Boundaries of Identity: A Quebec Reader

Terry A. Crowley is an associate professor of history at the University
of Guelph.

“What does Quebec want?” is a question more rhetorical than
substantive, though it is asked repeatedly. In this imaginatively
crafted reader, Montreal bookstore-owner William Dodge provides the
essential signposts with which an interested reader might begin to
explore various facets of the province.

What is so impressive about this anthology is the wide variety of
voices assembled. Writers, academics, dramatists, politicians,
filmmakers, journalists, and activists are all ably represented in
tightly edited selections. No other anthology brings together such a
diversity of perspectives within such well-chosen themes.

Aboriginal peoples, the independentist/federalist options, women,
immigrants, and the anglophone minority constitute the principal issues
addressed. All these subjects are then summed up in a concluding section
that addresses the future of Quebec.

What the rest of Canada is confronted with is the increasing complexity
of the old question. As the province has become more multifaceted and as
various new groups have found ways to make greater contributions, the
direction of Quebec society no longer rests solely with a male,
francophone majority. Quebec society today is much more heterogeneous
than it was 30 years ago, when poet/lawyer Frank Scott edited a volume
in which the province stated its case.

This anthology reveals the broader approach that needs to be taken if
we are to understand Quebec today. Though it will reward general
readers, the book will be particularly valuable in university
classrooms.