Multiple minorities and deceptive dichotomies: The theoretical and political implications of the struggle for a public French education system in Alberta
Year:
2010
Author :
Volume and number:
, 43 (2)
Journal:
, Canadian Journal of Political Science
Pages :
, 433-457
Abstract
In this article we re-establish the relevance of linguistic diversity by highlighting that French is a minority language spoken by a growing number of non-white and non-Christian minority groups, including Muslims. These groups are often characterized in contemporary Canada as essentially non-modern, traditional and opposed to secularism--characterizations that were used historically to depict French ethnic minorities as essentially Catholic, traditional and non-modern. Utilizing a historically grounded case study of the evolution of French language education rights in Alberta, the study reveals how "Franco-Albertans" are a linguistic minority comprised of other minorities. We also show the contradictions inherent in dichotomous representations of "secularism" when it comes to "Western" and "non-Western" societies, or "Christian" and "Muslim" groups. We argue that in expanding the discipline's focus to deal with a wider range of "groups," analysts need to attend to how "multiple minorities" may take analytically relevant forms, and be wary of evolutionary and dichotomous constructions of diverse "others."
Theme :
AlbertaEducationFrancophonesLinguistic minoritiesPolitical Science
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