Historical Consciousness and the "French-English" Divide among Quebec History Teachers

Abstract

Teacher historical consciousness influences pedagogical practices in the national history classroom. Its study within the context of societies with ambiguous ethnic dominance like Quebec fosters a better understanding of how teachers signify past inter-group relations for knowing and orienting themselves toward the "Other." Quebec's blurred majority/minority demarcations between Francophones and Anglophones, as well as its common but non-consensual history program for its parallel school system, provides innovative and productive ground for such research. This article discusses a study conducted on inter-group attitudes and mutual in-class treatment between Francophone and Anglophone history teachers when teaching the Secondary Four, History of Quebec and Canada course in Montreal. Whereas most Francophone respondents displayed an indifference to the social realities and historical experiences of Quebec Anglophones, all Anglophone respondents demonstrated a sense of empathy toward the former. As this discrepancy reflects each group's sociological status, it also implies a dissimilarity in how research participants historicize the "French-English conflict" in Quebec's past. In this context, the non-recognition of Anglo-Quebecois moral and historical agency possibly explains the prevalent indifference among Francophone respondents. La conscience historique des enseignants influence leurs pratiques pédagogiques lorsqu'ils enseignent l'histoire nationale. Dans une société à dominance ethnique ambiguë comme le Québec, l'étude de cette conscience permet de comprendre le sens que donnent les enseignants aux relations intergroupes du passé pour mieux se reconnaître et se positionner par rapport à l'Autre. La démarcation majoritaire/minoritaire floue entre francophones et anglophones ainsi que le curriculum d'histoire commun, mais non-consensuel, offre un terrain fertile pour la recherche. Cet article présente les résultats d'une étude sur les attitudes intergroupes et le traitement du programme d'histoire du Québec et du Canada par les enseignants francophones et anglophones respectivement en quatrième secondaire à Montréal. Si la plupart des répondants francophones manifestent de l'indifférence face aux réalités sociales et aux expériences historiques des Anglo-québécois, tous les répondants anglophones manifestent de l'empathie envers les premiers. Reflet du statut sociologique distinct de chaque groupe, cette divergence implique une dissemblance dans la manière dont les répondants historicisent le conflit français-anglais. Dans cette optique, le fait de ne pas reconnaître l'historicité des Anglo-québécois pourrait expliquer l'indifférence des répondants francophones.

Harmonizing Two of History Teaching’s Main Social Functions: Franco-Québécois History Teachers and Their Predispositions to Catering to Narrative Diversity

“…They rely on a specific and exclusionary historical narrative identity framework for making sense of reality and for thereby developing a sense of attachment to the province among their diverse student bodies. This reliance moreover reflects the general workings of the historical consciousness of the larger Franco-Québécois public, including youth, the negotiations of which have been at the center of recent public debates regarding the integration of social diversity [64][65][66][67]. Secondly, these teachers are not well acquainted with the epistemological workings and wonders of history, which leads to question both the impact of their prior pre-service training on their pedagogical practices in the classroom and the types of strategies they actually do employ for fostering autonomous critical thinking skills among their students.…”

The Experiences of and Responses to Linguicism of Quebec English‐Speaking and Franco‐Ontarian Postsecondary Students

“…This fear is presented with a “zero‐sum” perspective, meaning that any perceived gain of one linguistic group results in a loss for the other linguistic group, and vice versa (Bourhis :21). This ideology reinforces an antagonistic “us versus them” relationship between the English and the French (Gosselin and Pichette :14), deeply embedded in Quebec's historical consciousness (Zanazanian :126). For some, a bilingual individual who can speak English can become a symbol of the regression of French in the province or of a slippery slope toward assimilation.…”

“…In the face of stigmatization, the majority of Quebec English‐speaking postsecondary students code‐switch and display an ambivalent attitude. The fact that history teachers in English‐language schools tend to present Quebec Francophones’ historical experiences empathetically (Zanazanian :124) may partially explain this ambivalence. For example, Henry has experienced stigmatization, but he can still contextualize Quebec's unique situation in North America.…”

“…It is only recently, in August 2017, that the provincial government has proposed the creation of the first French‐language university in Ontario (Katawazi ). The Quiet Revolution (1960 to 1970) did put an end to the control of the economy by an Anglophone elite in Quebec (Zanazanian :112). Combined with the implementation of several language laws in the 1970s to ensure the persistence of French language and culture, the Quebec Anglophone community became a minority (Bourhis and Foucher :14).…”

Education and linguistic boundaries in Québec: Student representations and pedagogical reflections from a critical perspective

“…Taking a different approach from the projects above, yet grappling with the same issues, Zanazanian (2011;in press (b)) has more recently suggested a project for the inclusion of Québec anglophones in the official Québec history curriculum. By interviewing francophone history teachers, Zanazanian (2008)…”