the Tory party. From early 1800 to 1837, the government and the elected assembly were at odds on virtually every issue.
Under the Leadership of Speaker Louis-Joseph Papineau, the Parti canadien (renamed Parti patriote in 1826) initiated a movement of reform of the political institutions of Lower Canada. The party's constitutional policy, summed up in the Ninety-Two Resolutions of 1834, called for the election of the legislative and executive councils.
The movement of reform gathered the support of the majority of the representatives of the people among Francophones but also among liberal Anglophones. A number of the prominent characters in the reformist movement were of British origin, for example John Neilson, Wolfred Nelson, Robert Nelson and Thomas Storrow Brown or of Irish extraction, Edmund Bailey O'Callaghan, Daniel Tracey and Jocquelin Waller.
Two currents existed within the reformists of the Parti canadien: a moderate wing, whose members were fond of British institutions and wished for Lower Canada to have a government more accountable to the elective house's representative and a more radical wing whose attachment to British institutions was rather conditional to this proving to be as good as to those of the neighbouring American republics.
The formal rejection of all 92 resolutions by the Parliament of Great Britain in 1837 lead to a radicalization of the patriotic movement's actions. Louis-Joseph Papineau took the leadership of a new strategy which included the boycott of all British imports. During the summer, many popular gatherings (''assemblées populaires'') were organized to protest against the policy of Great Britain in Lower Canada. In November, Governor Archiblad Acheson ordered the arrest of 26 leaders of the ''patriote'' movement, of which Louis-Joseph Papineau and many other reformists members of parliament. An armed conflict ensued. See the Lower Canada Rebellion.
Following the repression of the insurrectionist movement of 1838, many of the most revolutionary nationalist and democratic ideas of the Parti patriote were discredited.

Ultramontane nationalism

1840s to 1950s

Although it was still defended and promoted up until the beginning of the 20th century, the French-Canadian liberal nationalism born out of the American and French revolutions began to decline in the 1840s, gradually being replaced by both a more moderate liberal nationalism and the ultramontanism of the powerful Catholic clergy as epitomized by Lionel Groulx.
In opposition with the other nationalists, Ultramontanes rejected the idea that the people is sovereign and that state and church should be absolutely separated. They accepted the authority of the British crown in Canada, defended its legitimacy, and preached obedience to the British ruler. For ultramontanes, the faith of Franco-Canadians was to survive by defending their Roman Catholic religion and the French language.

Contemporary Quebec nationalism

Main articles: Quebec sovereignty movement

Understanding contemporary Quebec nationalism is difficult considering the ongoing debates on the political status of the province. No political option (outright independence, sovereignty-association, constitutional reforms, or signing on to the present Canadian constitution) has achieved decisive majority support and contradictions remain within the Quebec polity.
One debated subject that has often made the news is whether contemporary Quebec nationalism is still "ethnic" or if it is really "territorial" as is Canadian, American, or French nationalism.
The notion of "territorial nationalism" (promoted by all Quebec premiers since Jean Lesage) gathers the support of the majority of the sovereignists and essentially all Quebec federalist nationalists. Interesting debates on the nature of Quebec's nationalism are currently going on and various intellectuals from Quebec or other parts of Canada have published works on the subject, notably Will Kymlicka, professor of philosophy at Queen's University and Charles Blattberg and Michel Seymour, both professors at the Université de Montréal.
People who believe that Quebec nationalism is still ethnic, have often expressed their opinion that the worldview of Quebec's nationalists is insular and parochial and concerned with preserving a "pure laine" population of white francophones within the province. These accusations have always been vigorously denounced by Quebec nationalists of all sides and are generally considered as unrepresentative of the intellectual and mainstream political movements in favour of a wider independence for Quebec.
There is little doubt, at least, that the post-1950s era witnessed a remarkable awakening of Quebecers' self-identity. The rural, conservative and Catholic Province of Quebec of the 19th and early 20th centuries has given way to a confident, cosmopolitan society that has many of the attributes of a modern nation. Regardless of their political leanings, Quebecers have come to see themselves as a unique people with a culture worth preserving. In recent years, however, this has often manifested in the reasonable accommodation debate, even or especially at official levels.
Anglophone Canadian nationalism is undergoing a similar cosmopolitan change with increased cultural confidence, and convergence between "Canadian" and "Quebecois" nationalism remains possible.

External links

★ Quebec nationalism resources at Questia.com

★ Quebec: a modern, pluralist, distinct society ''Article by philosopher Will Kymlicka published in the American magazine'' 'Dissent'.

★ Alexis de Tocqueville's "Journey to America" - 1831 Notes on Canada

★ Quebec Nationalism History ''Discussion by historian Claude Bélanger of Marianopolis College in Quebec''

★ Quebec nationalism and Canadian federalism ''Talk by philosopher Michel Seymour at Cambridge University and Edinburgh University''

★ International Association of Quebec Studies

★ CBS News ''60 Minutes'' reports on Quebec language laws

This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.

Deals to Quebec nationalism

Travel Articles

	Discover Ethiopia: Top 10 Attractions and Sights
	Harley Davidson Sightseeing Tours in Melbourne Australia
	The 5 Coolest Places in the World & on Earth
	Austria Offers New Wine in the Old World
	Canadian Tour Revives Historic Saskatchewan Open at Dakota Dunes
	Forget Bora Bora: Have a Real Honeymoon in Tikehau, French Poly