The symbolic capital of medals.
This article examines the notion of symbolic capital on the basis of an analysis of the history of the Légion d’honneur in Quebec. This perspective may strike some readers as odd in that the awarding of medals takes place somewhat apart from Quebec politics proper, where symbolic capital normally exerts its power. However, given that all symbolic capital is suspected of being vain and venal, it appears that the relative « freeness » of the attribution and the reception of the Légion d’honneur in Quebec allows to better identify the principles and motives behind the quest for such a distinction on this side of the Atlantic. The attraction which this medal has been able to exert is even more symbolic in that it is controlled by a foreign country and in that it bears the prestige of abroad.