Beheading the Saint: Nationalism, Religion, and Secularism in Quebec
Geneviève Zubrzycki
Abstract
Beheading the Saint analyzes the genesis and transformation of national identity in Québec from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, with specific attention to the secularization of French Canadianness during the 1960s’ Quiet Revolution. Zubrzycki does so by tracing the symbolic career of St. John the Baptist, the national patron saint, in processions, parades and protests, which, she argues, contributed to the articulation of a new, secular Quebecois identity. She extends her analysis of nationalism, religion and secularism in Québec by examining recent debates on immigration, the reaso ... More
Beheading the Saint analyzes the genesis and transformation of national identity in Québec from the mid-nineteenth century to the present, with specific attention to the secularization of French Canadianness during the 1960s’ Quiet Revolution. Zubrzycki does so by tracing the symbolic career of St. John the Baptist, the national patron saint, in processions, parades and protests, which, she argues, contributed to the articulation of a new, secular Quebecois identity. She extends her analysis of nationalism, religion and secularism in Québec by examining recent debates on immigration, the reasonable accommodation of religious minorities’ practices, and the place of religious symbols in the public sphere.
Keywords:
nationalism,
national identity,
religion,
secularism,
Quebec
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2016 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780226391540 |
| Published to Chicago Scholarship Online: May 2017 |
DOI:10.7208/chicago/9780226391717.001.0001 |
