A Lower North Shore Story : Containers for Feminist Place-Making in Québec, Canada

The author examines current efforts by the woman-led Lower North Shore Bioproducts Solidarity Coop on the northeastern coast of Quebec to re-brand their region for sustainable economic growth. This cooperative is using the narrative tools of social media to counteract stories of decimation following the collapse of the fishing industry in the region in the 1990s. The goal of the Coop is to create jobs in the community through the production and export of local products made from wild berries and other plants. The author notes that through their creative use of Facebook and YouTube, narratives about the Lower North Shore are changing. The use of online platforms for sharing videos and stories allows the community to re-create itself through the lens of environmental stewardship rather than exploitation. The author maintains that these efforts can be seen as a form of feminist place-making. Her photo-essay argues that using the discourse of "terroir" to re-brand the region for outside consumption has the dual possibilities of valuing non-invasive, seasonal fruit harvesting performed on a small scale by locals, and also opening the door to detrimental transformation of the land. The author's analyzing of the deployment of the term "terroir" in this case points to its ambiguous potential for sustainable development.

Gender, Place & Culture : A Journal of Feminist Geography

Vol. 27

no. 7

965-983

July 2020

en