Québec’s Quiet Revolution: Cultural and Political Legacies
Often used to describe the period of political and social change that took place in the province of Québec during the 1960s and the 1970s, the expression “Quiet Revolution” has become a category of mythological proportions in the Canadian collective memory. This historical period is understood as a moment of liberation during which Québec society supposedly entered modernity, leaving behind the traditional domination of the Catholic Church and la grande noirceur (the great darkness) of the conservative government of Maurice Duplessis. The persistence of this compelling – but also simplistic – narrative, which like any revolution suggests a distinction between a Before and an After, speaks as much about the period itself as the way Québec society thinks of itself today.
This course focuses on the political and cultural dimensions of the Quiet Revolution, and its perceived legacy 50 years later. We will give particular attention to the heated debates that came along with the adoption of new measures to strengthen French language and culture in the public space, and we will follow the rise of the nationalist movements that culminated in the referendums of 1980 and 1995. Through the study of music, art, works of fiction, films and documentaries, students will develop a better understanding of the transformations that paved the way to the emergence of a new Québécois identity.
Required Texts
Michel Tremblay, Les Belles Soeurs, translated by John Van Burek & Bill Glassco.
Michel Tremblay, Yours Forever, Marie-Lou, translated by Linda Gaboriau.
Lise Tremblay, Judith’s Sister, translated by Linda Gaboriau.
Films and Documentaries
Pierre Perrault, Pour la suite du monde (1963)
Gilles Groulx, The Cat in the Bag (1964)
Jean-Claude Labrecque, La visite du général de Gaulle au Québec (1967)
Robin Spry, Action: The October Crisis of 1970 (1973)
Robin Spry, Reaction: A Portrait of a Society in Crisis (1973)
Michel Brault, Orders (1974)
Denys Arcand, Comfort and Indifference (1982)
Jackie Corkery, Breaking Point (2005)
Prerequisite: None
Language of instruction: English