La frontière asymétrique : Franco-Ontariens et Anglo-Québécois dans la région de la capitale nationale

Type of resource
Authors/collaborators
Title
La frontière asymétrique : Franco-Ontariens et Anglo-Québécois dans la région de la capitale nationale
Abstract
The Francophone and Anglophone minorities of Gatineau-Ottawa appear to benefit from a privileged location. Living very close to their respective majorities, they simply have to cross the border in order to access resources to live in their own language and share their culture. However, a qualitative analysis by the authors of the discourse by Anglo-Quebecers and Franco-Ontarians about their everyday life in the National Capital Region shows that the provincial border has more complex and often contradictory effects. The authors focus on four particular manifestations of the border: (1) the border is transparent so that one can cross the Ottawa River without hindrance in certain contexts yet rather opaque in others; (2) one may transcend minority status through the strategic use of the border; (3) it creates a multi-topic imaginary geography in which the border itself often becomes mobile; and (4) finally, the border can act as a mirror when the cross-cultural intermixing it allows causes the Anglo-Quebecers and Franco-Ontarians to question their identities, a questioning which would not be as intense in the absence of the border. The authors found that the comparison of these two minorities makes it possible to highlight the asymmetrical nature of the effects of the border on the everyday life of these two minority populations, on their identities, and their sense of belonging.
Publication
The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien
Volume
Vol. 55
Issue
no. 4
Pages
470-489
Date
Hiver 2011
Language
fr
Citation
Gilbert, Anne, and Marc Brosseau. “La frontière asymétrique : Franco-Ontariens et Anglo-Québécois dans la région de la capitale nationale.” The Canadian Geographer / Le Géographe canadien Vol. 55, no. 4 (Hiver 2011): 470–489.
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