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 Web. Jan

 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 Web. Jan

 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 17 th 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 , 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?

 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 ( )

 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.

 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.

 One of the biggest liberation movements of the 21 st 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…

 Throughout the 20 th 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.

 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.