Is nationalism left or right? Critical junctures in Québécois nationalism*

Abstract

Sub-state nationalist parties of the industrialised West occupy different positions along the left-right political spectrum. Despite the similarities of their political agendas, these parties adopt different ideological identities. This paper seeks to explain the choice of party position and the long-term consistency of these positions by employing a path-dependent perspective. The focus is first, on the critical junctures during which such choices are made; and second, on the mechanisms of continuity ensuring the persistence of the left-right identities. The argument is explored within the empirical context of Que´be´cois nationalism.

Nationalism and ethnic heterogeneity: The importance of local context for nationalist party vote choice

“…More directly relevant to the current research project, they explain that "sub-state identities that sought recognition and autonomy in multinational countries were always tied either to the left or to the right, depending on the class and political alliances that defined them." On this topic, they agree with Guibernau (2013) and Erk (2010) that modern Qu ebec nationalism is social-democratic or left-wing. Based on this research we expect left-wing voters to be more likely to support the Bloc Qu eb ecois.…”

The paradox of nationalism: The common denominator of radical right and radical left euroscepticism

“…The relationship between nationalism and left‐wing radicalism may be traced historically as the ‘product of the Enlightenment and the French revolution’ (Erk 2010: 425), where there is a close link between nationalism and civic concepts such as ‘popular sovereignty’ (Yack 2001) and ‘class’ (Schwarzmantel 1987). The combination of the national, class (Hobsbawm 1990; Mevius 2011) and popular dimensions of the French Revolution culminated in directing ‘its struggle against the social elite of its own ethnie’ (Smith 2004: 203) – in other words, in the equation of nation and people, seen from below as representing the common interest of the nation against the privileged elites (Hobsbawm 1990: 20).…”

The Place of Québec in Canadian Interest Group Federalism

“…Groups active in Québec must frame their arguments differently, so that they are not primarily about federal issues, or not primarily about federalism as a concept, but about Québec in particular. There are many other differences specific to the types of groups one considers; national labor unions, for instance, are less unified in Québec than elsewhere (although at the provincial level, Québec-based unions are arguably more influential) due to the role of the pre-Quiet Revolution Catholic Church in shaping labor politics (Graefe 2005); business groups must contend with historical differences in the relationship between Anglophone and Francophone businesses before and after the Quiet Revolution; and advocacy groups must also contend with the relationship between the sovereigntist movement and their issues (see, for example, Erk 2009). For the most part, though, providing at least a semblance of asymmetry would seem in the interest of groups-a provincial group can make stronger representational claims and can accommodate its message to the norms of Québec politicians.…”