Religious studies in Francophone Canada

Abstract

The article gives a brief descriptive overview of Religious Studies departments (and programs) in Francophone Canada in general, and in Quebec in particular. The scope of inquiry is limited to officially recognized Francophone and bilingual departments. Following Alles (2008), the article privileges a specific understanding of Religious Studies departments: those who constrained themselves to a ‘scientific’ (secular), non-theological, approach to the study of religion. Therefore, Theology programs are excluded from the present survey; these programs represent, however, a large proportion of the academic study of religion in the province of Quebec.

Keywords:

• study of religion in Québec
• ethic and religious culture program
• secularization in Québec
• reasonable accommodation

Notes

¹We would like to redirect the readers to the official website of the Canadian Corporation for the Studies in Religion (http://www.ccsr.ca/) for a complete list of Theology programs in Canada. This website has also an exhaustive list of Canadian Academic Journals in Religion and Theology in both official languages.

²There are three such programs: Bishop's, McGill and Concordia. The readers should note that, in theory, students could turn in their assignments in French. However, in practice, it would depend on the proficiency of professors (and of the many part-time professors) in French. See Bishop's University, Sherbrooke, http://www.ubishops.ca/ccc/div/hum/rel/; Concordia University, Montreal, http://religion.concordia.ca/; McGill University, Montreal, http://www.mcgill.ca/religiousstudies/.

³The Faculty of Theology of the Université de Sherbrooke has MA / PhD programs in ‘études du religieux contemporain’ that would seem to fit the general category ‘Studies in Religion in Contemporary Society’. However, the overall orientation of the program needs further clarifications. For example, a student with a MA degree in Theology could apply to the PhD program. See n. 26 for more details.

⁴See the book reviews of M. Desjardins, R. Marcotte and P. Piovanelli in Studies in Religion/Sciences religieuses 31/1 (2002): 91-107. In regard of the history of the development of Religious Studies in different English-speaking provinces of Canada, there is an abundant literature on the subject (see Badertscher et al. 1993; Bowlby and Faulkner 2001; Fraser 1995; Gardaz 2006a; Neufeldt 1983; Remus et al. 1992; Remus 1999). We would like to redirect again the readers to the official website of the Canadian Corporation for the Studies in Religion (http://www.ccsr.ca/) for a complete list of Religious Studies departments in Canada.

⁵Such as ‘Les traditions amérindiennes; les traditions inuit; les cultes afro-brésiliens; les ritualités contemporaines; religion et sexualité; religion et architecture’.

⁶There is no canonical definition of the concept of Francophone. The mother tongue, the language spoken at home, is generally the criteria use by the Canadian researchers of Statistic Canada. However, there are several problems with this perspective. For further discussion, see Houle and Corbeil (2010).

⁷See the website of Statistics Canada: http://www.fcfa.ca/profils/index.cfm?Repertoire_No=2137989312.

⁸To take just few examples: Michel Desjardins from Wilfrid Laurier University (see the list of publications at http://www.wlu.ca/page.php?grp_id=72&p=1418) and Donald Boisvert of Concordia University (2002; 2004; and Boisvert and Gross 2005). There are also Francophone scholars born outside of Canada that are part of the regular staff of different English speaking universities, e.g., Michel Despland (born in Switzerland) at Concordia University; see in particular his 1988; 1991; 1999; 2002; 2003; and Despland and Vallée 1992.

⁹For example, Diane Steigerwald (California State University, Long Beach, USA) and Roxanne Marcotte (University of Queensland, Australia), both are Islamic Studies scholars; see Steigerwald 1990 ; 1997; 1998 and Marcotte 2006; 2008; 2010.

¹⁰For example, Micheline Milot (Sociology, UQAM), see 2007; 2008; 2009; P. Boglioni (History, UQAM), 2004; 2005; 2007; Martin Geoffroy (Sociology, Université de Moncton), Geoffroy, Vaillancourt and Gardaz 2007; Geoffroy and Vaillancourt 2008; and Geoffroy and Vaillancourt 2009. There are also those who were trained in Religious Studies, but are now teaching in other departments: D. Jeffrey (Education, Laval University) and J-Marc Larouche (Sociology, UQAM); see 1996; 2008; and Larouche and Ménard 2001.

¹¹For a history of the study of religion in schools, see Ryan 1969 and Ouellet 1985. The latter compares Quebec's school system with those of the USA, Britain and English Canada.

¹²At the 2009 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Religion held in Montreal, section A7-131 was dedicated to the theme of ‘Québec's New Ethics and Religious Culture Program’; seven papers were read.

¹³The new course is still hotly debated. The Loyola High School (a private Catholic school) won the first round of his fight against the Quebec government in June 2010. The school is now (at least temporarily) exempt from giving the course éthique et de culture religieuse according to the official guidelines.

¹⁴See http://www.fedecegeps.qc.ca/index.php?section=5.

¹⁵In brief, the debate began with a series of minor incidents: (1) when a Sikh student obtained the right from the court to wear his kirpan at school; (2) when Ultra-Orthodox Jews paid to install clouded windows in a YMCA so women training in shorts could not be seen from the windows; (3) when a young Muslim girl was forbidden to play soccer with her hijab; (4) when Muslim women asked to be seen only by a female doctor; (5) when a Muslim man asked for a male driving instructor, not a female instructor; (6) when a Jewish hockey player refused to play because a match fell on a Jewish holiday; and (7) when a Muslim woman wearing a burka wanted to vote without showing her face at an election.

¹⁶The mandate of the Commission stipulates the following: ‘take stock of accommodation practices in Québec; analyse the attendant issues bearing in mind the experience of other societies; conduct an extensive consultation on this topic; and formulate recommendations to the government to ensure that accommodation practices conform to the values of Québec society as a pluralistic, democratic, egalitarian society’. The public consultation is intended to ‘inform the Commission of the viewpoints of Quebecers of different generations, backgrounds and regions of Québec on the management of diversity and Quebecers' shared values; create a spirit and a forum conducive to dialogue between Quebecers of different origins; encourage reflection in the main communities concerned. All Quebecers are encouraged to express their viewpoints on a number of key dimensions underlying interethnic relations and harmonization practices (reasonable accommodation and concerted adjustments).’ For more details, see the government of Quebec website: http://www.accommodements.qc.ca/commission/mandat-en.html.)

¹⁷See http://www.accommodements.qc.ca/index-en.html. The AAR 2009 Annual Meeting also had a special session (A8-304) with Charles Taylor and Gerard Bouchard on the theme of ‘The Commission on Reasonable Accommodation in Québec’. It would seem, according to discussions during the session that the Quebec government has neglected to implement several recommendations made by both scholars.

¹⁸See Engler et al. 2008. Alles' 2008 book was the object of a Review Symposium published in Religion 39 (2009): 370-392. See also Gardaz 2010.

¹⁹Roman Catholicism has a very long history in the province of Quebec (Fay 2002; Ferretti 1999; Hamelin 1984; Hamelin and Gagnon 1984; Murphy and Perin 1996), and the place of this tradition was overwhelming until the Quiet Revolution of the 1960s. Catholicism has influenced all spheres of society, including the study of religion. If we compare the Quebec situation with other Catholic countries (see Alles 2008), we could say that it is relatively the same situation. In general, the Catholic institution saw the introduction of Religious Studies program as a treat to their Faculties of Theology. One should keep this particular characteristic in mind when one considers the place of Theology in Quebec.

²⁰Rousseau and Despland (1988) have criticized the past [we emphasize] quasi-occult power of the Catholic authorities upon the study of religion in Quebec. Let us not forget that several Religious Studies scholars were (and still are) working in one of Quebec's three main faculties of Theology: ‘Nous ne pouvons pas passer sous silence un dernier aspect qui touche au recrutement et au maintien d'un corps d'enseignant de qualité au niveau universitaire, celui des facultés canoniques catholiques. Dans les facultés de Théologie des universités Laval, de Montréal et de Sherbrooke, le pouvoir ecclésiastique peut donner ou retirer à un professeur la «mission canonique» d'enseigner […], sans répondre devant personne […] plus du tiers des professeurs des facultés canoniques de théologie ont été touchés de diverses façon par l'application des règles romaines […]. La collusion des autorités ecclésiastiques, des autorités universitaires et de l'État québécois pour maintenir des universitaires dans un rapport de servitude pourrait sembler un anachronisme risible’ (1988: 132–3).

²¹The web site (http://www.uqar.qc.ca/ethique/programme/) of this institution claims to have offered a MA program in Ethics since 1977.

²²He argues this point in the following manner: ‘Primo, l'étude du religieux et des religions peut incorporer l'éthique comme objet: soit l'étude des éthiques religieuses … ou encore celle des éthiques séculières qui prennent une dimension religieuse. Secundo, l'étude du religieux peut être interpellée par les enjeux et problèmes éthiques suscités par le facteur religieux… Tertio, l'étude du facteur religieux peut être intégrée dans une démarche réflexive de type éthique, comme dans les domaines de la bioéthique et de l'éthique de l'environnement… quatro, l'étude du religieux peut mettre en cause l'éthique non seulement en aval ou sur son chemin, mais en amont, du lieu même du sujet épistémique s'interrogeant sur l'éthique de la connaissance et des procédures méthodologiques que celle-ci met en place’ (Larouche 1996: 6).

²³In the words of Roxanne Marcotte : ‘Larouche note le passage de la fin d'une religion à la quête de l'éthique de la société québécoise et l'émergence d'une “éthicologie” portée vers l'action (Université du Québec à Rimouski), d'éthiques sectorielles ou d'éthique appliquée (bioéthique, éthique professionnelle, des affaires, de l'environnement), d'études sur les mœurs et d'éthique religieuse comparée, à partir d'analyses sociologiques (philosophie sociale, et proposant une éthique de la responsabilité partagée dans l'articulation d'un nouveau rapport entre éthique et religion’ (Desjardins, Marcotte and Piovanelli 2002: 100).

²⁴As far as we know, there are no comparable graduate programs of éthique et religion, except the one in ‘Religious Ethics’ at McGill University.

²⁵Today, there is a PhD in ‘études du religieux contemporain’. There are three main foci to the program: ‘Religions et cultures comparées : s'intéresse principalement au phénomène du pluralisme culturel et religieux; Expériences religieuses et spirituelles: se concentre sur l'étude de la signification du religieux et du spirituel dans la société contemporaine; Discours religieux en contexte de modernité avancée: analyse la prise de parole des groupes religieux dans la société actuelle pour la défense d'une cause donnée ou pour un groupe culturel ou social particulier.’ See: http://www.usherbrooke.ca/fater/programmes-detudes/troisieme-cycle/doctorat-en-etudes-du-religieux-contemporain/. We would like to mention that l'Université de Sherbrooke has a summer programs (École d'été sur les religions et la modernité) in the field of religion at MA level. The 2010 edition (from May 10 to June 17) is dedicated to the subject: ‘Sectes et extrémisme religieux’.

²⁶The so-called ‘Quiet Revolution’ began in 1960 when the newly appointed Liberal government ended the ‘Grande Noirceur’ (the Great Darkness) of Maurice Duplessis's corrupt regime (between 1944 and 1959). We would like to underline that the Catholic clergy wholeheartedly supported this regime. The Roman Catholic Church controlled the fields of education and health care. In fact, French-Canadian society was in a very bad shape. The Royal Commission Laurendeau-Dunton (1965) highlighted that the majority of Quebecers lived below the poverty line; that their average income was 35% less than the one of Anglophones, and that 83% of the province's business executives were Anglophones. French-Canadians were considered second-class citizens, even if they accounted for the majority of the population of the province. In the harsh words of Pierre Vallières, Quebecers were the ‘White Niggers of America’ (1971); see http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/francophonie/HISTfrQC_s4_Modernisation.htm, and Bélanger, Comeau and Métivier (2000).

²⁷It would have been impossible to create such a department during Duplessis era. The political influence of the Catholic Church would have certainly prevented its emergence. In other words, it is difficult to imagine an alternative / competitive discourse on Religion during Quebec's so-called ‘Dark Ages’, when Protestants were still considered modern avatars of ‘heretics’. As we have already mentioned above, the place of Theology in the contemporary study of religion in Quebec may be metaphorically interpreted as a survival of the influence of the Catholic Church in the field of Education.

²⁸Like the majority of Religious Studies departments and faculties of Theology, there are short programs. In this article, we have only considered the regular ones.

²⁹In order to concentrate on full-time regular staff, we have left out the figures for Emeritus, part-time and adjunct professors, for all departments mentioned in this article.

³⁰The overall descriptions are the same for both (BA and MA) programs: ‘Les études en sciences des religions vous permettent d'analyser les divers enjeux touchant les phénomènes religieux, spirituels et les religions du monde principalement dans la société contemporaine. Vous aborderez cependant la question religieuse comme objet d'observation, avec un point de vue détaché d'une foi particulière. En plus de permettre le développement d'une culture religieuse générale (les approches générales du fait religieux ou les grandes traditions religieuses à travers le monde), les cours favorisent l'évolution d'un sens critique, tant à l'égard de sa propre expérience qu'à celui des phénomènes religieux et spirituels. Les nombreux programmes abordent en outre les composantes du christianisme en fonction du contexte social, culturel et politique, l'originalité des nouvelles religions se multipliant au Québec, les éléments de problématique sur les fondements humain et chrétien de l'obligation morale, etc.’ http://www.ftsr.ulaval.ca/enseignement/cycle_2.asp.

³¹For an overview of the history and development of the project, see Painchaud (2001). It is noteworthy to mention that the Institut d'études anciennes and the Faculté de théologie et de sciences religieuses are able to train students in ancient Greek, Latin, biblical Hebrew, Coptic, Syriac, Ethiopian and even Sanskrit (Painchaud, Kaler and Wees 2002: 79).

³²Readers should note that there is a BA in ‘en enseignement de l'éthique et de la culture religieuse au secondaire’, the new so-called contested program offered at the Elementary and High school levels.

³³Judging by the following description, this program seems very broad when closely compared with the one offered by UQAM, Laval and Concordia universities: ‘Les objectifs de ce programme sont d'amener les étudiants à produire des œuvres originales qui contribuent à l'avancement des connaissances dans la discipline; de former des chercheurs capables de d'effectuer des recherches d'envergure dans les secteurs universitaire, privé ou public; de former des professionnels dans des domaines sectoriels pertinents tels les enjeux posés par les milieux multireligieux ou par la place du religieux dans la société et dans les organisations’; see http://www.ftsr.umontreal.ca/etudes/superieurs.html#dsr.

³⁴It is sometime quite difficult to distinguish Religious Studies professors from those who are associated with the field of Theology.

³⁵Roxanne Marcotte believes that research in Quebec is ‘malheureusement bicéphale. Certaines traditions religieuses ne sont étudiées, presque exclusivement, que dans les universités Anglophones montréalaises (hindouisme, bouddhisme, islam). Est-ce là le signe d'une plus grande ouverture de la communauté anglophone sur la diversité culturelle et religieuse du Québec?’ (2002: 102).

³⁶See http://www.cerum.umontreal.ca/. Readers should note that there are several libraries in the city of Montreal. The university libraries of McGill University (including the Islamic Studies library), Concordia, UQAM, Université de Montréal, the Bibliothèque et archives Nationale du Québec (the Québec patrimonial archives [http://www.banq.qc.ca/accueil/], and the relatively small libraries of the CEGEPs of the island of Montreal.

³⁷There are, however, several universities for Francophones living outside of Quebec, but without any Religious Studies programs: the Campus Saint-Jean of the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Alberta; the Collège universitaire de Saint-Boniface, Winnipeg, Manitoba; Université de Hearst, Hearst, Ontario; Collège universitaire Glendon, Toronto, Ontario; Collège universitaire Dominicain, Ottawa, Ontario; and Université Sainte-Anne, Church Point, Nova Scotia.

³⁸The BA program ‘provides a firm general-knowledge base while also focusing on Aboriginal history, philosophy, religions, cultures and arts, and on the languages of Canadian and North American Aboriginal peoples’; see http://www.arts.uottawa.ca/eng/programs/aboriginalstudies.html.

³⁹Professor Vallely, in affiliation with the Shastri Indo-Canadian Institute (SICI), offer ‘the Study-Jainism-in India Summer Program. This unique program provides students from all over Canada an opportunity to participate in a cultural and educational immersion in an Indian environment (Mumbai, Jaipur, Varanasi and Delhi)’, see http://www.cla-srs.uottawa.ca/eng/pdf/Shastri_Institute.pdf.

⁴⁰The cumulative deficit of Quebec's universities network is US$453 million (May 2008). For specific examples, the deficit of Laval University amounts to $96 million; the one of McGill, $72 million; the Université de Montréal, $139 million; and $67 million for UQAM; see Leduc (2010).