Identity Catharsis
The Montreal Universal and International Exposition of 1967 was intended to celebrate the Confederation of Canada, and the federal government went to great lengths to emphasize Canadian unity. Expo 67 produced, however, an unforeseen development in Quebec’s identity process: in a situation where every pavilion and every physical and symbolic object was meant to be admired, Quebeckers adopted this new “remarkable” reality as their own. Through what may be called an “identity catharsis,” they peacefully, enthusiastically and emotionally appropriated this new reality, that of a modern Quebec that had become “somebody.” The message of Expo 67, which was unexpectedly diverted, ultimately benefited a new reference community.