Le sort de la culture dans la francophonie canadienne : le discours du milieu associatif en contexte

Résumé

Le sort de la culture dans la francophonie minoritaire est examiné ici au sein de quatre événements phares des dernières années. Nous constatons une polysémie de la notion de culture, et une préférence pour des vocables mettant en scène l’individu et la pluralité. Au total, ces constats montrent une difficulté grandissante à exprimer, imaginer et vivre l’unité du groupe, difficultés qui toutefois se parent de couleurs particulières d’un contexte à l’autre. Intégrant un regard sociétal plus large, nous explorons ainsi les limites et possibles entourant cette ferme volonté de se ré-imaginer.

Abstract

French culture in minority settings in Canada is becoming increasingly diverse. In this article, we discuss francophone and Acadian communities living in minority settings in Canada. Francophones in Quebec, who constitute the majority in their province, are thus not directly addressed in this study. For some thirty years already, the changes that distinguish French minority culture have been undermining the conviction that this cultural group is homogenous and stable. The growth of the immigrant population within the francophone community – now representing nearly 8 % of the Canadian francophone population – is one such trigger for this change of perspective. Encounters between francophones from different regions of Canada are becoming increasingly common thanks to a dynamic labour market and increased mobility, and it is frequently these encounters between cultural universes that give rise to a questioning of the traditional identity markers in schools and community centres as well as in associations and government offices. Lastly, the increasingly closer cohabitation of francophones with the anglophone population in residential neighbourhoods, at work, and in recreational spaces also influences practices and representations of self. These « good » neighbourly relations are accompanied with new identity positionings, for example those associated with bilingualism.