New ebooks From Canadian Indies
Description
Bilingualism has become a defining aspect of Canadian identity. But why don’t more English Canadians actually speak French? So They Want Us to Learn French explores the various ways in which bilingualism was promoted to English-speaking Canadians from the 1960s to the late 1990s. It analyzes the strategies and tactics employed by organizations on both sides of the bilingualism debate. Attentive to the dramatic background of constitutional change, economic turmoil, demographic shifts, and Quebec separatism, Matthew Hayday’s vivid account places the personal experience of Canadians faced with the issue and reality of Canadian bilingualism within a historical, political, and social context.
Contributor Notes
Matthew Hayday is an associate professor of Canadian history at the University of Guelph. He is the author of Bilingual Today, United Tomorrow: Official Languages in Education and Canadian Federalism and co-editor of Mobilizations, Protests and Engagements: Canadian Perspectives on Social Movements and Contemporary Quebec: Selected Readings and Commentaries, as well as many scholarly articles and book chapters on issues related to political history, Canadian language policies, English-French relations, national identity, federalism, commemorations and Canada Day celebrations. He was the founding chair of the Canadian Historical Association’s Political History Group and has served on the editorial boards of the Canadian Historical Review, the Journal of the Canadian Historical Association and the Journal of Canadian Studies. He is currently the series editor for Oxford University Press Canada’s “Living History” Canadian history book series.
Editorial Reviews
...So They Want Us to Learn French. Promoting and Opposing Bilingualism in English-speaking Canada est à la fois informatif mais aussi symptomatique d’un problème profond et souvent occulté que peu de politiciens canadiens osent regarder en face.
— The Journal of Canadian Studies
Hayday’s work is a careful account of the English Canadian response to the Official Languages Act and French immersion programming that effectively illustrates the divisions of public opinion on these controversial programs. It is a valuable addition to our understanding of the evolution of English Canadian opinions regarding Canadian identity, official bilingualism, and national unity.
— Historical Studies in Education
Hayday’s work is solid, carefully researched, and written in an accessible style … [T]he entire book is worthwhile reading, for it tells an important story of efforts, not by political decision-makers or paper-pushers but by grassroots activists, to transform English Canada’s linguistic identity one classroom at a time.
— Canadian Journal of History
