The Montreal Massacre: A Story of Membership Categorization Analysis

Naomi Brun is a freelance writer and a book reviewer for The Hamilton
Spectator.

On December 6, 1989, Marc Lepine burst into the Йcole Polytechnique in
Montreal. Shouting “You’re women. You’re going to be engineers.
You’re all a bunch of feminists,” he opened fire and killed 14 women
before turning the gun on himself. This crime, certainly one of the most
horrific in Quebec history and definitely the most brutal anti-feminist
act ever committed in Canada, has left an indelible mark on all
Canadians. For many women in this country, it is their equivalent to the
day JFK was shot.

Dr. Peter Eglin and Dr. Stephen Hester, professors at Wilfrid Laurier
University in Waterloo, Ontario, and the University of Wales, Bangor,
have conducted an ethnomethodological study of the Montreal massacre.
Using the membership categorization analytical approach, they examined
how the media presented Lepine and the women to the public. Labels and
associated behaviours were of particular interest in the study, as
terminology can influence public perception so greatly. Calling the
women “feminists,” for example, has a completely different
connotation than calling them “victims,” at least in this current
culture.

Despite the authors’ focus on media stories and commentary, their
book has managed to avoid any of the sensationalism usually associated
with the news. The Montreal Massacre is a scholarly work, and an
enriching one. Although I was initially uncomfortable with placing this
tragedy under the microscope, the authors’ sensitive treatment soon
dispelled these qualms. Academics from a variety of humanities
disciplines will find the book enlightening, but its approach is too
studied to be of interest for the average Canadian.