tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post1474268830350937211..comments2024-02-27T12:22:18.162-05:00Comments on French North America: 1930s Ethnic Study: Franco-Americans Break Sociological MoldFrenchNorthAmericahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14386393186614622370noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post-16010304253089166672015-04-08T20:20:14.619-04:002015-04-08T20:20:14.619-04:00David I think much of this due to two things the s...David I think much of this due to two things the strong Nationalism and resistance to assimilate to an Anglo-culture and a strong prejudice among New England Wasps towards French Canadian especially Catholic ones. I know there was a strong dislike of anything to do with the United Kingdom among my Grandparents and any relative I met visiting from Quebec. I know many of my Father's First Cousins would almost be labeled insurgents during the 1960s and 1970s for their involvement in groups seeking an independent Quebec Nation. I know the families like my Grandfather; his brother and others from Quebec who emmigrated to cut timber and work in the lathe mill founded; owned and operated by my Grandpa's Uncle in very rural Minnesota kept to themselves and when the lumber business had run its course, many other than my Grandpa and his brother who had started businesses of their own, returned to Quebec. I know my Father was given a hard time that us kids did not speak French. Had their been a community of Quebecois here in Northern Illinois, my Grandparents would have associated with that community almost exclusively as they had in Minnesota, although they had been in the US well over a decade, my Grandmother did not learn English until she moved to Northern Illinois, my Grandfather had to in order to conduct business with English speakers. I think some of the resistance to assimilate is out of anger, anger that we were abandoned to the English, the Candadiens, did not choose to become part of the United Kingdom Empire as other immigrant groups, they did not make some great journey to a land of opportunity, it was forced on us and even the ones who did emmigrate to New England did so not so much out of choice but to escape the discrimination and abject poverty they faced in Quebec to work in the Mills and fill other jobs that others did not want to do. Much like what many of the Hispanics face now, I grew up around many of them, the ones of my youth had been in America for generations and families that trace their roots to what is now America for 100s of years. But my Catholic parish is well over 60% Hispanic and of the more recent arrival, I see less of a desire to assimilate, much of it motivated by the exploitation many of the undocumented ones face in the work place and some of the blatant hatred expressed towards them. Why try to assimilate into a community that uses them, doesn't want them here except for the money they can make off the backs of their labor. We wouldnt have any undocumented workers if someone wasn't giving them work. I think some of the zest for an independent Quebec was lost when the referendums lost. But that dislike for the British Empire and a desire for a Independent Quebec State was passed on to me; I guess that is part of what drives my desire to preserve and learn more of my Canadien Ancestry. robertj.blaishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03482804195991097788noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post-4576220983323480472013-07-11T12:34:18.850-04:002013-07-11T12:34:18.850-04:00Bravo pour votre magnifique travail. Il est essent...Bravo pour votre magnifique travail. Il est essentiel.<br /><br />Sortira sur nos écrans demain le 12 juillet 2013 un film Québécois relatant l'histoire extraordinaire de Louis Cyr, ce Fraco-Américain devenu célèbre dans le monde entier. A voir<br /><br />jF Drapeau<br />BouchervilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post-64411147082402230372013-04-22T12:08:49.348-04:002013-04-22T12:08:49.348-04:00James, thanks for your comment. The study found so...James, thanks for your comment. The study found something interesting with respect to your last point. It found that other groups such as the Greeks and Italians, like the Francos, intended at first to return home after "making good" in the States. It is often said that this intention was unique to Francos, but the research found that this profile fit some of the other groups as well. However, the study found that groups that had faced violent persecution in their homelands, such as the Jews and Armenians, had every intention of remaining in the States from their first steps onto American soil. They had burned their bridges, and this gave them an incentive and a determination to establish themselves rapidly, which meant accepting the mainstream culture more readily. FrenchNorthAmericahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14386393186614622370noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post-47576572323189209152013-04-22T11:44:45.224-04:002013-04-22T11:44:45.224-04:00Excellent post and a great way to begin talking ab...Excellent post and a great way to begin talking about the place of French Canadians in the wider American context. This is an area that I think will help many people who belong to this ethnic group more fully understand their place in the American scene. There is a sense I get in following public discussions among F/C that there is a "pride" attached to our ethnic heritage, but they cannot really tie it to something concrete. Let's hope this ongoing conversation will create more awareness of our unique culture.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2100309275954918641.post-55307538341980439892013-04-22T11:37:40.051-04:002013-04-22T11:37:40.051-04:00Fascinating. It's interesting to see how socio...Fascinating. It's interesting to see how sociological analysis reflects the thinking of the time. I think you're quite right in your two main contentions. That Francos measured success differently brings to mind the assumption that the appropriate career for an intelligent boy was the priesthood. I also would agree that for many Canadiens, Anglos were Anglos, no matter which side of the border they lived. And surely the experience of discrimination and domination validated this notion.<br /><br />I also think that the authors of the study overlooked two other differences - French Canadians arrived in larger numbers than many of these groups (with the possible exception of the Irish, depending on the community). This gave them less incentive to assimilate and it was possible to live one's life primarily or entirely in Petit Canada alongside other Francos. The other missing piece is the connection to the homeland - none of the European immigrants could go home on the train at regular intervals. These two factors also apply to today's Latino diaspora in the US.James Myallnoreply@blogger.com