Review

Mr.Mi History 40004

“Demonstrations of human intellectual achievement of a society: such as language, religious beliefs, art, traditions and other material goods” (p.98)

◦ Language, music, religion, art, media (could be seen as a type of expression or art), food, beliefs, collective values, social norms, taboos, etc.

Collective values are set of beliefs or traditions that the majority of the population follow or adhere to.

They are related to the idea of a Dominant Culture, or in other words = the Social Norm.

However not all values are commonly shared:

The distribution of wealth Religion The role of Quebec culture in Canada

An economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately or corporately owned and development is proportionate to the accumulation and reinvestment of profits gained in a free market.

“Capitalism.” Answers.com. 2010. Web. Jan 17 2010. <http://www.answers.com/topic/capitalism>

Consumerism is the idea that personal happiness can be obtained through consumption, the purchase of goods and services.

In economics, consumerism refers to economic policies placing emphasis on consumption. In an abstract sense, it is the belief that the free choice of consumers should dictate the economic structure of a society

“Consumerism.” Wikipedia. Jan 14 2010. Web. Jan 17 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Consumerism>

We as a society tend to take these things for granted in the assumption that everyone thinks the same way we do.

But as we saw with the example of China, there are many different conceptions of these types of ideas.

Culturally, many of our beliefs stem from these liberalist ideas.

Elements: Traditional Elements:

Recent Elements:

1) Diet

1) Music

1) Sports

Depending on your answers, you may have noticed that many of the things we consider “Canadian” are actually either European or they came from the Natives.

This is not surprising considering our background, and the amount of intermingling that must of occurred during the fur trade.

1. Language – probably the number one vehicle for the transmission of culture and expressions.

2. Education – Schools are the biggest supporters of things like the social norm, building the dominant culture into everyday life.

3. Media – some media is designed to educate, while others are there to entertain, either way cultural ideas are transmitted and supported through this medium!

Quebec is an excellent example of a tiny, unique culture, surrounded by a sea of people with different EVERYTHING.

And surprisingly, it is doing a very good job at protecting its culture through the preservation of its language, its educational system and even its media.

It is not easy, and it pisses off a lots of people, but the reality is that it works!

Spirituality – a strong respect for the balance of nature, the circle of life and even a sense of responsibility towards the land.

Generosity – much of the Amerindian way of life is based on giving and sharing.

Dreams – these are considered important communications and are sometimes warnings.

Spoken Word – History was taught through stories, and the elders were therefore the most respected and revered of the entire tribe.

With the arrival of the French, the trading of goods started to have an impact on the Amerindian way of life: copper pots, iron tools, knives, tissues, bread, alcohol and more.

The French belief was that they were at the center of the universe, as such they saw the Amerindian belief of being a part of nature as a “savage” belief.

Missionaries were sent to convert the simple minded Amerindians, and they concentrated on the Huron-Wendat because they were sedentary.

Far from the mother country, the French who lived in New France were slowly transformed.

Certain objects which were Amerindian became a part of French Canadian culture: Canoes, toboggans, snowshoes, tobacco…

And certain things that were European became Amerindian: knives, beads, pipes, guns…

As a result – a new culture was born that was neither Amerindian nor European.

The Catholic Church was probably the biggest cultural influence during those times, controlling education, hospitals, missions, parishes and of course – Religious Services.

Most of the settlers were under-educated and were therefore extremely terrified of going to hell.

This gave the Church an unprecedented amount of power.

The Bishop was even a part of the politics!

In the 17th century, the political structure of France was a Monarchy granted by divine will.

Thus, the King and the Church were seen as one entity – the Church promoted the rule of the King and the King gave the Church authority over education.

Also, according to the Church, even the King was subject to the judgment of God.

Because everyone was illiterate, traditions were passed on orally – thus, most of the cultural remains from this period come to us in the form of songs.

Storytelling, another Amerindian adaptation, was also very popular.

Culture was passed on at social gatherings and celebrations.

The most popular pass times were: playing cards, listening to stories, dancing (even though it was prohibited by the church) and the fiddle!

As New France and its inhabitants started to settle in to the Canadian climate and its geography, society began to adapt – especially through the Amerindian influence.

Canadians adopted growing local vegetables (squash, corn and beans) as well as Amerindian means of traveling (canoes and snowshoes).

Even family values started to mirror those of the Amerindians, with particular attention to how children were treated.

Basically, time and distance and many generations of settlers living closely with the Amerindians led to this new culture.

The Age of Enlightenment (with the help of Guttenberg) led to ideas like liberalism and capitalism.

The world was changing, and the seigneurial system was seen as “old” and “archaic.”

This kind of thinking eventually led to the French Revolution and the American Revolution.

When the Loyalists arrived after the American Revolution, they demanded a Legislative Assembly.

Unhappy with how much power it had, the Parti Patriote led a Rebellion in 1837-38, but they lost.

Durham wrote his famous report in 1839, suggesting the assimilation of the French by making them a political minority.

This was followed up with the Act of Union in 1840.

Although public school boards were created after the Act of Union – both the English and the French created Universities to help promote their respective cultures.◦ The English funded professional programs like

medicine, engineering and law.◦ The French were funded by the Church, so their

programs focused on art, literature and theology.

The creation of newspapers was the most popular form of media at the time.

The population was becoming more and more literate (thanks to the public boards!) and Newspapers offered a great medium for political expression.

Basically, newspapers were like the internet of the 1800’s – everybody wanted to be connected to what was going on.

Industrialization was one of the biggest things to happen to our society.

The population started to grow, people were leaving the country for the cities – everything was changing and changing fast!

People were suddenly living in dense, concentrated cities where sickness and poverty were common – how do you think this effected cultural expression?

What major change happened during the What major change happened during the 1800's until the early 1900's that 1800's until the early 1900's that fundamentally altered our society, its fundamentally altered our society, its economic distribution and therefore, its economic distribution and therefore, its forms of cultural expression?forms of cultural expression?

Because of the factor mentioned in Question #21, what did the Clergy and the government in Quebec try to promote? Because of industrialization and everyone

moving to the cities, the Quebec government and the Church started promoting a return to country living.

This was called the Agriculturalism movement and it led to the populating of areas like the Laurentians, Lanaudiere and the Lac St-Jean regions.

This movement continued right through the Great Depression (1929-1939)

Define Communism. What Communist and Socialist were adopted during the time in question #21 and why? Communism is where everyone in a

community is working towards a common goal – there is no private ownership!

During Industrialization, with the rise of the factory worker, communist and socialist ideas like Unions and Medicare were adopted to counter-act the growing issues that erupted from such an urban lifestyle.

Define Secularization? Secularization is the separation of the

Church and the State. This occurred in Quebec shortly after WWII. At first the Church was removed from

having influence over political decisions, then its influence over education and the hospitals was removed.

The other thing that was a problem was the Church’s stance that women were subservient to men.

Name a major liberation movement of the 20th century that would alter the cultural landscape of Canada's society. One of the biggest liberation movements of

the 21st century was the liberation of women. Beginning with the suffragettes in England

and ending with their help during WWII, the government could no longer ignore the fact that half of its population was being treated differently.

Feminism remains a problem today – because on average, women still earn less then men. But we are working on it…

What happened to Quebec Nationalism during the 20th century? Throughout the 20th century, Quebec

Nationalism continued to be supported by groups like the Société de St-Jean-de-Baptiste. (Street names, Newspapers, etc.)

Later, Quebec Nationalism would spilt into two main factions: the Federalists and the Neo-Nationalists.

One supported a unique Quebec inside of Canada while the other wanted to explore the idea of separation.

Name another major "Nationalist" movement within Canada during this time? At the same time, the Amerindians started

to assert themselves like Quebec – as a unique culture and society within Canada.

This movement is called Aboriginalism.