Picking Up The Pieces of A Shattered Dream: Quebec and French America

Abstract

Contrary to the commonly held belief that following the British conquest, French Canadian society limited itself to a clearly defined geopolitical realm conceived as a stronghold into which a defeated people withdrew to build its future, Québécois civilization has been doggedly continental in scale. Events of recent years, including the successes and failures of the Quiet Revolution and the results of the 1980 referendum, lend credence to this view. Today Quebec remains both of and apart from the North American continent, hometoa web of kin that has been spun to even the most distant corners.