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This study presents the results of a comparison between perceptions related to the difficulties of integrating the labour market in Quebec and Canada, as measured in Statistics Canada and Employment and Immigration Canada's Labour Market Activity Survey (1986-1987), and the difficulties actually experienced, estimated by the objective reasons for quitting a job. It then presents a follow-up of the iteration of sub-groups who have perceived such integration difficulties. The core question consists in verifying the foundations of a widespread opinion according to which individuals are more and more responsible for their probability of being employed, mainly due to their lack of instruction or experience. This study shows that some sub-groups overestimate the weight of their individual responsibility in facing the probability of being employed, as opposed to the responsibility linked with the structural factors. As the follow-up of sub-groups' iteration also shows, the youth likely to enter the labour market, as well as the poorly and moderately schooled sub-groups, experience the most difficulties.

This paper concerns the case study in sociology, and in the social sciences in general. The classical definition attributed to the case study is examined here by recalling the methodological conflict in sociology, marked by a rift between qualitative and quantitative methods, and by a retrospective look at the well-known case studies that American researchers devoted to French Canada (or Quebec), more particularly to its rural culture whose transformation relates to the 'meeting of two worlds.' The criticism levelled at these case studies are examined, especially those concerning their presumed lack of representativeness and objectivity. This lack was invoked without these terms being really stated or clearly determined. In this article, objectivity is defined as being the detailed account of the methodological strategies and operations guiding the approach to an object of investigation. Moreover, a distinction is made between statistical representativeness and sociological representativeness which best determines the generalization value of the case study. Finally, while this approach is considered as a study, or even as descriptive theory, this paper shows that description proves essential in the definition of explanatory theories. The example of the case study approach to the French-language economy in Quebec is presented in order to re-examine, in strictly methodological terms, all the points raised in this paper.

L'analyse de la production sociologique au Quebec, de 1945 a 1980, ne saurait etre entreprise sans faire reference a la transformation des conditions generales d'enonciation qu'a connue la societe quebecoise durant la periode. On peut schematiquement regrouper cette sociographie en quatre courants distincts. Le premier, de 1945 a 1960, se donne comme un savoir critique de l'adaptation illustrant l'inadequation de la reference au traditionalisme. Le debut des annees soixante marque le passage a la dominance d'une forme de la representation presentant desormais le Quebec comme une societe politique. Une sociologie fonctionelle de l'adaptation se developpe des lors, liee a la mise en place de l'Etat keynesien. Les annees soixante-dix voient au contraire l'affirmation d'une sociologie de l'emancipation. Divisee en deux courants antagonistes, culturaliste et politiste, cette sociologie travaille a la redefinition d'une societe quebecoise dorenavant soumise aux pleines determinations de la modernite. The modernity of sociological production in Quebec from 1945 to 1980 cannot be attempted without referring to the transformation in the general conditions of Quebec's expression of itself as a society during this period. We can regroup this sociography schematicaly into four distinct approaches: the first, from 1945 to 1960, presented itself as a form of critical knowledge of adaptation which illustrated t he inadequacy of references to traditionalism. The beginning of the 1960s marked the transition towards the predominance of a representational form which thereafter presented Quebec as a political society. In the third tendency a functionalist sociology, linked to the consolidation of the Keynesian state, took root. The 1970s saw in contradistinction the affirmation of a sociology of emanicipation. Divided between two mutually antagonistic approaches, culturalist and political, Quebec sociology is working towards the redefinition of a Quebecois society henceforth caught in the determining web of modernity., Traditional society, political society and Quebec sociology: [...]

Cet article evoque en premier lieu les moments-cles de I'institutionnalisation de la sociologie quebecoise francophone en tant que discipline et profession. Il examine, dans un deuxieme temps, certains des traits globaux d'un systeme social qui se constitura parallelement a celui du Canada anglais. Sont ensuite presentes les grands axes analytiques auxquels obeit la production scientifique quebecoise. On y decouvre alors l'existence d'une jonction entre une sociologie de la praxis d'une part et d'autre part, une sociologie de la domination. L'examen de la sociologie des mouvements sociaux et de la sociologie des rapports de sexes vient illustrer nos propos. This article focusses first of all on the institutionalization of Francophone sociology in Quebec, sociology being considered here both as a discipline and as a profession. Attention is also given to the main features of a social system which has become separate and distinct from English-Canadian sociology. We then go on to examine the major analytical axes which characterize this body of knowledge. What emerges is the presence in francophone Quebec sociology, of two foci; the affirmation of praxis and collective social action is coupled with an emphasis on structural factors, such as domination, which constrain social action. A closer examination of the sociology of social movements and of the sociology of gender relations illustrates the polarization between social praxis and social critique., Sociology and sociologists in francophone Quebec: science and [...]

A travers la pensee de deux auteurs-cles et de leurs contradicteurs, sont examinees trois periodes de l'evolution de la sociologie et de l'anthropologie au Quebec: gloire, eclipse puis regain de la culture. Dans le cadre d'une conjoncture socio-politique turbulente (non seulement liee au neo-nationalisme quebecois mais a tous les mouvements sociaux qui ont deferle sur l'Occident depuis 1965), ces 'fortunes' et 'misfortunes' de la culture ont ete marquees par des polemiques internes au champ quebecois, elles-memes liees aux principaux courants theoriques qui ont traverse les sciences humaines, en provenance surtout de la France et des Etats-Unis: apres une periode ou regment la culture-cohesion/coherence et la culture-identite, les courants issus du marxisme imposent une eclipse dans le recours a cette problematique de la culture de meme qu'un souci de totalite, et surtout une articulation aux rapports sociaux; puis cette macro-approche sera suive d'une resurgence de la culture, un retour vers le sujet, une affirmation du sens, une critique de l'economisme ainsi qu'une conception de la culture plus eclatee et plus materialisee. En conclusion sont soulignes certains liens entre ces discours sur la culture et le neo-nationalisme quebecois du dernier quart de siecle. Through the thought of two key authors and their critics, three periods of the evolution of sociology and anthropology in Quebec are examined: glory, eclipse and cultural renewal. In a period characterized by social and political turbulence (linked not only to a Quebecois neo-nationalism, but to all social movements to have appeared in the West since 1965), these fortunes and misfortunes of culture have been marked, in Quebec, by internal polemics and debates which are linked to the principal theoretical currents occuring in the human sciences emerging particularly from France and the United States. Following a period dominated by a conception of culture as coherence, cohesion and identity, key issues in Marxism overshadowed the approach of culture-cohesion problematic and its concern for the totality, expressed above all in its articulation of social relations. Following upon the macro approach of this period is a cultural resurgence marked by a return to the subject, an affirmation of meaning and sense, a critique of economism coupled with a conception of culture which is both more vigorous and concrete. At the conclusion, key links between the developing cultural discourse and Quebecois neo-nationalism of the last 25 years are emphasized., Fortunes and misfortunes of culture: sociology and anthropology of culture in francophone Quebec, [...]

Comme son titre l'indique, cet article tente de recapituler les travaux les plus importants sur les classes sociales dans la sociologie quebecoise des cinquante dernieres annees. Ces travaux se rattachent a divers courants de pensee theorique qui ont suivi des voies parfois paralleles et parfois opposees les unes aux autres: problematiques d'inspiration weberienne, parsonienne, marxiste, gurvitchienne, tourainienne, etc. En meme temps, la sociologie des classes s'est integree dans plusieurs conjonctures politiques successives, toutes marquees par la question nationale. Ses debats scientifiques eclairent les principaux enjeux de ces conjonctures eu egard au changement social et aux groupes qui en sont l'avant-garde. As its title indicates, this article attempts to summarize the most important work on social classes in Quebecois sociology during the last 50 years. Social class research in Quebec has been associated with various theoretical approaches (Weberian, Parsonian, Marxist, Gurvitchian, Tourainian, etc.) which have taken either parallel or conflicting paths with each other. At the same time, the sociology of classes has been associated with many successive political conjunctures, each of which has been marked by the national question. These scientific debates illustrates the most important stakes involved in these conjunctures, especially with regard to social change and avant-garde social groups., The sociology of social [...]

Les sociologues quebecois ont ete au coeur de ce que l'on a appele la Revolution tranquille. Ils ont inspire des reformes, anime des projects et joue le role d'eminences grises aupres du gouvernement. Cependant, au milieu des annees '70, plusieurs sont devenus de plus en plus critiques de l'intervention de l'Etat en matiere de politiques sociales: non seulement l'Etat n'a-t-il pas reussi a redistribuer les ressources des plus riches vers les plus pauvres, mail il a aussi paralyse l'action des groupes communautaires et des autres mouvement sociaux. Le present article recense les publications sur l'Etat et les politiques sociales depuis 1975. Les auteurs concluent que les sociologues quebecois sont de moins en moins interesses par l'Etat, concentrant davantage leur attention sur les groupes en besoin. Quebec's sociologists have been at the heart of the so-called Revolution tranquille. They have inspired reforms, animated projects and served as 'grey eminences' to the government. Yet, by the mid 1970s, many had grown intensely critical of state intervention in social policies: not only was the state incapable of really redistributing resources from the rich to the poor, but it was also paralysing the action of community groups and other social movements. In this article, the francophone leterature on the state and social policy since 1975 is reviewed. The authors conclude that Quebec sociologists have become less fixated on the state, and are beginning to turn their attention more and more to specific social groups in need., Sociology and social policy: from a love-hate relationship with the state t o cynicism and [...]

La plupart des questions sur lesquelles les sociologues quebecois se sont penches au cours des dernieres decennies se rapportent d'une facon ou d'une autre aux transformations qui ont eu lieu au cours de la 'Revolution transquille'. Les objets de leur recherche peuvent etre regroupes sous trois chapitres: la modernization, le nationalisme, et l'egalite sociale. Le passage d'un ordre socio-culturel a un autre entraine des tensions et oppositions entre les groupes en place et ceux qui aspirent a un ordre different; entre groupes pronant des ideologies differentes. Les sociologues (et autres specialistes en sciences sociales) faisaient partie de groupes qui preconisaient certains types de changements. L'essai porte sur les facons dont les transformations sociales et l'implication des sociologues dans leur deroulement ont oriente la discipline-a la fois dans ce qui a constitue ses objets de recherche et dans ce qui a ete neglige. L'impact de ces phenomenes sur l'evolution de la profession est egalement examine. The work of Quebec sociologists during the last few decades has dealt with issues related to the transformation of society that has characterized the 'Quiet Revolution'. The significant trends of research can be grouped under three categories of issues: those pertaining to modernization, nationalism, and social equality. The changes from one socio-cultural order to another has involved tensions and opposition between established and contending groups; between groups with different ideological orientations. Sociologists (and other social scientists) were part of groups advocating particular kinds of changes. This essay examines some of the ways in which the on-going social change and the involvement of sociologists in it has oriented the discipline-both in what has been researched and what has been neglected. Some observations are also made with regard to their impact on the evolution of the profession., Quebec sociology: agendas from society or from [...]

This article employs Habermas's concept of the public sphere in examining the relationship between ethnic and mainstream Toronto newspapers. In particular, the study analyses editorials in the year leading up to the 1995 Quebec referendum on sovereignty, and draws upon interviews with the newspaper editors in explaining the patterns of coverage. During the specified time period, all but one newspaper was anti-separatist. Unlike the mainstream papers, however, the ethnic presses stressed issues of cultural survival. The editors' approaches to the sovereignty question suggests that there is neither a single unified public sphere nor multiple discrete publics. Instead, there are multiple overlapping public spheres - embedded in particular socio-economic historical moments - that complement one another., The appearance of Jurgen Habermas's The Structural Transformation of the Public Sphere: An Inquiry into the Category of Bourgeois Society in English translation in 1989 marked a watershed in the [...]