De Gaulle, Quebec and Canada: A Historiographic Review 50 Years Later

Description

Please note that this event is held in French.

Il y a 50 ans, lorsque de Gaulle a crié à Montréal “Vive le Québec libre”, il a semé la consternation en France, au Canada et seuls les indépendantistes et les nationalistes québécois semblent avoir apprécié son discours. Depuis, l’historiographie s’est chargée de décortiquer les raisons de son discours, ainsi que l’histoire plus large des relations France-Québec sous de Gaulle et les conséquences pour le Québec, de sa présidence. Les avis sont partagés, encore aujourd’hui, concernant la vision de de Gaulle sur le Québec et de ses projets, planifiés ou non, pour ses cousins d’outre-mer. Par contre, l’historiographie récente des relations franco-québécoises, a souligné un élément consensuel entre les chercheurs; celui de l’impact fondamental de de Gaulle sur la redécouverte de la France au Québec, mais aussi au Canada à travers les enjeux de la francophonie au sein même de la jeune diplomatie canadienne. Nous aborderons cette redécouverte à travers un bilan historiographique qui témoigne de la richesse de cette histoire.

When de Gaulle came to Montreal fifty years ago and shouted ‘’Vive le Québec libre’’, he spread dismay among the French and Canadian populations, and only the independentists and nationalists from Quebec seemed to have appreciated his words. Since then, historiography broke down the reasons for his speech as well as the wider historical ‘’France-Québec’’ relationship while de Gaulle was in power and the consequences of his presidency for Quebeckers. To date, opinions remain divided as to what de Gaulle’s vision and future projects for Quebec (his overseas cousins) were, whether these were planned or not. However, the recent historiography highlighted that there was a consensus on one element between the researchers; that being de Gaulle’s fundamental impact on the rediscovery of France in Quebec and in Canada, through what was at stake for the Francophony, within the young Canadian diplomatic circle itself. We will discuss this rediscovery through a historiographical review which testifies to this history’s richness.