A History for the Future

by Letourneau, Jocelyn; Aronoff, Phyllis; Scott, Howard

• ISBN13: 9780773527249
• ISBN10: 0773527249
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2004-10-30
• Publisher: McGill Queens Univ Pr

Summary

In A History for the Future Jocelyn Létourneau, a leader of the new wave of Quebec intellectuals, examines the hotly debated topics of history and memory in Quebec and Canada. Rather than focus on the past itself, he considers the challenge of turning the past into a narrative that contributes to building a better society, thereby establishing a liberating legacy for that society's heirs. As relatively new societies whose memories and histories are built on European foundations, the interrelated narratives of Quebec and Canadian history provide a rich body of material for such a far-reaching reflection. By investigating the role Quebec's historical narrative plays for contemporary Quebecers, Létourneau shows how interpretations of the past affect a society's future. A History for the Future will be of interest to all those who reflect on the relationship between memory, giving meaning to the past, writing history, and a society's common aspirations.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	xi
1 "Remembering (from) Where You're Going": Memory as Legacy and Inheritance	3	(27)
2 Going from Heirs to Founders: The Great Collective Narrative of Quebecers as Revisited by Gérard Bouchard	30	(35)
3 What History for the Future of Canada?	65	(28)
4 The Fate of the Past: Risks and Challenges of Turning the Past into Narrative (Notes on Jacques Godbout's The Fate of America)	93	(7)
5 Toward a Revolution of Collective Memory: History and Historical Consciousness among Quebecers of French-Canadian Heritage	100	(25)
6 What Should We Pass On? Moving into the Future	125	(26)
Notes	151	(40)
Index	191