Study Guide for Mann, Dream of Nation

Mann’s work is not really that old (1982), but already it is regarded as a classic (and thus reprinted, 2002, in the Carleton Library Series, with a new introduction by the author). There are several reasons for choosing Dream of Nation as a text for this course.

1. Its subject, the “dream of nation” in Quebec, is central to themes of the course. Mann recounts events, but her focus is on the intellectual and identity aspects of Quebecois nationhood, that is, how opinion leaders and the people at large thought of themselves. The “French Fact” in Canadian history is essential to our course. Mann helps us take this seriously, as a matter of ideas and values rather than just politics.

2. Mann has a feminist take on events and ideas. Within the general subject of how Quebecois nationhood evolved in Canada, she also traces how feminism evolved in Quebec. This layered approach makes for a richer narrative. At times her attempt to establish a feminist perspective reveals the paucity of historical literature on which to draw, but that is itself instructive as to the development of historical scholarship as of the 1980s.

3. The author writes for the benefit of English speakers. The book is the effort of an insider to explain things to outsiders. Sometimes the narrative is fairly dense, because the ideas are serious, but overall the work is accessible, because that is the author’s intent.

In addition to being a distinguished scholar, Mann pursued a career in university administration, culminating in the presidency of York University. Read here about her receipt in 1997 of an honorary doctorate from the University of Montreal for her “major contribution towards an improved understanding of the intellectual and cultural history of Quebec” and for being “especially innovative in introducing feminist concerns into a general history of Quebec.” Earlier Mann served as president of the Canadian Historical Association, and you can read her presidential address here.

Chapter	Questions
Prefaces	Works of History are in a sense timeless, but they also are creations of the historians’ particular places and times. What were the origins of this book?
1. The Dream of Empire	Why did this “dream of empire,” French empire in North America, not become a reality? What happened to it?
2. Conquest	After learning the facts of the British conquest, address Mann’s main point: What is the significance of conquest to the founding vision of Quebec?
3. An Other’s Empire	So, Britain tried to make Quebec an English colony, but, “It never quite worked.” Why not? What happened instead?
4. The Birth of Nationalism	Nationalism was a worldwide phenomenon in the 19^th century. Who were the Nationalists of Quebec? How did they engineer an early sense of nation?
5. For Whom the Bell Tolls	The bell tolled “the defeat of reform”—liberal political reform. What did the Quebec reformers (or rebels) want, and what did British policy propose in response?
6. Alliance for Survival	To survive union with English Canada, French Canada organized a cultural defense of itself. How—through what institutions—was this expressed?
7. The Confederation Risk	Bleu and Rouge contended over whether to take the risk of confederation. The Bleus won. This sets up the big metaphor on pp. 112-13 about how French and English might live together in Canada. Explain it.
8. The Clerical Offensive	Ultamontanism is the key term here. What was it? What were its expressions?
9. Nobody Meant to Stay	Where were the French Canadians going? How did this change Quebec?
10. The End of Empire	What were the reasons for disillusionment and destabilization in the late 19^th century? How did the political balance shift to reflect the change?
11. The Twentieth Century Belongs to Quebec	What forces and issues gave rise to Francohone nationalism in Quebec at the close of the 19^th century and the beginning of the 20^th?
12. Feminism, Nationalism, and the Clerical Offensive	This is a key chapter for the incorporation of feminism in Quebec history, so—As Quebec shed its “agricultural skin”, what sorts of responses to industrialization were proposed by feminists, nationalists, and priests?
13. The Prussians Are Next Door	Auto tags in Quebec bear the legend, “Je me souviens.” This chapter is about historical memory. What historical memory did politicians of different stripes carry forward from the Great War?
14. Abbe Groulx Sounds the Alarm	Who was Abbe Groulx? What did he propose in order to ensure survival of “a distinctive French Canada”?
15. The Search for Equilibrium	How might stability be achieved in the face of the Great Depression? What should women do? What was the change of government?
16. Ottawa’s War	World War II overwhelmed nationalist conceptions of a distinctive French Canada. What were the main signs of this, the greatest threats to the Francophone order?
17. Rally Round the Flag	In the face of North American unity and the threats to nationalist Quebec, how might political leaders and the Roman Catholic church defend the Francophone dream?
18. Ici Radio-Canada	How might Quebec reap the benefits of progress—cease to be backward and insular—and at the same time retain and vitalize Francophone culture? What role might popular media play in this?
19. Noisy Evolution	How did the Quiet Revolution become noisy? With language politics and the rise of a “providential state,” how did Francophone expectations in Quebec change and elevate?
20. Feminism, Federalism, and the Independence of Quebec	Commenting on the referendum of 1980, Mann closes, “somewhere in the confusion over feminism, federalism, and the independence of Quebec, Reve Levesque’s dream of nation dissipated.” How did these three competing ideals complicate the dream?

HIST 382