Ireland and Quebec 1822-1839: Rapprochement and Ambiguity

Using primary source materials drawn from nineteenth-century Francophone newspapers, the author analyzes constructions of Ireland and the Irish in the pre-Rebellion period in Lower Canada. Nuances relating to constructions of the Irish in Quebec are explored. The author argues that Irish immigrants to Quebec form a transient hybrid identity with Francophone Canadians which she labels "Canadiennité". This new identity is counter balanced by discourses seeking to present the Irish as uniquely British, and thereby in opposition to Canadiennité. She claims that such analysis points to the ambiguity of writings on Ireland and the Irish in this key period, an ambiguity which has been absent from research to date.

The Canadian Journal of Irish Studies

Vol. 33

no. 1

75-81

Spring 2007

en