The historico-shockumentary Je Me Souviens by Mile End artsy Eric Scott from 2002 discusses how Esther Delisle did a Phd thesis about the support that intellectual elites gave to fascists and other nasties in the 1930s and beyond. Her findings were met with icy silence.
She was grudgingly allowed to have her Phd but her career was permanently stalled thereafter. G-A Lafleur voted against, saying that she took what were meant as jokes in Le Devoir and judged them as editorial policy.
To his credit he agrees to be interviewed to explain his position. Also nabbed on camera are such now-departed peeps as Jean Louis Roux, you'll recall that he was named our provincial rep of the Queen but had to decline cuz someone saw him wear a swastika as a kid. He also gets Robert Paxton interviewed at the end.
He's an esteemed scholar of France on those years and gives Delisle the thumbs-up.
Scott makes a couple of references to the case of Dr. Montel, a Nazi collaborator who stayed in Quebec with the support of the Quebec elite, as well as many other fascinating tidbits in this film which is real food for thought. Getting a copy of the doc involves contacting Scott directly. Eric Scott can be reached at videotron.ca with his name preceding the at sign.
Got this one in the Peabody Archives. It aired on the History Channel a few years back.
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Antisemitism was rampant all across North America in the 30s. I don't see the point in bringing this back 80 years later so that ignorant people can use this as a reference when bashing Quebecers in the comment section on every single articles posted about Quebec in the National Post or the Globe. Someone should make a PhD thesis on rampant Antiquebecism across Canada...the hate is frightening...and tolerated
ReplyDeleteI understand your point but I think you're overstating it a bit. Delisle's work is legit and it only became newsworthy and controversial really when academics freaked out about her research, it would have otherwise gone largely overlooked.
ReplyDeleteQuebec is well deserving of its bashing. It continues to glorify its anti semitic past as can be witnessed by the unfortunate naming of Groulx for the metro. These roots make their appearance consistently in Quebec society. The Jews and other minorities, not true Quebecers, caused the loss for the 1995 referendum. Years later, during the Accomondation Hearings, Quebecers were televised complaining that if the Jews didn't demand that Coca Cola was kosher, it would be cheaper for local Quebekkkois consumption. And lets not forget Herouxville, because Arabs are Semites as well. This province needs an enema.
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