
Political Science Faculty Publications and Presentations
Document Type
Book Chapter
Publication Date
1-23-2025
Abstract
The Québec state apparatus, which developed most fully starting in the 1960s, initially focused the objectives of Québec's cultural policy in the United States on the promotion of nationalism and the building of a national identity. Following the 1990s recessions, the Québec government adjusted its policies to partly focus its cultural policy on the marketing of cultural industries. Cultural industries have increasingly been promoted as helping build the national identity while providing jobs and contributing to Québec's GDP. Today, the Québec government's main objective in the United States is promoting and securing business opportunities. It explicitly pursues its cultural policy in the United States with this objective at the forefront. This paper seeks to answer the following question: How has the Québec government's cultural policy in the United States evolved since the 1960s? Overall, there has been a notable shift in Québec's cultural policy in the United States. It has become mainly pragmatic or utilitarian, serving as tool to advance economic benefits for the province. Using original archival research, government documentation, and academic literature, this chapter chronicles this shift that has taken place in the 1990s, while further discussing the implications of a utilitarian cultural policy in the long run.
Recommended Citation
Couture Gagnon, A. (2025). Québec's Cultural Policy in the United States: From Diplomacy to Industries. In: Gagnon, F., Kirkey, C., Paquin, S. (eds) The Québec-United States Relationship. Canada and International Affairs. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76113-3_14
Publication Title
The Québec-United States Relationship. Canada and International Affairs.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-76113-3_14
Comments
© 2025 The Author(s).
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