Being a sociologist in Acadie, I would say, comes with a great social responsibility. We are also very closely connected to our issues, to what is happening around us. Because ultimately, if we don’t study these environments, no one else will.
My name is Michelle Landry. I am a sociology professor at the Université de Moncton and the Canada Research Chair in Francophone Minorities and Power.
Acadie commonly refers to the Francophones of the eastern part of the country. By “east,” I mean the four Atlantic provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, which has a very small Francophone population; Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, which have a somewhat larger Francophone population but still represent a small demographic weight within their provinces; and New Brunswick, where Francophones make up a third of the population, giving them a more significant demographic and political presence compared to the other provinces. Historically, Acadie was a colony during the era of New France. Its population was deported in the 18th century, but a portion remained on the territory and has maintained its Acadian identity ever since. This identity was reinforced by a nationalism that emerged in the 19th century and continues today, with its own institutions, national holiday, and flag. However, from a political standpoint, in today’s Canadian federation, we are Francophones in a minority situation—commonly referred to as Francophones outside Quebec. We share this social and political reality. My research focuses both on Acadie and more broadly on Francophone communities in Canada or Francophones in minority settings.
The work of my research chair leads me to reflect on power. By power, I mean both the power of influence and the ability to manage one’s own affairs—the capacity of a people or a community seeking a certain level of autonomy and control over their own affairs. How does a society that does not have its own state or government manage to maintain some level of control and agency over itself? These are the major questions that shape my research. Regarding the power of influence, this includes political and governmental spheres, as well as interactions with other groups—Anglophones, Canada as a whole, Anglophones in general, and also Quebec. Increasingly, I also work from a social movements perspective. We have language policies and linguistic rights in Canada, but how were they achieved? They didn’t just appear magically, nor were they granted by governments out of goodwill. They were the result of long-term mobilization—by groups, parents, and citizens who fought for recognition. My research focuses significantly on what are commonly called Francophone organizations in Canada—community associations that represent minority Francophones. There is an umbrella organization, the FCFA (Fédération des communautés francophones et acadienne), as well as spokesperson organizations in each province, and many sectoral organizations representing Francophone youth, parents, and seniors. I am interested in how these organizations operate. They can theoretically be seen as social movement organizations, even though they engage more in lobbying. At their core, they are activist organizations that seek to defend the rights and interests of Francophones.
This social movement perspective has also led me to study the counter-movement—groups that oppose the advancement of rights and policies that benefit the Francophone minority. This movement is commonly known as the anti-bilingualism movement. My research focuses on New Brunswick, where we have seen a resurgence of this movement since around 2010. It began developing on Facebook, leading to the creation of associations and even a political party that can be described as populist—the People’s Alliance. This movement primarily opposes the bilingualism requirement for public sector jobs. From their perspective, they see themselves as victims, claiming that they face unequal opportunities for good public service jobs. Many Anglophones are not bilingual, whereas most Francophones are, leading them to perceive this as an unfair advantage. However, they fail to acknowledge that Francophones had to learn English. This movement tends to ignore the reality of Francophones as a minority.
I believe there is a strong legitimacy to the sociology of Acadie or within Acadie because we can offer interpretations and analyses of the environment we live in. As Francophones in a minority setting, we have expertise in this field. For example, at the Université de Moncton, several researchers focus on minority Francophones and Acadie, creating a strong knowledge base. There is still much research to be done. In other fields, much of the work has already been conducted, whereas in our case, we are still relatively few in number, leaving many research areas open to exploration.
