“The less noble traits of your nature” : Social class and gender in the moral guidebooks and etiquette books in Quebec, 1900–1960
This article proposes a Bourdieuian reading of two particular historical sources, being moral guidebooks and etiquette books. This reading allows to shed light on the historical experience of money in Quebec during the first half of the 20th century. Moreover, the way in which these writings describe distinction and worthiness is reflective of the state of affairs in class relations in Quebec society of that time. Here, the social relations of gender also played an important role. The study of this material demonstrates the persistence of rigid bourgeois behavioural principles, seemingly nurtured by the transition to capitalism and the development of democracy in the 19th century. The case made that the 20th century underwent an “informalization” of good manners, as put forth by the sociologist Case Wouters, does not seem applicable to Quebec for the period of time considered.