Paper short abstract:

I explore how critiques of multiculturalism in Quebec since the 1960s have lead to the development of an implicit interculturalist approach as part of a broader nationalist movement. I emphasise shifts in and discrepancies between institutional and everyday discourses on cultural diversity.

Paper long abstract:

I will examine Quebec's critique of multiculturalism and attempt to develop interculturalism as an alternative approach to cultural pluralism since the 1960s. Significantly, Quebec's development of an implicit policy of interculturalism to manage ethno-cultural diversity has occurred at the same time as the provincial government has used its institutional powers in an attempt to define and protect Quebec's identity as the only majority French-speaking territory in North America. In a highly politicised climate, many Quebec nationalists have criticised multiculturalism for turning francophone Quebecers into one of many ethnic groups within Canada, instead of viewing the province as a territorially bounded nation with a distinct language and culture. A precarious balance exists between openness to diversity and protecting the distinctly francophone heritage and character of Quebec's long-dominant majority population, which tends to view itself as a fragile minority within North America. While politicians of different persuasions and large sectors of public opinion view interculturalism as a 'more appropriate' model to Quebec's singular geo-political predicament and an important part of Quebec's distinctiveness from the rest of Canada, the Quebec government has never comprehensively defined interculturalism, and there exists an interesting disparity between official and popular understandings of what this concept means in practice. Quebec's interculturalism policy therefore offers a revealing example for tracing shifts in institutional practices, discourses, and everyday experiences, as well as providing parallels to other (mostly European) societies where diversity has lead to significant social tensions and the questioning of multiculturalism, notably the United Kingdom, France, and Germany.