The Teaching of Quebec in Canadian Studies: Crisis or Opportunity?
In: International Journal of Canadian Studies, Band 50, S. 121-136
ISSN: 1923-5291
Paradigms and frameworks for "doing" Canadian studies inherited from 1970s and 1980s Canada continue to resonate, but they also reveal serious limitations. Competing cultural and political frameworks for talking about regionalism, nationalism, diversity, language, North America, and globalization remind us of differences in Canadian and québécois foundational discourses. Indigenous studies significantly call into question the idea of Canada as a bilingual and multicultural nation, addressing the persistence of neo-colonialism. In this article, I use personal reflection on teaching a Quebec course in a Canadian Studies university department, one that uses Canadian and Quebec literatures to revisit these dilemmas. I conclude with a few thoughts, also based on personal experience, about the challenges and opportunities posed by shifting intellectual and fiscal points of reference both at home and abroad.