Legislating the Distinct Society: The Attempt to Preserve Quebec's Language and Culture
Location
CSU 202
Start Date
20-4-2015 10:00 AM
End Date
20-4-2015 11:00 AM
Student's Major
Anthropology
Student's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Mentor's Name
Chelsea Mead
Mentor's Email Address
chelsea.mead@mnsu.edu
Mentor's Department
Anthropology
Mentor's College
Social and Behavioral Sciences
Description
The research explores the cultural and linguistic identity of the Canadian province of Québec and, specifically, the use of legislation as a means of preserving this identity. As a land of French language and heritage, Québec is an anomaly in North America, as they speak French. It seems that there have been a limited amount of studies that have looked at the Québécois identity from a macro scale, identifying concisely what it is and why it is, and been devoted to identifying a central tool that Québécois nationalists have used to preserve this identity. My work has synthesized and analyzed other research on the topic. The results of the research find that French is the central component of the Québécois national identity and that legislation has been the primary means of promoting the survival of French in the province. It is thus concluded that linguistic legislation is the primary way Québécois nationalists have sought to protect their identity. The Québec nationalist struggle is essentially a linguopolitical struggle. This conclusion provides a clear and unambiguous framework for viewing the Québec situation and establishes it as an exemplary case of linguistic nationalism.
Legislating the Distinct Society: The Attempt to Preserve Quebec's Language and Culture
CSU 202
The research explores the cultural and linguistic identity of the Canadian province of Québec and, specifically, the use of legislation as a means of preserving this identity. As a land of French language and heritage, Québec is an anomaly in North America, as they speak French. It seems that there have been a limited amount of studies that have looked at the Québécois identity from a macro scale, identifying concisely what it is and why it is, and been devoted to identifying a central tool that Québécois nationalists have used to preserve this identity. My work has synthesized and analyzed other research on the topic. The results of the research find that French is the central component of the Québécois national identity and that legislation has been the primary means of promoting the survival of French in the province. It is thus concluded that linguistic legislation is the primary way Québécois nationalists have sought to protect their identity. The Québec nationalist struggle is essentially a linguopolitical struggle. This conclusion provides a clear and unambiguous framework for viewing the Québec situation and establishes it as an exemplary case of linguistic nationalism.
Recommended Citation
Larson, Luke. "Legislating the Distinct Society: The Attempt to Preserve Quebec's Language and Culture." Undergraduate Research Symposium, Mankato, MN, April 20, 2015.
https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/urs/2015/oral_session_02/2
